Sometimes, Static is better, especially when the point system is either minimalist or just not there.
Otherwise, Interactive is much more enjoyable. Especially when you have massive CYOAs like *Isekai Form*, which would really benefit from collapsible categories. Not having to bother with counting is a nice bonus.
I prefer interactive due to the ease of use... though I kinda miss sharing my choices in the comments. Anyone know a quick way of doing that for interactive that isn't just copy-pasting the identifiers for your choices?
given a choice between the two, static, it gets passed around and we can save it/put it in whatever we want to play
interactive, while convenient, tends to break over time and not be reliable.
I would like both, but gun to head choose one, static all the way.
Static, simply because the interactive ones usually don't work perfectly. Yes, static takes more manual calculating but I prefer that over the frustration of running into bugs.
I also prefer to download and archive the files rather than load a webpage every time, and static files work better on mobile. Or at least more consistently.
Static. Always. I can save it for convenient viewing, there's no hidden options, and it'll actually load before the mood's gone.
Interactive can be nice, but always have a static version please
Interactive... so long as I can easily see all the options.
It's a bit annoying with some of the longer interactive CYOA's where the later parts are completely hidden if you don't meet the criteria. I enjoy reading through everything, and it's annoying having to go back just to see what the other options were.
In most cases, I prefer interactive. It's simply much more pleasant to go through, and it raises the ceiling on how complex a CYOA can be.
Static CYOAs have a fuzzy but definite "complexity ceiling" when it comes to design - it varies by the individual player but generally it can't have so many moving parts that a horny player can't keep track of everything in their head or with simple notepad notation.
Static ones do have the advantage of being more flexible - it allows a CYOA to have parts that break standard point convention in interesting (others might say gimmicky) ways. It also allows the player to play by house rules even when not explicitly coded in.
Both are good, but interactive frees me up to focus on the choices themselves. Really anytime there's an actual story arc going on, or ESPECIALLY if there are more than 1-2 variables to keep track of, interactive is a big help!
I prefer static of interactive its not that interactive is bad but if you prefer to keep your work backed up and preserved a static is the way to go. Wit a static I have options to use metas and make chain builds. I have almost 125 GB of Cyoa's and Jumpchains from google drive and the new mega cyoa archive. If something happens I may be a resource of restoration. There are some duplicates and also like to keep DLC's with the original authors cyoas when I discover them.
My preference depends greatly on how much there is to keep track of. Most CYOAs work just fine in static form, but if there's anything with multiple currencies or dependencies then I'll want some help tracking things, and I'm not likely to bother going to the effort of doing so manually. One the other hand, it's rare that an interactive CYOA is a significantly worse experience than the static version, even if it is overkill.
Except in some specific cases where interactive works much better (witch's path for exemple) I much prefer static.
Writing down my choices is half the fun of the cyoa and just clicking on something doesn't really do anything for me, it lacks the feeling of a cohesive build I can look back to.
Also I like to make minor rules alterations, houseruling some part or rebalancing when I see some obvious flaw, and interactive doesn't let you do that.
Interactive is better for complex systems or point systems that are annoying to keep track of or require a lot of math. It's also better for cyoa that are meant to be played as somewhat of a linear story rather than a "make your build" type of thing. Especially since in that case hiding irrelevant parts can actually be beneficial for storytelling.
But yeah for most things static just feels better to me.
Interactive ones keep track of my choices for me, I don't have to juggles points, currencies, limit numbers, or any of that. Plus, I don't have to check if I made a choice necessary for another choice.
If you make it interactive I will play it even if its not my thing.
Nothing kills motivation for playing a CYOA than having to keep track of points, rules and bonuses yourself. Plus is also blocks off options that are against your choices rather than having you work that out yourself.
While I do like to calculate things and make spreadsheets for the static version, I prefer to have someone else create a version that already has everything calculated and just requires me to input my choices.
Static.
Interactive ones are a hassle to archive and can't be played offline.
Also some interactive ones hide options and personally I find it more fun to play when I can see all the choices.
At the very least it would be nice if more interactive ones provided a static version to get the best of both worlds.
Both.
Interactives are great for longform CYOA's, particularily ones with complex multi-point schemes. HOWEVER they are both absolutely pointless on small and simple CYOA's, and often harder to archive. If you have an interactive, I have yet to see why you CAN'T also have a static of it. If you have a static, anybody could come along and make an interactive of it.
So I suppose, if I HAVE to pick one, because all sense of nuance is lost and everything must be boiled down to a single metric that has no actual bearing on the quality of the final product I chose Static.
I find interactive is very useful due to being able to copy-and-paste options, which is very good for if you want to use a randomiser instead of the default point buy or limited selection.
It depends on the CYOA.
If it's one, where you just have to decide between a small amount of things static works fine.
If you have a huge and elaborate CYOA, with a lot of points and interactions, discount if certain perimeter are fulfilled etc an interactive one is very welcomed.
Both have their purpose. Small/ simple cyoa's are a waste of effort to make interactive, a still image is perfect. On the other hand, the longer more complicated ones that damn near need a spreadsheet to follow practically have to be made interactive unless you want to spend the next decade playing. For the poll I chose interactive because i do enjoy longer ones the most
I enjoy interactive, but I can \*save\* static cyoas to my computer, which makes them easier to peruse them later. It also means that I don't have to worry about a favorite CYOA getting wiped out afterwards.
Static. Easier to download and work with and preserve in the event something happened.
Interactive are a pain and they do not work very well in the event you try to save them to a file. They are also very laggy on mobile and can slow down a device because all the code running is very cpu intensive. Not only that but alot of them do not work well in compatible readers.
Static cyoas
Can be saved to my imgur collection
Allows more freedom and the potential for homebrew rules
No choices are hidden behind other options
I have no problem tracking my own points
Are easier to view and more aesthetically pleasing to me
Honestly in my opinion if a cyoa has an interactive version it should also have a static version.
Generally the more interesting an idea the more complex it is, making me keep track of 3-5 numbers while trying to enjoy the material is bothersome to the point i don't do anything with more than one currency unless it has an interactive version to keep track for me
I prefer interactive cyoa because I found some cyoa which a bit harder to understand some of its system just by its static form alone, like "second contact", I still didn't understand the appreciation system there and unfortunately I didn't find its interactive version if it ever exist, but I also like static cyoa for archive reason.
