Truth be untold by pseudavid
25/8/15 Update: fix a bug where the game would try to go to a scene that doesn't exist and get blocked. No new content added. Link updated.
STORY
=====
Do you think that a manipulative, narcissistic, power-hungry compulsive liar is a kind of monster? This interactive fiction lets you play through the life of such a tender person as he goes from potential psycho to beloved leader.
GAMEPLAY
========
In each situation you will have only one decision to take: tell the truth, or lie. NPCs will remember if you lied to them or told the truth before, and trust you according to that. Once you choose, you will see if your truth or your lies are believed by other people... and situations will move into success or descend into chaos.
There is a great deal of randomness in the game. The same decision in exactly the same conditions may not have the same result. The same decision, having the same result, may lead to a different path each playthrough. There are several paths and the second playthrough will quite different from the first. There are three endings.
Though there is a game mechanic, it's more interactive fiction than text game. There is no victory condition or goal other than advancing and reaching the end.
SOURCE
======
Play the game, save the webpage, import into Twine 2.
GENRES
======
Interactive fiction, hypertext fiction, choose your own adventure, twine.
##
STORY
=====
Do you think that a manipulative, narcissistic, power-hungry compulsive liar is a kind of monster? This interactive fiction lets you play through the life of such a tender person as he goes from potential psycho to beloved leader.
GAMEPLAY
========
In each situation you will have only one decision to take: tell the truth, or lie. NPCs will remember if you lied to them or told the truth before, and trust you according to that. Once you choose, you will see if your truth or your lies are believed by other people... and situations will move into success or descend into chaos.
There is a great deal of randomness in the game. The same decision in exactly the same conditions may not have the same result. The same decision, having the same result, may lead to a different path each playthrough. There are several paths and the second playthrough will quite different from the first. There are three endings.
Though there is a game mechanic, it's more interactive fiction than text game. There is no victory condition or goal other than advancing and reaching the end.
SOURCE
======
Play the game, save the webpage, import into Twine 2.
GENRES
======
Interactive fiction, hypertext fiction, choose your own adventure, twine.
##
| Web (itch.io) | http://pseudavid.itch.io/truth-be-untold |
| Original URL | https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-33/?action=preview&uid=57036 |
Ratings
| Coolness | 91% | 2 |
| Overall | 3.11 | 482 |
| Fun | 2.78 | 630 |
| Humor | 2.27 | 655 |
| Innovation | 3.22 | 329 |
| Mood | 3.27 | 278 |
| Theme | 3.15 | 614 |
I'd prefer to get more sense of progress. As it is, after a while it looks like a compendium of choices. I didn't know if I'm getting better / worse, what point of the game I'm in (how much more lies before me), etc. Maybe just stating a goal at the start would make that better (any would do).
The problem with progress, I think, is lack of content. For example, if you got a particular NPC many times and got successful, you would notice that you can get away with even harder and crazier lies (since NPCs have individual trust). But I simply couldn't write so much story. The final submission has half the storylines I had planned, but I'm happy with it.
I really enjoyed the simple and clean layout you made and the way you styled the 'results' of lying or the truth.
I also felt that I missed a few bits in between the scenes. Jumps, as it were.
All in all, great to see more interactive novels in the LD! Also, kudos on the crazy amount of content. Wow.
On the other hand, difficulties and probabilities have not been tweaked and balanced.
At times I wasn't sure what the choices I was being asked were and what the outcomes would be.
I told many lies and dead in the end :(
It does make me think about other things I might like to do in Twine though (and my game for this LD is the first time I used Twine, so I didn't really have any ideas before).
This is part of the game design and intention, but it's quite clear that the final game doesn't communicate that at all. A lot more content, as I wanted, would have made it clearer.