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Delayed Choice Mechanic
🕑 Added 2024-05-28 15:00:08 +0000 UTCNext release on track for the 30th!
No story spoilers in this post, but there are some minor route & mechanic spoilers.
In Remembrance, starting in Alexander's route, and probably/possibly used throughout the game (if it works well), I'm introducing a mechanic I'm calling Delayed Choices (DC).
I used this once in Obsession in Sebastian's route and then never did it again for a handful of reasons, the primary ones being inconvenience and I worried it would confuse players.
It's not a new mechanic, it occurs in a lot of visual novels, but it is a mechanic that I personally both love and hate. So I'm implementing my own version of this which will hopefully be enjoyable and not annoying. :D
So, what is a Delayed Choice?
Exactly as it sounds. You make a choice at some point during the game, and then an hour or so later it actually matters.
Why is this a cool idea?
I think it gives a fun element of unpredictability and mystery in the story.
Why is this a bad idea?
Because obviously that's annoying, right? If you want a different ending, that means you have to start the entire route over again, make that choice, and then best case scenario, fast-forward for five minutes until you get new content.
But what about my blind playthrough?
Someone mentioned this in a review and I thought... sure, why not? It's easy enough.
If you want absolutely none of this nonsense, you can configure 'Hide Choice Type Info' in your game settings and you will see absolutely nothing.
No dialog icons, dialog-loop icons, anything related to delayed choices, or changing those choices or when those choices are taking effect. (Everything I'm about to talk about below.) You are completely, 100% on your own, good luck!
I don't know why anyone would want this, I would find it infuriatingly annoying (it's the one thing I consistently dislike in VNs, this fake RNG choice concept), but apparently some of you do, so you're welcome!
How are these annoyances being fixed?
Through many new, small mechanics!
#1: Hey, this is a delayed choice!
Like the dialog-only icon you're already familiar with from Obsession, there's now a 'Delayed Choice' icon, which is a little stopwatch.
This will show when you're presented with this mechanic, letting you know that the choice you're about to make will change the ending......... eventually.
IMPORTANT: Delayed choices can change not only endings, but also dialog & scenes.
#2. Info display!
When relevant, you may see a notification reminding you what choices you've made. This is also letting you know that you've hit what I'm calling a "Silent Branch", which means the story has now changed because of the choice(s) you made before.
IMPORTANT: Sometimes a combination of delayed choices is necessary to hit an ending. (ONLY true for an ending. Combos are not required for secret scenes/dialog.)
# 3. Dynamic choice changes!
At certain points in the story (perhaps after you've already gotten an ending or completed a critical moment, TBD), you may be given the option to change the choice you made earlier right before a Silent Branch.
A Set Delayed Choices button (red icon with the stopwatch icon) will show in the bottom-right (above the quick menu). Clicking it will list the delayed choices you made earlier (and show you how you're currently configured).
HOWEVER!!!!!
It is important to understand that some scenes &/or dialog that occurred earlier in the story could have varied depending on the delayed choice you made. You risk missing some content. (But once you've already gone through that earlier content with both options, you've seen it all and it doesn't matter.)
Remember, delayed choices can change BOTH dialog/scenes anywhere in the story AND endings.
(Ignore the fact these screenshots are different! Same prompt displays, button graphics were updated.)
#4. Good old fashioned informative walkthroughs.
(Minor spoilers here around Alexander's route flow, story spoiler content is censored.) Yellow arrows were added for explanation.
Below is Alexander's current route structure (dev in progress, subject to change). The first two decisions you make, which I'm calling here Delayed Choice (DC) - A and -B, are marked in orange.
Typical branch choices are yellow.
Any significant scenes that are dependent on delayed choices are included in the walkthrough in purple. (This is not true for small dialog/scene variations. It only applies to scenes lasting for more than a couple of minutes.)
After the first branch (yellow box in the center, following the purple box), the next branch option is another orange box beneath it, which is Silent Branch #1.
In this particular circumstance, if you chose a specific combination for DC-A and DC-B, you're put on the left branch, otherwise you're put on the right branch.
If you end up on the right branch, you quickly hit Silent Branch #2 depending on your choice for DC-B specifically.
This diagram & explanation may be a little hard to follow (sorry if so!) but I think that's primarily due to the spoiler censorship. The DC questions and options are listed in these orange boxes are hidden for spoilers. When you have that context and see the full document, I'm hoping it will be easy to understand. (And if not, let me know! I welcome all feedback!)
So there ya have it!
That's the Delayed Choice mechanic plan, which you will experience when Alexander's route releases (either end of June or July).
Feel free to share any thoughts!
I'm hoping these little side tools make this mechanic enjoyable.