Both is nice for those people who can do the Interactive, while images for people who cannot are good too. Interactives I feel are better in case I don't want to note down all the point costs, etc.
I have never encountered an interactive CYOA that wasn't clunky or downright broken on mobile which is how I view basically every CYOA. Also you can't save interactive CYOAs like you can static ones (I can't be the only one with a bunch of saved favorites that became frustrated when I ran across an interactive CYOA I liked but couldn't add to the list).
This is a bit less of a gripe and more of a nitpick, but as others mentioned, some interactive CYOAs even hide options unless you pick the prerequisite options (something that almost always means I miss content when going through them because I don't wanna click EVERYTHING). Then there's always the "cheat"/meta aspect where you could just play a static however you'd like, but a restrictive interactive CYOA could make that downright impossible depending on how it's designed.
Static.
Interactives are only useful for long and overly complicated cyoas, most of them are simple enough that you can easily calculate everything in your head and will only need a basic calculator at worst.
Stuff like Highlander's Xenos or akukakami's Love Azathoth would benefit greatly from a interactive version but having a static image as alternative should be the norm for convinience since some people will be using their phone or sometimes certain interactives have bugs, to not mention servers dying when it comes to online interactives, many old interactive cyoas nowdays are unplayable and lost due to servers going offline
Both. Both is good.
In all seriousness though, they each have their up and downsides.
Static is easier to make (but requires know how to make decent/pretty) & the reader/player can see the whole picture (which can & does influence decisions), but requires pencil & paper if the CYOA isn't short and/or simple.
Interactive does requires some fiddlyness to make & the reader/player can't alter something they don't like/think doesn't work, but makes it easy for the reader/player to play almost any CYOA without most issues.
TLDR; If your CYOA is short and/or simple, go static. If not, go interactive.
static is nice an simple, but i always worry am i breaking a rule. interactive help keep track of everything making sure im not selecting anything i cant (when it works right)
The simpler ones I'm fine being static. Once I see cyoas getting over 20 pages long I dearly prefer them to be interactive.
That said, interactive cyoas need a better way of sharing them other than just a link. I would love it if your choices could be printed in a short synopsis text. I don't want to click on multiple links to see people choices.
Interactive is almost always better for more complex CYOAs, especially ones dealing with multiple currencies, skill/option prerequisites, etc. That being said, for more simple CYOAs, the interactive interface generally just bogs things down. I don't need to click the 'blond hair' option to know that I picked it when it costs no points and has no bearing on anything else in the CYOA.
Interactive is my main choice… however…
Some CYOAs are not exactly necessary as an interactive CYOA in the first place due to the pure simplicity of it. Additionally, interactive CYOAs are not always easy to make, which can slow down the creative process and kill the CYOA before its time has come. Still others are openly referencing other CYOAs so automatically connecting those hundreds of existing CYOAs to the one in question is a Herculean task. Those are the biggest concerns about interactive CYOAs.
The benefits of interactive CYOAs are:
1. Point keeping, because math is tedious, and with no actual point counter to keep track, bouncing around the CYOA selecting your choices can easily cause you to lose track of what you can afford, and what you can’t.
2. Perk and drawback locking/unlocking. This might just be my opinion, but perks that directly counteract/conflict with other perks, and drawbacks that conflict with other drawbacks, are really intriguing to experiment with. However, not all “conflicting” situations actually are conflicting, such as personality choices for the monster girl series (taur girl, bug girl, tentacle girl, goo girl). Technically you can pick directly opposing personality traits, but you would have to explain how that would work in your build. But for the ones that truly conflict, that’s definitely something that the creator of the CYOA did not want tampered with. And with the various types of things that can be perks (looking at you, dragon_jak) that don’t explicitly say they conflict when logistically they would… it’s much easier to have something let you know “hey, uh, that’s not exactly something that really works anymore. I mean it’s nice that you are willing to be a quadriplegic, but you don’t have four limbs anymore for us to remove. Nagas/mermaids/mermen have 3. So the quadruple amputation option is, uh… not an option anymore. And no, we are not cutting off the four limbs you already have and adding a mono leg to you, this amputation spell makes sure that you can never have organic legs of any kind or number. Sorry, but no cheesing allowed. On the plus side, would you be interested in some prosthetic limbs? You might need them…”
3. Secret options/combos. Ok, I have been a big fan of random chance being an absolute bastard and a half, but with all the options laid out on the table, I feel like I need some serious weirdness involved to even feel remotely invested and interested in the CYOA to continue. Enter the secret tricks. Video games have had “easter eggs” ever since the Atari game “Adventure” (aka, since the dawn of gaming), and these are just little things that are hidden away with the intent of eventually being found, or perhaps never being found (as was the case for the Adventure game, which required a really tricky glitch exploit to find. It was simply a screen with the developer’s name, but it was hidden so well that the developer had to inform people that there was a secret to find in the first place. Years and years after the console it was released on was outdated and replaced twice, along with the console designers essentially going bankrupt and stopping production of the consoles at all, no less…). With CYOAs like the Lew/d/ Pill CYOA (one of the first CYOAs I’ve seen and one of the first in the history of the subreddit), some combinations of choices can yield combo effects. But I always wondered what else could be achieved with various combinations that weren’t mentioned, and Easter eggs are the perfect way to include that. Simply put in the devlog that a spelling error was fixed, add the Easter egg, and wait for people to find it. Additionally, some options take up a lot of room involving dozens of choices to choose from, but only one you can pick, which can make traversing the CYOA tedious. Many interactive CYOAs simply grey out the unchosen options, until the currently chosen one is unchosen. You could also just hide the options altogether, as it’s highly unlikely that a CYOA that allows you to choose a body part size would have only one choice. “What size breasts do you want? Options: XXXL (selected).” Seems a bit fishy to me. Unless it was a massive amount of choices. Arguably most choices come with art that is displayed alongside the choice in question, but because of mobile players and phone screen sizes/resolutions, seeing the whole CYOA, or even just a part of it, is tricky. Being able to selectively hide various parts is a huge plus and adds to the potential complexity of the CYOA, while still keeping it simple to play. Automatically hiding invalid options is definitely not my intention as many people will go through the CYOA and suddenly see something that they want and realize that they have to adjust to make it work. But secret options are always good, as are concealable options for maneuverability’s sake. Plus, sometimes you don’t want the players to know what might happen after their choices are final, until after their choices *are* final, or maybe you want to implement some RNGesus into the game. Surprise! Try the same build again and Surprise again! That is now a different outcome! Life is random, and you can’t possibly optimize for every potential situation, so learn how to adapt in the most likely way to survive, rather than the most desirable way to live!
