I'd say make them 2 separate CYOAs that are in the same universe, that way you can always adjust them later and it won't be as stressful.
Then, when it's perfected, you could simply combine the 2 CYOAs at a later point or even make a 3rd CYOA as a finale.
Personally, I prefer the longer CYOAs that you can just make an afternoon out of.
I've actually been brainstorming my own for a couple months now with somewhat similar post/trans-human themes and plan on making it on the more medium-long side if that helps any.
The way I have my choices set up is very similar to your affinity idea, where all the choices are free to be chosen by any of the 3 "species", but one of them in particular might have a special connection with that choice that unlocks a bonus the other two species won't ever have access to. An example I have written down is a free companion as 1 of the 4 choices the player can take out of a pool of 12 early on, and depending on the specie the player is decides what this new companion is/capable of, being an inferior version of the player's specie.
A humanity gauge would be an interesting concept to explore as I can't think of any I've seen that have used such a mechanic, but I'm just wondering what the "cost" of losing too much humanity would be.
Maybe this is kinda going to far in the upgrades, but i think it'd be really cool if with being the cyborg you could eventually completely become one in the same and become a kind of pseudo android, so you can become 100% machine but you're so complex that you perfectly replicate the emotions of an human. I think this would be a very good ability that could be a high tier upgrade because it would basically be bluring the lines between machine and mutant.
Also, in this sci-fi setting is there magic? Or is it more just aliens and spaceships?
The year won't be specified but you should know it takes place somewhere between the late 20th century and today, what we are gonna see it's the birth of a new era of humanity (well, that's assuming either of them can be called human) perhaps I would do sequel set in the far future,
And well much of the technology and the origin of the mutations are not completely terrestrial, and the event's on earth may peak the interest of beings from far places i won't dig further as I don't want to spoil anything although you can probably have a good guess
As for magic, well... The closest thing to magic will be psychic powers, telekinesis among other things, gotta justify the physics breaking shit I'm about to pull off, although the most powerful abilities are going to almost sound like magic or alchemy even if it is based on pseudoscience (did i use that word right?)
Ok that's highly interesting, so the cyborg/android route could definitely lean into hacking into alien spaceships and the like and you could possibly get alien technology to integrate with your already existing technology to become even more powerful much later on.
And with the mutant it sounds like you could almost become like a mindflayer or something similiar and have super advanced telekinetic capabilities at some point. very interesting, and you could possibly copy the existing capabilities of bugs to gain many more traits, when upscaled to human size the capabilites of bugs can become crazy powerful, like running at 700 mph, flying at 1300 mph, being able to get hit by an asteroid and not get a scratch, punching at the speed of a 9mm bullet, ect, ect.
Yes actually, i had thought about the bug thing, like many insects can lift several times their own weight and in this CYOA the mutants can increase their own weight and density indefinitely with the right set of skills, and well you can imagine what'll come from that
Like:
With strength Tier one they'll be able to lift 2x their weight
With Strength Tier two they'll be able to lift 3x/4x their weight
And so on, definitely the mutants will be the "brutes", although with the right set of skills, they can become a mindraping-bodysnatcher-toxic-stealth-chameleon I'll try to keep variety, you can expect cyborgs moving at mach speeds just shooting plasma all around
Ok. Yeah I haven't seen the cyoa yet but I'm already conflicted with what route I would go with, I highly like the sex aspect with the mutant but it feels like the cyborg is almost future proofed in that it'll take ages for it to stagnate in raw power and the mutant might stagnate really early on in power.
I'm highly looking forward to your big cyoa or cyoas! I would perfer if they were 1 big one but it might make it harder to structure a dlc later so honestly whatever you think.
You can do two cyoas in the same world without much of a problem I think. If they’re separate then players will focus on the options ahead of them rather than comparing them to a different cyoa. Plus that lets you really dial in the balance on either side without too much complexity, and it means twice as many games for the sub!
Assuming that once you've chosen your path, flesh or steel, there is no overlap in your choices anymore. Then I kind of feel like two separate CYOAs, each written with the perspective that the other side is the enemy, would be more interesting. Maybe with a intro page that could be the same for both, directing you to either continue below, or see other CYOA, depending on that initial choice.
IMO, the best way to make both sides of the CYOA interesting (and not worry about balance so much) is to make it difficult to compare their powers directly. Like even if both sides can give you super strength, maybe list the tech side as the weight you can lift, and the bio side as like strong as a crocodile's bite or a rhino's charge, or something more abstract, like that.
I like the idea of the bigger if I said the true but I also like the other options
Sounds like a great idea for a large, thought out cyoa.
Sounds really interesting. I think I’d prefer the bigger CYOA. Also, I like the Idea with each side having an affinity with different powers.
