Custom scene example part 2: Planning the scene

Hi all!

For the earlier steps in this example see the intro and part one.

Once you've decided on your scene's overview and preconditions, it's time for detailed planning.

This isn't something you need to share on discord, although of course it's fine to do so if you want feedback. Instead, it's a final step to make sure you yourself have a good idea of how your scene will be structured.

This can also help notice any issues where your scene might not be supported by the custom-scene framework. In this case you can raise the issue on discord, patreon or another site I read. I might be able to make addtions to support your scene. If not, you may have to work around limitations or maybe take a different approach to a certain path. This will vary on a case-by-case basis, and it's good to know early on before you start serious writing.

In my design stage I came across a number of issues. For example, version 0.4.11 did not allow custom scenes to un-friend an NPC. So, I ask the dev to add a method on discord. Fortunately they were willing to do so:

How you plan your scene will depend a bit on its overall structure. Turn-based scenes, despite usually being larger, have a simpler plan: just lists of key actions for each character.

Flowchart style scenes such as this example one can be sketched out as graphs of nodes representing the PC and NPCs actions.

Usually flowchart scenes don't use the NPC-action system. Instead, the NPC's actions will be rolled into the PC ones. For example, the PC action "answer the door" will automatically be followed by the jerk NPC making his blackmail demand.

For this example I've used software to make a proper flowchart, with circles representing PC actions and rectangles for everything else.

This isn't what I always do. I usually take a less formal approach to planning – I'll sketch out the design in pen on the back of an envelope.

You don't need to spend this much time on your scenes. Your plan doesn't need to be an example on a blog – it just has to help you understand how your scene will work.

It's also fine for your scene to vary from the plan as you work – in fact it usually will, as you come up with new ideas while writing. Still, I think having that initial overview is very helpful.

Here's the plan for the jerk blackmail scene. It's split into 4 files. I'll also use these to work in stages, making the scene in chunks that can be tested before the whole thing is completed.