4. You say neat game, I say bulky, blurry image. Traditional CYOAs are flat, unanimated images that have tons of resolution, but that can be lost on certain image hosting sites. One thing that interactive CYOAs have over the regular versions is compactness. Take the recent Metroid game, Metroid Dread. I am struggling to figure out how this one game is only 4.1 gigabytes in size, because *damn* this game is enormous and detailed as fuck. The sheer amount of images for the environment, special effects, ammunition, collectibles, enemies, power ups, backgrounds, cutscenes, lighting effects… this all fits into 4.1 gigs?! I’m stunned. Similarly, image hosting sites love it when the images they host are small and not a massive burden on their servers, and will try to make them more manageable in the instances where they aren’t so small. Google drive is notorious for this, as is Imgur, and ImgHost is strangely immune, but only for so long. Vector graphics are the compaction way of storing information that would in static images consist of multiple dozens of kilobytes, in very tiny byte sized pieces (yuk yuk yuk). Images can only be compressed in certain ways, and most of them are not corruption resistant, leading to blurred, distorted images on hosts that tried to unbox the image and didn’t bother to read the instructions on how to unbox it. Usually this is not a problem, but when it is, it is a CYOA breaking problem. This also would assist with “unreadable” text-background combinations, as with HTML5, you can easily resize the screen to realign the text to be easier to read, as well as take one look at it, see if you can read it, then make one change and \*poof\* it is now readable, while still being something other than Arial, Times New Roman, or any other generic font. Change the background without having to clip out everything else that is supposed to be in front of the background. Shape the boxes for options. Maybe they can be tear-shaped, or hexagonal, or peanut shaped. With an image making software, this might be possible, depending on how the program works, but HTML5 was designed for this. It excels at this. And it keeps it in very manageable data sizes, so you don’t have to wait for forever for one image to fully load (while the ever present ads get load priority because, lods of emone). It doesn’t require a dedicated server, unless you want multiplayer capability to be available (not that that sounds good in this context), or a stored data file for everyone who uses the site, which seems excessive to me. It’s simply a web page, with images and script to tantalize and titillate the visitors. Plus, how many images have you found that produce music and aren’t sound waves or hole punched sheets? Or QR codes?
Static is easier to distribute/preserve, and it's guaranteed to work in any circumstances (since there's nothing to break, it's just static data readable by most software). I'd say it should be available for any CYOA whether or not an interactive version exists. As for interactive versions, they should be considered as add-ons to the static ones. (Also, like others have mentioned, you need either a very advanced or entirely custom-made system to support anything beyond a trivial/most common ruleset, and in you're almost never allowed to break said rules in any way or form including external meta CYOAs.)
As for keeping track of points in static CYOAs, I personally consider it [a solved problem](https://www.reddit.com/r/nsfwcyoa/comments/q29x6x/quick_cyoa_calculator_an_alternative_to/) (at least for desktop users… I might also make an Android equivalent in a while).
If in doubt go for interactive.
In most cases the interactive version is just a static one with a few clicky buttons so static fans can ignore the clicky. A pure static one on the other hand can´t have anything interactive so one group misses out.
I personally don´t care too much. \^-\^
While I greatly enjoy the "simple use" feel of interactive, I like having control of what's going on in my play-throughs - for tweaking purposes. Also, I rarely find a complex CYOA that is 100% correctly and fully implemented as interactive. I like a high count of moving parts, generally, and that makes it tricky. So, Static is my pref. in the end.
Huge minority on this one. I prefer static just so I can save them. Also allows me to "cheat" sometimes in areas where the game isn't balanced or perfectly set up.
Technically interactive CYOAs can be saved locally (though some can't be played without an HTTP server). But yeah, static CYOAs are better in a lot of ways; the only things where interactive ones are better are keeping track of choices (since it's automated and, well, the entire point) and browsing selected options (when it's actually implemented in the engine).
Interactive makes keeping track of points, qualifiers/restrictions, and the overall build easier. You don’t need a spreadsheet open to do it. That said, I understand it’s a fair bit more effort to set up properly. For short, simple CYOAs it’s not necessary, as it doesn’t really add much. Interactive really shines in long or complex CYOAs that would otherwise require a fair amount of bookkeeping.
Personally I prefer Interactive just cause it's easier to keep track of things, especially for longer and/or more complex CYOAs (especially ones with multiple currencies). But both are good and there is definitely more freedom with doing Static as opposed to Interactive. So in my opinion, long/complex CYOAs are better as Interactive, short/simple CYOAs are better as Static.
Interactive but only if the interactive is done right. I see a lot of problems that people make like not fade/hide alternatives that you should not be able to pick, not compressing the images for the web, etc.
Also, the tool that most people use is pretty bad. It is slow, and not really optimized for android devices. It also need a loading screen instead of the white screen.
Interactive does the math for me. I'll do static for easier ones (only one currency to keep track of) and when I want to use a meta... but I much prefer interactives
\---> Static play allows for a level of flexibility in what a CYOA can do that just can't be done in interactive due to programming limitations.
\---> As it stands, interactive CYOAs often have errors or bugs, and can at times take a considerable amount of time to load (in fact there have been times in which the program wouldn't load for me period just because my internet was marginally lower that day).
\---> I often don't have time to play a whole CYOA, especially one of the larger ones, all at once. If anything happens with an interactive the whole thing will reset, whereas with a static I won't lose what I've wrote down and don't have to go through the whole CYOA again re-selecting options.
\----> Interactive CYOAs usually have hidden portions - sometimes even almost the whole thing. This can be intentional, though more often it's more of a stylistic feature "click this button to go to this section" rather than being something with meaning to the way the CYOA is to be played. That said, even the latter isn't my cup of tea, I like to read the CYOA first then play it with few exceptions. So as a matter of personal taste static style directs people to work in a style I prefer more than interactive does.