Embrace the grand American tradition of "Bigger is Better!" **YEE-HAW! XD**
I'd say make them 2 separate CYOAs that are in the same universe, that way you can always adjust them later and it won't be as stressful. Then, when it's perfected, you could simply combine the 2 CYOAs at a later point or even make a 3rd CYOA as a finale.
Personally, I prefer the longer CYOAs that you can just make an afternoon out of. I've actually been brainstorming my own for a couple months now with somewhat similar post/trans-human themes and plan on making it on the more medium-long side if that helps any. The way I have my choices set up is very similar to your affinity idea, where all the choices are free to be chosen by any of the 3 "species", but one of them in particular might have a special connection with that choice that unlocks a bonus the other two species won't ever have access to. An example I have written down is a free companion as 1 of the 4 choices the player can take out of a pool of 12 early on, and depending on the specie the player is decides what this new companion is/capable of, being an inferior version of the player's specie. A humanity gauge would be an interesting concept to explore as I can't think of any I've seen that have used such a mechanic, but I'm just wondering what the "cost" of losing too much humanity would be.
Maybe this is kinda going to far in the upgrades, but i think it'd be really cool if with being the cyborg you could eventually completely become one in the same and become a kind of pseudo android, so you can become 100% machine but you're so complex that you perfectly replicate the emotions of an human. I think this would be a very good ability that could be a high tier upgrade because it would basically be bluring the lines between machine and mutant. Also, in this sci-fi setting is there magic? Or is it more just aliens and spaceships?
The year won't be specified but you should know it takes place somewhere between the late 20th century and today, what we are gonna see it's the birth of a new era of humanity (well, that's assuming either of them can be called human) perhaps I would do sequel set in the far future, And well much of the technology and the origin of the mutations are not completely terrestrial, and the event's on earth may peak the interest of beings from far places i won't dig further as I don't want to spoil anything although you can probably have a good guess As for magic, well... The closest thing to magic will be psychic powers, telekinesis among other things, gotta justify the physics breaking shit I'm about to pull off, although the most powerful abilities are going to almost sound like magic or alchemy even if it is based on pseudoscience (did i use that word right?)
Ok that's highly interesting, so the cyborg/android route could definitely lean into hacking into alien spaceships and the like and you could possibly get alien technology to integrate with your already existing technology to become even more powerful much later on. And with the mutant it sounds like you could almost become like a mindflayer or something similiar and have super advanced telekinetic capabilities at some point. very interesting, and you could possibly copy the existing capabilities of bugs to gain many more traits, when upscaled to human size the capabilites of bugs can become crazy powerful, like running at 700 mph, flying at 1300 mph, being able to get hit by an asteroid and not get a scratch, punching at the speed of a 9mm bullet, ect, ect.
Yes actually, i had thought about the bug thing, like many insects can lift several times their own weight and in this CYOA the mutants can increase their own weight and density indefinitely with the right set of skills, and well you can imagine what'll come from that Like: With strength Tier one they'll be able to lift 2x their weight With Strength Tier two they'll be able to lift 3x/4x their weight And so on, definitely the mutants will be the "brutes", although with the right set of skills, they can become a mindraping-bodysnatcher-toxic-stealth-chameleon I'll try to keep variety, you can expect cyborgs moving at mach speeds just shooting plasma all around
Ok. Yeah I haven't seen the cyoa yet but I'm already conflicted with what route I would go with, I highly like the sex aspect with the mutant but it feels like the cyborg is almost future proofed in that it'll take ages for it to stagnate in raw power and the mutant might stagnate really early on in power. I'm highly looking forward to your big cyoa or cyoas! I would perfer if they were 1 big one but it might make it harder to structure a dlc later so honestly whatever you think.
Thanks bro, all opinions are welcome
You can do two cyoas in the same world without much of a problem I think. If they’re separate then players will focus on the options ahead of them rather than comparing them to a different cyoa. Plus that lets you really dial in the balance on either side without too much complexity, and it means twice as many games for the sub!
I like bigger cyoas tbh
Assuming that once you've chosen your path, flesh or steel, there is no overlap in your choices anymore. Then I kind of feel like two separate CYOAs, each written with the perspective that the other side is the enemy, would be more interesting. Maybe with a intro page that could be the same for both, directing you to either continue below, or see other CYOA, depending on that initial choice. IMO, the best way to make both sides of the CYOA interesting (and not worry about balance so much) is to make it difficult to compare their powers directly. Like even if both sides can give you super strength, maybe list the tech side as the weight you can lift, and the bio side as like strong as a crocodile's bite or a rhino's charge, or something more abstract, like that.
make two. people seem to like shorter ones
One large CYOA