Western author looking for game dev colab

I’ve written, and published, a pulp western trilogy that takes place after the civil war. Looking for someone who would be interested in collaborating on a game. The main character is a woman from Louisiana and the tone is pretty traditional as far as the western genre goes. I’ve enjoyed many years of IF and would love to be a part of building something new. If this idea sounds interesting to anyone please hit me up.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Here is the blurb I posted on the Amazon listing:

Raised on revenge and grit, Ada Picou, hunts the man that killed her family. Her humanity is tested at every turn as hate binds her heart. A chance for peace and safety enters into her life and then is challenged by her greatest threat. Divergent paths lay before her, one will take her to vengeance, the other, possibly love. The burdens of choice weigh heavily upon her future and the future of those around her.

7 Likes

Hello and welcome to Intfiction.org.

I took the liberty of looking up your book (“published” can mean several different things nowadays) and see that it is available on Barnes & Noble and Amazon, as well as being available as a paperback on Walmart.com. You’re listed as the publisher, so I’m assuming this is a self-published title.

With that said, it seems, with the dearth of reviews, that you’re still trying to get some traction with this story. Would it be safe to assume that this is one of the things you’re hoping to get out of an IF collaboration?

Just trying to gauge your intentions and aspirations. Sadly, the IF niche is just that, niche. Are you hoping to draw the existing IF audience to your published work? Are you hoping to sell and/or distribute this game alongside your book?

Also, what sort of IF game are you looking for? There’s some diversity of form and style. Are you looking for something more Choice-Based like Twine? Or perhaps something with a classic Parser, like Inform or TADS? No graphics, like Zork? Integrated images, like Gateway? Or a fully graphical game that is controlled via Parser, like Space Quest or Kings Quest? And that is just scratching the surface. Or are you simply settling for what you can get?

The folks able to bring these things to life all reside here, but there are few that are comfortable with all of the above. Most of us specialize in one format and style. Knowing what your goal is here would help folks know if they might be a match.

And finally, I see you made this post about 30 minutes after joining our community. You may find some folks a little leary that you started off with soliciting coding and writing labor rather than getting to know the community a little first. Others won’t care, but it’s something to be aware of and it is something you can alleviate to some degree by being as transparent and frankly honest about your preferences and ultimate goals with this project.

Best wishes on your project regardless,
-Pinkunz

12 Likes

It’s really not as serious as all that, but you might as well let us know the kind of IF you like.

Welcome to the forum!

6 Likes

Hi Anthony–

You should try learning a program for yourself! I came to writing IF with zero coding experience and picked up Inform 7 well enough to write several parser games. There are some choice-based game programs that are pretty easy for beginners to pick up, as well. It’s really rewarding to code your own games, and I don’t know how likely it is that you’ll find a coding monkey willing to do the programming without having any creative input.

This forum is really, really good at helping newbies untangle coding problems and get their games written, so there’s an army of helpers here. If I could do it, so can you!

11 Likes

TBH, the ones you gotta watch out for don’t write this well! :wink:

It’s okay, @abparr this is what this forum is for. From the description of your story it kind of rings Choice of Games bells for me as opposed to a parser puzzler. ChoiceScript by design is one of the easier systems to create an interactive narrative - especially for authors as the agency is more about steering an overarching plot than finding keys to unlock doors.

You’ll hopefully get a lot of feedback here, and either be able to adapt your own story with help, or I’m sure we have lots of budding collaborators in the woodwork!

9 Likes

WOW! So, thanks for the feedback on the post. I’m not selling anything. I’ve been playing IF since 1985ish on our 8086, before my dad put in the 8088 daughter board. I’ve written some super basic choose-your-own adventures in various languages and have played with Twine for a bit. I want to explore this art form with my stories and characters for the pure joy of it. I will absolutely check out ChoiceScript, but honestly, I want to write and was hoping to contribute to the game from narrative/character dev. perspective.

Totally am grateful for the comments and pro-tips from you all.

I have fond memories of getting Zork, Hitchhiker’s Guide, and the Leather Goddess of Phoebis (?) off of our local BBS. :slight_smile:

7 Likes

Thanks, AmandaB, I actually have spent time with Basic, VB, Pascal, Fortan, Java, C, and Delphi over the years. Just wanted to step a bit away from the coding mindset to flex a different type of creativity. I’m also a Linux guy, so, I’m not averse to getting my paws dirty. LOL

I do understand and value the feeling, and vibe, of doing it yourself.

6 Likes

Over the years I’ve played a lot, just looking for the right fit for something that started as a novel. I just don’t have the experience and breadth of knowledge to know what’s out there these days. The last thing I dabbled with was Twine a few years ago as a teaching tool for kids dipping their toes into various computer arts.

5 Likes

Thanks for the information. I didn’t even know it was on the Walmart website. That’s kind rad. :slight_smile:

I will absolutely be respectful and I appreciate everyone taking the time to read and comment.

6 Likes

I’m interested. Perhaps DM me a bit more about the idea. We can discuss it.

4 Likes

Hey jkj yuio, I would love to chat more. So, I’ve looked around a bit on this forum and I am definitely missing the spot where I can DM you. Sorry for my ignorance. How do I message you directly?

1 Like

Tap on their user icon to bring up their profile. The option to DM them should be there.

ETA: On reflection, I don’t know if you’re too new to have the ability to initiate a DM. I’ll tag @jkj_yuio so they see your reply.

1 Like

I did that. Just don’t see anything. Maybe it is a feature that is locked behind my newb status on the forum. Trying a different browser…

Hm, that didn’t work. I’m thinking I’m too new around here.

Thanks for that tag.
Can I post my email on this thread an “at dot com” format? I don’t want to break any of the rules.

2 Likes

Hi @abparr. I have messaged you instead :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Sorry, I didn’t notice the edit earlier. Looks like they hit you up already.

2 Likes