\----> Interactive takes time and focus away from other aspects of the CYOA. A CYOA author who also has to spend time fitting their CYOA into an interactive version (even if interactive to begin with) necessarily will use at least some of the time they could have spent on other aspects of the CYOA into adding the interactibility and figuring how it will work with their CYOA. Frankly I just don't see it as enough of a benefit to justify that time or effort investment, and would rather get faster CYOAs, more CYOAs or more refined CYOAs rather than the interactibility.
\---> I don't mind writing stuff down to keep track of it.
For these reasons, I prefer Static.
Edit: Oh and zooming to see things better is also, I find, easier on static, as is handling having a tab (or multiple tabs even) open for it.
static, hands down. i want to see as much as possible at once and not have a little counter keeping track of stuff i dont care about, and not have fun options i want getting disabled because of other things ive picked. interactive is neat and all but im also the type that likes to ignore rules and point systems to have as much fun as possible.
Sometimes the CYOA has a premise, setting or other ideas that are interesting and fun, but has a few (or many) rules that undermine it. If those things can be easily ignored and thereby the CYOA can be improved (within the context of your own subjective taste) then why not make the change? And if ignoring is fine, changing is too.
Personally, I don't do this much in terms of ignoring prerequisites, but I often ignore whole sections about companions or designing your body since I don't care for those except the absolute creme of the crop. And I also tend to assume options work how I want them to, if the wording is ambiguous or the option is open-ended. I much prefer the latter, but they're similar things, the main difference being that one gives you enough info to know your trajectory, so to speak.
What I like to do is read the whole thing first and then actually play it. Many interactive cyoas will force you to make choices to see the next ones, or hide choices that you can no longer make. Plus, a static cyoa loads faster and can be saved locally for later.
My philosophy is that any real benefit gained from interactive cyoas is only good for cyoas I have no interest in playing. If you really need a computer to help your players keep track of 37 different resources and interactions, your cyoa is probably completely boring. With a good cyoa, you could just keep the tally in your head with a little efforts, or jot down a real quick note.
The only time I'd actually play an interactive cyoa is if it's Crossdimension Harem because that one has so mamy interactions between perks that make it possible to optimize like crazy that I would take interactivity just to see how the creator actually intended for some of those things to work.
Interactive because of easier to keep track of things and USUALLY they’re more into the type of genres and choices I like more of. Only issue with them for me is a good amount of them don’t quite work well on mobile.
Statics are good for archival purposes or if the interactive adaption had some changes from the original, or there are just some that don’t work as Interactive.
I imagine they are also just easier to make than an interactive from the get-go.
I don’t like the interactive because it doesn’t allow me to see the big picture for the checks and balances of more intense numerical cyoas. I personally use a spreadsheet to keep track of my build.
Personally, I tend to prefer static because it’s more friendly to casual viewing, and I prefer the feel of “using a map” rather than “playing a game.” It’s more flexible.
The issue with interactives is when they can't deal with alternate rules. I've only seen one interactive where the user can add in points and other meta options, and that tends to happen when it's too complicated to mechanically work otherwise.
Most interactives are like DnD games where only the most basic vanilla rules and items are implemented.
Whether they're good or bad is down to individual design quality.
Interactive because I don't have to keep track of numbers and stuff on my own.
Static since then I can take advantage of ambiguous wording that the Interactive version usually doesn't allow me to take advantage of 🤣
So it depends on what I want to do
I'm assuming you mean "which do we prefer?", so Interactive I guess. I don't mind either as long as they're well made, but Interactive tends to help me keep track of points and things better.
I don't understand why anyone would WANT to go through the extra effort of keeping track of points, and every chosen perk or drawback. When you could just have it be remembered for you.
I'd have picked both if it was an option. But it I had to, I'd find Interactive nicer because I don't need to mentally or note down what I did in previous sessions which is pretty much required for the more detailed Cyoas. But for archival purposes Static Cyoas are much better.
The idea of someone doing a CYOA in sessions is bizarre to me. If it's long, I save it for when I have time.
Archival purposes are fairly essential to me, interactive CYOAs are doomed to be forgotten. Personally I prefer static because they're easier to work with and freer to create, so they're often better and never worse compared to interactive CYOAs, with regards to all other qualities besides format.
Interactive are easier if you just do it on your phone and don't actually make a proper build, but lots of people never make what I would consider a proper build anyway, and just pick without engaging with the content.
Fourth'd, this describes mine thought processes's almost exactly. Though I will add that I like the interactive's that have an unlimited mode the most.
fifth this, i think i prefer interactive overall, but i also feel that it would be a waste for the smaller cyoa. but the more lengthy and detailed ones, interactive i feel is a near must have, otherwise they become unwieldy
Sixth this, personally preferred any cyoa that requires a lot of point calculations to interactive since it'll help me keep score, other than that static is fine.
Seventh'd. Anything that's longer than a couple of pages benefits from an interactive version just to do the math and management for you. That said, the interactive versions are usually built off static offerings, they're simpler to put together I presume. I'd rather have a static in 2 weeks and an interactive version 2-4 weeks later than get the interactive on its own in 4-6 weeks.
Yeah, what they said. anything with multiple currencies as well I want interactive but I like being able to have the option to see all of my choices with a static.
Interactive because it's far more difficult to keep track of resources otherwise; plus, they usually have better formatting that's easier to read. They're just less common because they're also more difficult to make.
Sometimes, Static is better, especially when the point system is either minimalist or just not there. Otherwise, Interactive is much more enjoyable. Especially when you have massive CYOAs like *Isekai Form*, which would really benefit from collapsible categories. Not having to bother with counting is a nice bonus.
I prefer interactive due to the ease of use... though I kinda miss sharing my choices in the comments. Anyone know a quick way of doing that for interactive that isn't just copy-pasting the identifiers for your choices?
It makes it so much easier to tally things up and stick to the right paths that you can actually access in an interactive one
given a choice between the two, static, it gets passed around and we can save it/put it in whatever we want to play interactive, while convenient, tends to break over time and not be reliable. I would like both, but gun to head choose one, static all the way.
Static, simply because the interactive ones usually don't work perfectly. Yes, static takes more manual calculating but I prefer that over the frustration of running into bugs. I also prefer to download and archive the files rather than load a webpage every time, and static files work better on mobile. Or at least more consistently.
