HALO INTERACTIVE FICTION ADVENTURE

Community General Discussion
1

Something between a book, a classical narrative role playing game - allowing for first person immersion factor - and a retrostyle digital product with modern touch to it. What I talk about is a textbased interactive piece of fiction, set in the Halo universe. Show off your talent, write a decent, meaningful story, give players some choices to make and possibly some puzzles to solve, along with a good handful of Halo lore taken.

This is a job for storytellers primarily. Programming work is of auxiliary scope in comparison. Pictures and further graphical motiffs would be nice. Soundscape with voice acting is up to consideration, but either make it complete or nonexistent. For a better look, HERE and HERE are features of a sort of thing I talk about. The ONI themes [related topic] could swiftly be put in this outfit. You could ask, would that still be Halo, is it possible to express Halo this way? Well, if a book can, what tells otherwise? I am certain those who have a sense for the power of written word speaking to personal imagination, understand the perks of the formula.

Microsoft, if you have writers at your disposal, while the programming teams are busy doing next-gen stuff requiring NASA PCs to run, you can get to make a project like that, the interactive fiction adventure. Bussinesswise, it is only about finding yourself adequate in broadcasting with the use of such a medium, otherwise, how can you monetarily go wrong with it, even if to treat the entire endeavour solely as meritoric preparation for future productions of more popular style? If you think the use of keyboard to type DOS-like commands could be overly awkward and obstacleful - and it easily could be to a great extent - make it an alternative choice based proceeding with some added minigame decorations here and there. Having shaped it in a way friendlier to casual players, but more narrowed down simultaneously, you could employ the thing also as a mobile device proposal.

Whom the product should be addressed towards? It should be addressed towards the same recipients who read the Halo novels, but this time trying also to hook up some of the conventional, less invested, jolly playerbase, with the inclusive purpose of making an indepth Halo lore presentation, contained within classical narration but set on the field of digital entertainment.

You say this may be off and weird, but I say, is this just crazy enough to work and change something in the franchise for the more constructive appeal, with a little shock therapy element addressing the fandom? I mean, if the story is good, if the immersion is right, if it is all well made and comfortable enough to use, the formula itself is just a medium to deliver the contents.

There are plenty of tools allowing to make a complete work of interactive fiction. Professional industry could properly modernize the formula, but the point is, taking the basics of the medium, it is all doable even to a layman with some good literary talent, an idea to express and some logistic planning capabilities. So what do you think, you fans out there? Doable, Microsoft?

2

so, like a digital “choose your own adventure” type of story? It’s a neat idea, but I’m sure 343i already have enough projects they’re working on. Sure, it wouldn’t take as many resources to manage, but it would still take time, and planning, and money.

There are, however, enough fans already writing Halo stories wink wink. I think what the community needs is more encouragement to continue adding to the fandom. So like, kind of how on the waypoint blog, we’ll sometimes get community posts about cosplay, or fan art, or a fan made video. I think that should be encouraged. Maybe 343i can release on their website links to download audio packs of halo sounds to make making movies easier. Or as someone on these threads mentioned before, have a page with art models of all of the characters, weapons, and vehicles so we can use them as models for fan art etc.

But going back to your topic, I would totally be ok with 343i allowing a Japanese developer make a visual novel (which is kind of what you were describing). Even better if it’s an Otome Visual Novel. Halotome!

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> 2535415966174493;2:
> But going back to your topic, I would totally be ok with 343i allowing a Japanese developer make a visual novel (which is kind of what you were describing). Even better if it’s an Otome Visual Novel. Halotome!

Or a TellTale game.

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> 2533274817408735;3:
> > 2535415966174493;2:
> > But going back to your topic, I would totally be ok with 343i allowing a Japanese developer make a visual novel (which is kind of what you were describing). Even better if it’s an Otome Visual Novel. Halotome!
>
> Or a TellTale game.

TellTale games? Can you give some titles to check out?

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> 2535469324078285;4:
> > 2533274817408735;3:
> > > 2535415966174493;2:
> > > But going back to your topic, I would totally be ok with 343i allowing a Japanese developer make a visual novel (which is kind of what you were describing). Even better if it’s an Otome Visual Novel. Halotome!
> >
> > Or a TellTale game.
>
> TellTale games? Can you give some titles to check out?

