Do you put any importance on this feature, or do you make sure your descriptions are logical regardless of how many visits the player makes?

The way I write means this feature is the bane of my life, as it is required for nearly every room. My descriptions are written as though the player is seeing them for the first time, so to have the same one on return is something my fastidiousness won't allow.

If anyone has any tips or shortcuts for this, aside from writing my descriptions differently so that they're not required, I'd like to hear them.

Hey, OJ! We share something in common! I use First Time, Otherwise in the majority of rooms and objects. I almost always use them the first time a player picks up an object too. Just trying to make it realistic. I think it also give me as a writer a chance to re-emphasize a hint that is in a description. But, no, obviously I don't have a suggestible shortcut on this one or I'd be using it already! =)

Interesting that you use them on objects. Why so? I mean how is an object going to change?

there's also the coding~gameplay aspect for having a "firsttime" and "non-firsttime", but this is off-topic, from the literary (aka: in terms of story-telling ~ immersion~depth) question that is this thread's topic.

two separate questions these are

OurJud wrote:If anyone has any tips or shortcuts for this, aside from writing my descriptions differently so that they're not required, I'd like to hear them.

That is the shortcut.

I have a "stuffed mouse" in my game, for example. When you first pick it up, you realize it is so life-like that you "squeal and almost drop it". If you drop it and pick it up again, it gives a different response like "you pick up the life-like stuffed mouse". Or... you take the batteries out of the useless remote vs. you pick up the batteries (if you've dropped them). Move chair = You're surprised at how heavy the chair is but it does move an inch or so vs knowing you can move the chair, you lower your weight and really shove - the chairs moves aside. Etc, etc.

The Pixie wrote:

"OurJud"

If anyone has any tips or shortcuts for this, aside from writing my descriptions differently so that they're not required, I'd like to hear them.

That is the shortcut.

Happily I can do more of this with my current project, as the descriptions are far less detailed that usual.

XanMag wrote:I have a "stuffed mouse" in my game, for example. When you first pick it up, you realize it is so life-like that you "squeal and almost drop it". If you drop it and pick it up again, it gives a different response like "you pick up the life-like stuffed mouse". Or... you take the batteries out of the useless remote vs. you pick up the batteries (if you've dropped them). Move chair = You're surprised at how heavy the chair is but it does move an inch or so vs knowing you can move the chair, you lower your weight and really shove - the chairs moves aside. Etc, etc.

And I thought I was my own worst enemy when it came to writing these games.

Nope. I got you beat there. lol

I do this for entering every important room. And I try to streamline my map to the point where every room is important. {once:} is my best friend here.

I like it too because I feel like I'm rewarding the players who pay attention with little tidbits about the setting or the character's history for flavor, while the others don't have a lot of text to wade through on repeat visits.

Marzipan wrote:{once:} is my best friend here.

{once:} - I forgot all about that tag. Remind me how you use it and how it differs from the first/otherwise scripting.

If I remember, it goes into the body of the text, which I'd rather use as it cuts down on the levels of script, I just can't remember the correct syntax for using it.