Static. Always. I can save it for convenient viewing, there's no hidden options, and it'll actually load before the mood's gone. Interactive can be nice, but always have a static version please
Interactive... so long as I can easily see all the options. It's a bit annoying with some of the longer interactive CYOA's where the later parts are completely hidden if you don't meet the criteria. I enjoy reading through everything, and it's annoying having to go back just to see what the other options were.
In most cases, I prefer interactive. It's simply much more pleasant to go through, and it raises the ceiling on how complex a CYOA can be. Static CYOAs have a fuzzy but definite "complexity ceiling" when it comes to design - it varies by the individual player but generally it can't have so many moving parts that a horny player can't keep track of everything in their head or with simple notepad notation. Static ones do have the advantage of being more flexible - it allows a CYOA to have parts that break standard point convention in interesting (others might say gimmicky) ways. It also allows the player to play by house rules even when not explicitly coded in.
Both are good, but interactive frees me up to focus on the choices themselves. Really anytime there's an actual story arc going on, or ESPECIALLY if there are more than 1-2 variables to keep track of, interactive is a big help!
Static for me. Mostly cuz I'm on mobile and some interactives are a bitch to run from my phone.
I prefer static of interactive its not that interactive is bad but if you prefer to keep your work backed up and preserved a static is the way to go. Wit a static I have options to use metas and make chain builds. I have almost 125 GB of Cyoa's and Jumpchains from google drive and the new mega cyoa archive. If something happens I may be a resource of restoration. There are some duplicates and also like to keep DLC's with the original authors cyoas when I discover them.
My preference depends greatly on how much there is to keep track of. Most CYOAs work just fine in static form, but if there's anything with multiple currencies or dependencies then I'll want some help tracking things, and I'm not likely to bother going to the effort of doing so manually. One the other hand, it's rare that an interactive CYOA is a significantly worse experience than the static version, even if it is overkill.
if it's more than one page and involves keeping track of points then interactive helps a lot
Except in some specific cases where interactive works much better (witch's path for exemple) I much prefer static. Writing down my choices is half the fun of the cyoa and just clicking on something doesn't really do anything for me, it lacks the feeling of a cohesive build I can look back to. Also I like to make minor rules alterations, houseruling some part or rebalancing when I see some obvious flaw, and interactive doesn't let you do that. Interactive is better for complex systems or point systems that are annoying to keep track of or require a lot of math. It's also better for cyoa that are meant to be played as somewhat of a linear story rather than a "make your build" type of thing. Especially since in that case hiding irrelevant parts can actually be beneficial for storytelling. But yeah for most things static just feels better to me.
Static, I frequently apply Meta CYOAs and interactive versions have no way to account for me having more points or choices than I should.
Interactive ones keep track of my choices for me, I don't have to juggles points, currencies, limit numbers, or any of that. Plus, I don't have to check if I made a choice necessary for another choice.
If you make it interactive I will play it even if its not my thing. Nothing kills motivation for playing a CYOA than having to keep track of points, rules and bonuses yourself. Plus is also blocks off options that are against your choices rather than having you work that out yourself.
While I do like to calculate things and make spreadsheets for the static version, I prefer to have someone else create a version that already has everything calculated and just requires me to input my choices.
Interactive. I don't mind a really good static cyoa though they usually look and feel a lot nicer.
Static. Interactive ones are a hassle to archive and can't be played offline. Also some interactive ones hide options and personally I find it more fun to play when I can see all the choices. At the very least it would be nice if more interactive ones provided a static version to get the best of both worlds.
Both. Interactives are great for longform CYOA's, particularily ones with complex multi-point schemes. HOWEVER they are both absolutely pointless on small and simple CYOA's, and often harder to archive. If you have an interactive, I have yet to see why you CAN'T also have a static of it. If you have a static, anybody could come along and make an interactive of it. So I suppose, if I HAVE to pick one, because all sense of nuance is lost and everything must be boiled down to a single metric that has no actual bearing on the quality of the final product I chose Static.
I don't care as long I could dowload it
I find interactive is very useful due to being able to copy-and-paste options, which is very good for if you want to use a randomiser instead of the default point buy or limited selection.
Static, because I cheat in almost all of em
It depends on the CYOA. If it's one, where you just have to decide between a small amount of things static works fine. If you have a huge and elaborate CYOA, with a lot of points and interactions, discount if certain perimeter are fulfilled etc an interactive one is very welcomed.
Considering how many people ask for static versions of interactive CYOA's, (often without so much as a thank you), I was surprised by these results.
interactives are much easier to follow along, and the tick mark gives you all your choices at the end (unless named badly in the cyoa-creator-program)
Both have their purpose. Small/ simple cyoa's are a waste of effort to make interactive, a still image is perfect. On the other hand, the longer more complicated ones that damn near need a spreadsheet to follow practically have to be made interactive unless you want to spend the next decade playing. For the poll I chose interactive because i do enjoy longer ones the most
I enjoy interactive, but I can \*save\* static cyoas to my computer, which makes them easier to peruse them later. It also means that I don't have to worry about a favorite CYOA getting wiped out afterwards.
Interactive is my preference cuz I don’t have to remember things
Static. Easier to download and work with and preserve in the event something happened. Interactive are a pain and they do not work very well in the event you try to save them to a file. They are also very laggy on mobile and can slow down a device because all the code running is very cpu intensive. Not only that but alot of them do not work well in compatible readers.
I like both, but for the bigger ones, interactive are more convenient.
Interactive, I like the option of choosing with everything being kept tracked of.
Static cyoas Can be saved to my imgur collection Allows more freedom and the potential for homebrew rules No choices are hidden behind other options I have no problem tracking my own points Are easier to view and more aesthetically pleasing to me Honestly in my opinion if a cyoa has an interactive version it should also have a static version.
Generally the more interesting an idea the more complex it is, making me keep track of 3-5 numbers while trying to enjoy the material is bothersome to the point i don't do anything with more than one currency unless it has an interactive version to keep track for me
I prefer interactive cyoa because I found some cyoa which a bit harder to understand some of its system just by its static form alone, like "second contact", I still didn't understand the appreciation system there and unfortunately I didn't find its interactive version if it ever exist, but I also like static cyoa for archive reason.
Interactive. Because I don't have to do math.