Let me google that for you…

6

So,like this choose your own adventure books?
Honestly,I wouldnt play it,but not because of disliking such a game,but more because I always got the bad ending in the books,so why should it be diffrent in a game?

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> 2535408730995228;6:
> So,like this choose your own adventure books?
> Honestly,I wouldnt play it,but not because of disliking such a game,but more because I always got the bad ending in the books,so why should it be diffrent in a game?

I say in most cases these are more linear or at least more structured. It all depends on how it is designed. But the true problem to most players is the language barrier. People having insufficient grasp of English - to which I belong, at least to some - may have problem in basic interacting with the game. Manual typing in of the commands adds to the problem. That is why fixed options selection seems a friendlier path to develop.

8

> 2535408730995228;6:
> So,like this choose your own adventure books?
> Honestly,I wouldnt play it,but not because of disliking such a game,but more because I always got the bad ending in the books,so why should it be diffrent in a game?

Lol. That’s part of the fun. In “choose your own adventure books” there are about 20 endings and maybe 2 end in disappointment, 17 in death, and 1 as a happy ending.
( ^_^)

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> 2535415966174493;8:
> > 2535408730995228;6:
> > So,like this choose your own adventure books?
> > Honestly,I wouldnt play it,but not because of disliking such a game,but more because I always got the bad ending in the books,so why should it be diffrent in a game?
>
> Lol. That’s part of the fun. In “choose your own adventure books” there are about 20 endings and maybe 2 end in disappointment, 17 in death, and 1 as a happy ending.
> ( ^_^)

But I always died,no matter what way I choosed.
It feels like,of the 20 paths,21 leads to instant death.

> 2535469324078285;7:
> > 2535408730995228;6:
> > So,like this choose your own adventure books?
> > Honestly,I wouldnt play it,but not because of disliking such a game,but more because I always got the bad ending in the books,so why should it be diffrent in a game?
>
> I say in most cases these are more linear or at least more structured. It all depends on how it is designed. But the true problem to most players is the language barrier. People having insufficient grasp of English - to which I belong, at least to some - may have problem in basic interacting with the game. Manual typing in of the commands adds to the problem. That is why fixed options selection seems a friendlier path to develop.

Regarding the language problems:There are people who speak really well english and translate media,so thats not a problem anymore.

10

> 2535408730995228;6:
> But I always died,no matter what way I choosed.
> It feels like,of the 20 paths,21 leads to instant death.

Have you ever played games called “rougelikes” or “rougelites”? I mean, there are frustrating things games can serve and people still enjoy trying. If to put actual emphasis on puzzles and trials of different sorts, the failure case could appear less surprising, as the moments of passage are clearly emphasized.

> 2535408730995228;6:
> Regarding the language problems:There are people who speak really well english and translate media,so thats not a problem anymore.

Well, it is still a problem though, nonetheless.

11

> 2533274817408735;3:
> > 2535415966174493;2:
> > But going back to your topic, I would totally be ok with 343i allowing a Japanese developer make a visual novel (which is kind of what you were describing). Even better if it’s an Otome Visual Novel. Halotome!
>
> Or a TellTale game.

That would be wonderful!

Another possibility, Grinning, is just make your own as a website or something.

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> 2533274808601772;11:
> > 2533274817408735;3:
> > > 2535415966174493;2:
> > > But going back to your topic, I would totally be ok with 343i allowing a Japanese developer make a visual novel (which is kind of what you were describing). Even better if it’s an Otome Visual Novel. Halotome!
> >
> > Or a TellTale game.
>
> That would be wonderful!
>
> Another possibility, Grinning, is just make your own as a website or something.

I think this could be a community project, such a self made piece of interactive fiction. Not that I believe it would actually work out though. The problem is lack of motivation and actual competence among people even on Waypoint. That is why we look up to the industry. If interactive fiction idea will find any practical and solid response, it will probably be carried out by people who are this way or the other related to the industry, but genuine enough to undertake such effort for the sake of art.