I write the storyline, put it into a flow diagram then write out the paragraphs and test the system. It's all over, isn't it. Of course it isn't. You need to proofread the book and make sure that the game system works.
Proof reading is not just an add on that you have to drag yourself through after you have done all the hard work of actually writing the book (I'm still trying to convince myself of this although I still think that a book is finished once I type the final word).
When you are writing a gamebook, the spelling, punctuation and grammar are not the only things you have to make sure you've done correctly. You then have to make sure that your game system works.
Reviewing the book bit
I find it very useful to leave my gamebook alone once I have finished it. If I try to proofread it straight away, I am too 'immersed' in the book to see its mistakes. I need to give myself time to get a new perspective on it.
Even after some time, I might still be blind to my own mistakes so I get someone else to check it, usually my wife who has very good attention to detail.
I find this does the trick, but I found these good tips if you want to be more systematic and disciplined in your proofreading.
Reviewing the game bit.
I have found another gamebook guide online that has fortunately not made such an oversight. It tells you to make no less than six read throughs of your gamebook.
Also, while doing this make sure you keep an eye out for sections that may have been reversed. For example, text on section 21 allows the character to climb up or down a flight of stairs. To climb down, you must turn to 200. To climb up you must turn to 322. Somehow you could easily mix up the numbers so section 200 should actually contain the text of section 322 and vice versa.
When you are writing a gamebook, the spelling, punctuation and grammar are not the only things you have to make sure you've done correctly. You then have to make sure that your game system works.
Proofreading need not be a harrowing experience. Armed guards not required. |
I find it very useful to leave my gamebook alone once I have finished it. If I try to proofread it straight away, I am too 'immersed' in the book to see its mistakes. I need to give myself time to get a new perspective on it.
Even after some time, I might still be blind to my own mistakes so I get someone else to check it, usually my wife who has very good attention to detail.
I find this does the trick, but I found these good tips if you want to be more systematic and disciplined in your proofreading.
Reviewing the game bit.
It helps to read your book out loud and get other people to proofread. |
Run 1 –
Punctuation
Starting
at section 1 I go through every single section (not following the actual story
but instead read section 1, then 2, and so on) to myself. What I am doing here
is checking for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors. The key to doing
this is reading out loud. You may
sound stupid to your family members but reading every word in your story out
loud to yourself is the easiest way to catch grammatical errors.
Run 2 – Connection
Using
the Story Bubble Chart should eliminate the problem of sections accidentally
not connecting correctly. However, while writing it is not hard to accidentally
write 331 instead of 231. If something like this occurs while you are reading
through your gamebook first consult your Bubble Chart. You should be able to
see where the problem is. If the problem is not solved by that you may have to
scan through until you find the correct connecting section.
Also, while doing this make sure you keep an eye out for sections that may have been reversed. For example, text on section 21 allows the character to climb up or down a flight of stairs. To climb down, you must turn to 200. To climb up you must turn to 322. Somehow you could easily mix up the numbers so section 200 should actually contain the text of section 322 and vice versa.
I would also like to add to this advice that when I was looking at the connections of some of my gamebooks, I would gravitate for the successful path and ignore the paths that would eventually lead to failure. This was a bad bad thing that I did. All the paths should be analysed. However, since I can sometimes get too connected to my writing to the extent that I cannot see my own mistakes, I find having someone else read it (see run 6) very important.
Here's the one guy who thinks that you shouldn't test books for combat difficulty. |
Run 3-5 – Combat Difficulty
Game
balance is important. This process includes three different runs. First create
a character using highest possible stats. For example, in Lone Wolf, using a
character with starting values of 19 Combat Skill and 29 Endurance. Run through
the adventure, making sure that combat is not entirely too easy for your
character. If the main character is rarely, if ever, receiving damage, than you
may want to up the strength of the enemies the reader will come across.
Next
run through it again, this time using a mid-level stat character (E.G. Lone
Wolf with 14 Combat Skill and 24 Endurance). Combat for this character should
be enough to make it difficult for the character to get through the story.
For
your third run you make a character with the lowest possible stats (E.G. Lone
Wolf with a Combat Skill of 10 and Endurance score of 20). Run through the
adventure again. The adventure should be extremely difficult, warranting
needing to run away or use skills and disciplines to get the main character out
of difficult situations. However…it should NOT be impossible to make it through
simply because a reader rolled lowest possible stats.
Run
6-? – Outside Influence
The looks you might get if you misuse apostrophes. |
Have
a friend run through the adventure. Better yet…have several friends run through
the adventure. If you have someone who did not write the adventure they will be
able to spot grammatical errors, story inconsistencies, and flaws in the
writing that you might have missed. This also helps with determining the
difficulty of the adventure. See how often they reach sections with ‘auto
death’. While running your characters through you were able to avoid them
because you knew where they were. If it is far too easy for a character to die
while running through your adventure your friends will surely say so.
This is why we have Demian providing such services for the Fantazine.
ReplyDeleteAnd a very well put together Fantazine it is too!
ReplyDelete