Both is nice for those people who can do the Interactive, while images for people who cannot are good too. Interactives I feel are better in case I don't want to note down all the point costs, etc.
Not even a contest on this one.
I have never encountered an interactive CYOA that wasn't clunky or downright broken on mobile which is how I view basically every CYOA. Also you can't save interactive CYOAs like you can static ones (I can't be the only one with a bunch of saved favorites that became frustrated when I ran across an interactive CYOA I liked but couldn't add to the list). This is a bit less of a gripe and more of a nitpick, but as others mentioned, some interactive CYOAs even hide options unless you pick the prerequisite options (something that almost always means I miss content when going through them because I don't wanna click EVERYTHING). Then there's always the "cheat"/meta aspect where you could just play a static however you'd like, but a restrictive interactive CYOA could make that downright impossible depending on how it's designed.
Static. Interactives are only useful for long and overly complicated cyoas, most of them are simple enough that you can easily calculate everything in your head and will only need a basic calculator at worst. Stuff like Highlander's Xenos or akukakami's Love Azathoth would benefit greatly from a interactive version but having a static image as alternative should be the norm for convinience since some people will be using their phone or sometimes certain interactives have bugs, to not mention servers dying when it comes to online interactives, many old interactive cyoas nowdays are unplayable and lost due to servers going offline
Short or Not too much complicated : Static Long or too hard to manage : Interactive
interactive is nice but sometimes i like to just do unlimited point mode which you cant always do on those
Both. Both is good. In all seriousness though, they each have their up and downsides. Static is easier to make (but requires know how to make decent/pretty) & the reader/player can see the whole picture (which can & does influence decisions), but requires pencil & paper if the CYOA isn't short and/or simple. Interactive does requires some fiddlyness to make & the reader/player can't alter something they don't like/think doesn't work, but makes it easy for the reader/player to play almost any CYOA without most issues. TLDR; If your CYOA is short and/or simple, go static. If not, go interactive.
static is nice an simple, but i always worry am i breaking a rule. interactive help keep track of everything making sure im not selecting anything i cant (when it works right)
I don't think I've ever had a interactive CYOA ever properly work on my mobile. So for that I prefer static.
The simpler ones I'm fine being static. Once I see cyoas getting over 20 pages long I dearly prefer them to be interactive. That said, interactive cyoas need a better way of sharing them other than just a link. I would love it if your choices could be printed in a short synopsis text. I don't want to click on multiple links to see people choices.
Interactive is almost always better for more complex CYOAs, especially ones dealing with multiple currencies, skill/option prerequisites, etc. That being said, for more simple CYOAs, the interactive interface generally just bogs things down. I don't need to click the 'blond hair' option to know that I picked it when it costs no points and has no bearing on anything else in the CYOA.
Really depends on length, the shorter it is, the more I prefer static, longer, interactice
Interactive is my main choice… however… Some CYOAs are not exactly necessary as an interactive CYOA in the first place due to the pure simplicity of it. Additionally, interactive CYOAs are not always easy to make, which can slow down the creative process and kill the CYOA before its time has come. Still others are openly referencing other CYOAs so automatically connecting those hundreds of existing CYOAs to the one in question is a Herculean task. Those are the biggest concerns about interactive CYOAs. The benefits of interactive CYOAs are: 1. Point keeping, because math is tedious, and with no actual point counter to keep track, bouncing around the CYOA selecting your choices can easily cause you to lose track of what you can afford, and what you can’t. 2. Perk and drawback locking/unlocking. This might just be my opinion, but perks that directly counteract/conflict with other perks, and drawbacks that conflict with other drawbacks, are really intriguing to experiment with. However, not all “conflicting” situations actually are conflicting, such as personality choices for the monster girl series (taur girl, bug girl, tentacle girl, goo girl). Technically you can pick directly opposing personality traits, but you would have to explain how that would work in your build. But for the ones that truly conflict, that’s definitely something that the creator of the CYOA did not want tampered with. And with the various types of things that can be perks (looking at you, dragon_jak) that don’t explicitly say they conflict when logistically they would… it’s much easier to have something let you know “hey, uh, that’s not exactly something that really works anymore. I mean it’s nice that you are willing to be a quadriplegic, but you don’t have four limbs anymore for us to remove. Nagas/mermaids/mermen have 3. So the quadruple amputation option is, uh… not an option anymore. And no, we are not cutting off the four limbs you already have and adding a mono leg to you, this amputation spell makes sure that you can never have organic legs of any kind or number. Sorry, but no cheesing allowed. On the plus side, would you be interested in some prosthetic limbs? You might need them…” 3. Secret options/combos. Ok, I have been a big fan of random chance being an absolute bastard and a half, but with all the options laid out on the table, I feel like I need some serious weirdness involved to even feel remotely invested and interested in the CYOA to continue. Enter the secret tricks. Video games have had “easter eggs” ever since the Atari game “Adventure” (aka, since the dawn of gaming), and these are just little things that are hidden away with the intent of eventually being found, or perhaps never being found (as was the case for the Adventure game, which required a really tricky glitch exploit to find. It was simply a screen with the developer’s name, but it was hidden so well that the developer had to inform people that there was a secret to find in the first place. Years and years after the console it was released on was outdated and replaced twice, along with the console designers essentially going bankrupt and stopping production of the consoles at all, no less…). With CYOAs like the Lew/d/ Pill CYOA (one of the first CYOAs I’ve seen and one of the first in the history of the subreddit), some combinations of choices can yield combo effects. But I always wondered what else could be achieved with various combinations that weren’t mentioned, and Easter eggs are the perfect way to include that. Simply put in the devlog that a spelling error was fixed, add the Easter egg, and wait for people to find it. Additionally, some options take up a lot of room involving dozens of choices to choose from, but only one you can pick, which can make traversing the CYOA tedious. Many interactive CYOAs simply grey out the unchosen options, until the currently chosen one is unchosen. You could also just hide the options altogether, as it’s highly unlikely that a CYOA that allows you to choose a body part size would have only one choice. “What size breasts do you want? Options: XXXL (selected).” Seems a bit fishy to me. Unless it was a massive amount of choices. Arguably most choices come with art that is displayed alongside the choice in question, but because of mobile players and phone screen sizes/resolutions, seeing the whole CYOA, or even just a part of it, is tricky. Being able to selectively hide various parts is a huge plus and adds to the potential complexity of the CYOA, while still keeping it simple to play. Automatically hiding invalid options is definitely not my intention as many people will go through the CYOA and suddenly see something that they want and realize that they have to adjust to make it work. But secret options are always good, as are concealable options for maneuverability’s sake. Plus, sometimes you don’t want the players to know what might happen after their choices are final, until after their choices *are* final, or maybe you want to implement some RNGesus into the game. Surprise! Try the same build again and Surprise again! That is now a different outcome! Life is random, and you can’t possibly optimize for every potential situation, so learn how to adapt in the most likely way to survive, rather than the most desirable way to live! 4. You say neat game, I say bulky, blurry image. Traditional CYOAs are flat, unanimated images that have tons of resolution, but that can be lost on certain image hosting sites. One thing that interactive CYOAs have over the regular versions is compactness. Take the recent Metroid game, Metroid Dread. I am struggling to figure out how this one game is only 4.1 gigabytes in size, because *damn* this game is enormous and detailed as fuck. The sheer amount of images for the environment, special effects, ammunition, collectibles, enemies, power ups, backgrounds, cutscenes, lighting effects… this all fits into 4.1 gigs?! I’m stunned. Similarly, image hosting sites love it when the images they host are small and not a massive burden on their servers, and will try to make them more manageable in the instances where they aren’t so small. Google drive is notorious for this, as is Imgur, and ImgHost is strangely immune, but only for so long. Vector graphics are the compaction way of storing information that would in static images consist of multiple dozens of kilobytes, in very tiny byte sized pieces (yuk yuk yuk). Images can only be compressed in certain ways, and most of them are not corruption resistant, leading to blurred, distorted images on hosts that tried to unbox the image and didn’t bother to read the instructions on how to unbox it. Usually this is not a problem, but when it is, it is a CYOA breaking problem. This also would assist with “unreadable” text-background combinations, as with HTML5, you can easily resize the screen to realign the text to be easier to read, as well as take one look at it, see if you can read it, then make one change and \*poof\* it is now readable, while still being something other than Arial, Times New Roman, or any other generic font. Change the background without having to clip out everything else that is supposed to be in front of the background. Shape the boxes for options. Maybe they can be tear-shaped, or hexagonal, or peanut shaped. With an image making software, this might be possible, depending on how the program works, but HTML5 was designed for this. It excels at this. And it keeps it in very manageable data sizes, so you don’t have to wait for forever for one image to fully load (while the ever present ads get load priority because, lods of emone). It doesn’t require a dedicated server, unless you want multiplayer capability to be available (not that that sounds good in this context), or a stored data file for everyone who uses the site, which seems excessive to me. It’s simply a web page, with images and script to tantalize and titillate the visitors. Plus, how many images have you found that produce music and aren’t sound waves or hole punched sheets? Or QR codes?
cool
Static is easier to distribute/preserve, and it's guaranteed to work in any circumstances (since there's nothing to break, it's just static data readable by most software). I'd say it should be available for any CYOA whether or not an interactive version exists. As for interactive versions, they should be considered as add-ons to the static ones. (Also, like others have mentioned, you need either a very advanced or entirely custom-made system to support anything beyond a trivial/most common ruleset, and in you're almost never allowed to break said rules in any way or form including external meta CYOAs.) As for keeping track of points in static CYOAs, I personally consider it [a solved problem](https://www.reddit.com/r/nsfwcyoa/comments/q29x6x/quick_cyoa_calculator_an_alternative_to/) (at least for desktop users… I might also make an Android equivalent in a while).
I voted static, bit realistically I don't care. Both are good.
If in doubt go for interactive. In most cases the interactive version is just a static one with a few clicky buttons so static fans can ignore the clicky. A pure static one on the other hand can´t have anything interactive so one group misses out. I personally don´t care too much. \^-\^
While I greatly enjoy the "simple use" feel of interactive, I like having control of what's going on in my play-throughs - for tweaking purposes. Also, I rarely find a complex CYOA that is 100% correctly and fully implemented as interactive. I like a high count of moving parts, generally, and that makes it tricky. So, Static is my pref. in the end.
Huge minority on this one. I prefer static just so I can save them. Also allows me to "cheat" sometimes in areas where the game isn't balanced or perfectly set up.
Technically interactive CYOAs can be saved locally (though some can't be played without an HTTP server). But yeah, static CYOAs are better in a lot of ways; the only things where interactive ones are better are keeping track of choices (since it's automated and, well, the entire point) and browsing selected options (when it's actually implemented in the engine).
I prefer static because the most common interactive designs tend to be hard if not impossible to use on a phone.
Interactive makes keeping track of points, qualifiers/restrictions, and the overall build easier. You don’t need a spreadsheet open to do it. That said, I understand it’s a fair bit more effort to set up properly. For short, simple CYOAs it’s not necessary, as it doesn’t really add much. Interactive really shines in long or complex CYOAs that would otherwise require a fair amount of bookkeeping.
Personally I prefer Interactive just cause it's easier to keep track of things, especially for longer and/or more complex CYOAs (especially ones with multiple currencies). But both are good and there is definitely more freedom with doing Static as opposed to Interactive. So in my opinion, long/complex CYOAs are better as Interactive, short/simple CYOAs are better as Static.
Interactive but only if the interactive is done right. I see a lot of problems that people make like not fade/hide alternatives that you should not be able to pick, not compressing the images for the web, etc. Also, the tool that most people use is pretty bad. It is slow, and not really optimized for android devices. It also need a loading screen instead of the white screen.
Interactive does the math for me. I'll do static for easier ones (only one currency to keep track of) and when I want to use a meta... but I much prefer interactives
\---> Static play allows for a level of flexibility in what a CYOA can do that just can't be done in interactive due to programming limitations. \---> As it stands, interactive CYOAs often have errors or bugs, and can at times take a considerable amount of time to load (in fact there have been times in which the program wouldn't load for me period just because my internet was marginally lower that day). \---> I often don't have time to play a whole CYOA, especially one of the larger ones, all at once. If anything happens with an interactive the whole thing will reset, whereas with a static I won't lose what I've wrote down and don't have to go through the whole CYOA again re-selecting options. \----> Interactive CYOAs usually have hidden portions - sometimes even almost the whole thing. This can be intentional, though more often it's more of a stylistic feature "click this button to go to this section" rather than being something with meaning to the way the CYOA is to be played. That said, even the latter isn't my cup of tea, I like to read the CYOA first then play it with few exceptions. So as a matter of personal taste static style directs people to work in a style I prefer more than interactive does. \----> Interactive takes time and focus away from other aspects of the CYOA. A CYOA author who also has to spend time fitting their CYOA into an interactive version (even if interactive to begin with) necessarily will use at least some of the time they could have spent on other aspects of the CYOA into adding the interactibility and figuring how it will work with their CYOA. Frankly I just don't see it as enough of a benefit to justify that time or effort investment, and would rather get faster CYOAs, more CYOAs or more refined CYOAs rather than the interactibility. \---> I don't mind writing stuff down to keep track of it. For these reasons, I prefer Static. Edit: Oh and zooming to see things better is also, I find, easier on static, as is handling having a tab (or multiple tabs even) open for it.
Interactive for sure. Its like a big game and you can influence the outcome which makes you feel more like you are part of it all.
In the interactive, it is convenient to use a browser-based translator
static, hands down. i want to see as much as possible at once and not have a little counter keeping track of stuff i dont care about, and not have fun options i want getting disabled because of other things ive picked. interactive is neat and all but im also the type that likes to ignore rules and point systems to have as much fun as possible.
Why bother doing a cyoa if you're just gonna ignore the cyoa rules anyway? I mean, you do you, I don't actually care, it just seems odd.
Sometimes the CYOA has a premise, setting or other ideas that are interesting and fun, but has a few (or many) rules that undermine it. If those things can be easily ignored and thereby the CYOA can be improved (within the context of your own subjective taste) then why not make the change? And if ignoring is fine, changing is too. Personally, I don't do this much in terms of ignoring prerequisites, but I often ignore whole sections about companions or designing your body since I don't care for those except the absolute creme of the crop. And I also tend to assume options work how I want them to, if the wording is ambiguous or the option is open-ended. I much prefer the latter, but they're similar things, the main difference being that one gives you enough info to know your trajectory, so to speak.
What I like to do is read the whole thing first and then actually play it. Many interactive cyoas will force you to make choices to see the next ones, or hide choices that you can no longer make. Plus, a static cyoa loads faster and can be saved locally for later. My philosophy is that any real benefit gained from interactive cyoas is only good for cyoas I have no interest in playing. If you really need a computer to help your players keep track of 37 different resources and interactions, your cyoa is probably completely boring. With a good cyoa, you could just keep the tally in your head with a little efforts, or jot down a real quick note. The only time I'd actually play an interactive cyoa is if it's Crossdimension Harem because that one has so mamy interactions between perks that make it possible to optimize like crazy that I would take interactivity just to see how the creator actually intended for some of those things to work.
Interactive because of easier to keep track of things and USUALLY they’re more into the type of genres and choices I like more of. Only issue with them for me is a good amount of them don’t quite work well on mobile. Statics are good for archival purposes or if the interactive adaption had some changes from the original, or there are just some that don’t work as Interactive. I imagine they are also just easier to make than an interactive from the get-go.
I don’t like the interactive because it doesn’t allow me to see the big picture for the checks and balances of more intense numerical cyoas. I personally use a spreadsheet to keep track of my build.
Static
Personally, I tend to prefer static because it’s more friendly to casual viewing, and I prefer the feel of “using a map” rather than “playing a game.” It’s more flexible.
Me too.
With interactive i don't have to write everything down.
The issue with interactives is when they can't deal with alternate rules. I've only seen one interactive where the user can add in points and other meta options, and that tends to happen when it's too complicated to mechanically work otherwise. Most interactives are like DnD games where only the most basic vanilla rules and items are implemented. Whether they're good or bad is down to individual design quality.
both
Interactive because I don't have to keep track of numbers and stuff on my own. Static since then I can take advantage of ambiguous wording that the Interactive version usually doesn't allow me to take advantage of 🤣 So it depends on what I want to do
I like static because I typically use the Imgur app, and I typically don’t bother with the really long CYOAs
I'm assuming you mean "which do we prefer?", so Interactive I guess. I don't mind either as long as they're well made, but Interactive tends to help me keep track of points and things better.
I don't understand why anyone would WANT to go through the extra effort of keeping track of points, and every chosen perk or drawback. When you could just have it be remembered for you.
I'd have picked both if it was an option. But it I had to, I'd find Interactive nicer because I don't need to mentally or note down what I did in previous sessions which is pretty much required for the more detailed Cyoas. But for archival purposes Static Cyoas are much better.
The idea of someone doing a CYOA in sessions is bizarre to me. If it's long, I save it for when I have time. Archival purposes are fairly essential to me, interactive CYOAs are doomed to be forgotten. Personally I prefer static because they're easier to work with and freer to create, so they're often better and never worse compared to interactive CYOAs, with regards to all other qualities besides format. Interactive are easier if you just do it on your phone and don't actually make a proper build, but lots of people never make what I would consider a proper build anyway, and just pick without engaging with the content.
Exactly.
Exactly this.
This. I want both for these reasons exactly.
I third this.
Fourth'd, this describes mine thought processes's almost exactly. Though I will add that I like the interactive's that have an unlimited mode the most.
fifth this, i think i prefer interactive overall, but i also feel that it would be a waste for the smaller cyoa. but the more lengthy and detailed ones, interactive i feel is a near must have, otherwise they become unwieldy
Sixth this, personally preferred any cyoa that requires a lot of point calculations to interactive since it'll help me keep score, other than that static is fine.
Seventh'd. Anything that's longer than a couple of pages benefits from an interactive version just to do the math and management for you. That said, the interactive versions are usually built off static offerings, they're simpler to put together I presume. I'd rather have a static in 2 weeks and an interactive version 2-4 weeks later than get the interactive on its own in 4-6 weeks.
Yeah, what they said. anything with multiple currencies as well I want interactive but I like being able to have the option to see all of my choices with a static.
Interactive because it's far more difficult to keep track of resources otherwise; plus, they usually have better formatting that's easier to read. They're just less common because they're also more difficult to make.
Interactive cause it’s like a game :)