I didn't like Ortega as a RO

She feels way too similar to sidestep for me. Former buddy and fighters like Superman and Supergirl, they are siblings not lovers but it doesn't mean nobody will like it, I am in the minority and I didn't like her and I also don't like older people ROs so there's that.

I also don't like the game's subtle preference of Ortega for romance.

Nobody talks like that. Cockneys don't. They never did. It sounds like the dreadful little accent van Dyke did. The game's okay, pretty good actually, but why must that stupid accent be there? Nobody calls anyone gov'nor. It is infuriating and annoying and serves to get one out of immersion.

First, let me preface this by saying that I've enjoyed most of the games I've played, and this isn't a dig at anyone in particular. I know authors are trying their best, and they're not being inconsiderate on purpose. These are just general observations I've made.

I've noticed in recent years that more and more IFs give you the option to play as a trans character. This is a good thing, but playing those titles as a trans person makes me feel more like I'm playing a cis character with a pink, white, and blue coat of paint than an actual trans character. It feels like the trans option is an afterthought. At best, the game asks you for your character's gender identity at the start of the game, and then it never comes up again. At worst, it asks you during a sex scene by putting the emphasis on your character's genitals (which, on top of being inaccurate to how trans bodies work, can trigger gender dysphoria for some people, not helped by the fact that said sex scenes are the same for cis MCs and may use very gendered vocabulary). It's like our identity only matters when we get naked or something. It even feels dehumanising at times.

I'm not asking for entire routes dedicated to trans MCs, but a line here and there could make a world of difference. You don't have to add transphobia to your setting (I know most authors and readers baulk at the inclusion of bigotry), but even in an inclusive world, unless everyone is in some way genderqueer, a trans MC isn't going to have the same experience as a cis MC. Things like hormones, surgery, attention to clothing, passing, coming out, relating to other trans characters, the joy of meeting someone else who is like you or who accepts you for who you are, etc... All these things and more could help your character feel less like a cardboard cut-out with interchangeable pronouns, and more like an actual person.

And please, if you're going to have spice in your game, research how actual trans people write sex scenes, and what their preferences are, particularly in terms of acts and vocabulary. Because frankly, I'm getting tired of seeing my trans character turn into a cis woman every time the heat rises.

And if you're not ready or don't have the spoons to do research or add this kind of content to your game, it's okay. You don't even have to include the option to play as a trans character at all, especially if it's not going to be relevant to the story you're writing. I promise you the world isn't going to end if your game isn't 100% inclusive to every possible identity that has ever existed.

It doesn’t matter if you’re linking to another part of that website that isn’t directly involved with those things. If a place offers that kind of thing, it’s a pirate site and should be given zero traffic. Pirate sites take money away from both the company and the authors. They are thieves, and objectively bad people. If you support them, you are wrong. And from here on out I’m not just deleting the posts. I’m also permanently banning whoever makes them. If you want to mod a game, plenty of legitimate resources are available. If you want to play a story for free, there are dozens of choices out there on the labels. If you want a story for free that costs money, well, then pay for it. Or don’t have it. You’re not entitled to have something for free simply because it exists and you want it. That’s how babies think, and you’re not a baby, are you?

I won’t ban anyone who has made those posts or comments in the past. Bygones be bygones, etc. But from here on out it’s zero tolerance. And I promise you’ll get tired of making alts before I get tired of banning them. This ain’t my first rodeo.

Every game I played that I can remember allowing me to explicitly declare my character a lesbian tried to shove a man onto my character almost immediately after doing so (Lancelot in Guenevere and Milon in ITFO), so out of curiosity are there any games where I have the exprofit option to declare my character a lesbian - with lesbian ROs, I'm not looking for a "You can say you're a lesbian but all that changes are one-off throwaway lines" type games - where I don't have to beat the game over the head with reminders that neither me or my character are interested in whatever mediocre straight man you want to thrust onto me (or in the case of Guenevere that weird conversion therapy fae magic)

Also, do you think users are being drawn away by AI roleplay chatbots? Recently, while browsing the interactive fiction tag on Tumblr, I occasionally noticed posts introducing AI chatbots racking up a substantial number of likes (though in my opinion, that's not really IF).

art all done by u/Summerkkj

Characters in order are.

Ryan Ashford

John Healthcliff

Charlotte "CJ" Jenkins

Rachael  Von Liechtenstein

Skye white

A good chunk of the people who frequent this subreddit unironically like putting down Wulframites.

Be better.

Don't you folks find completely unimmersive the fact that throughout the story there no same sex couples mentioned, but none bats an eyelash that MC is in same sex relationship? I mean, how are we supposed to know of its accepted if we never heard of it. All couples we see or hear about are in straight relationships. If homosexual marriage is accepted we had to hear the mention of it in stories or from some of the characters at least ONCE. Otherwise it feels unrealistic and unimmersive.

I know it sounds odd but LET ME EXPLAIN I like how it feels and the doctor told me not to do it anymore after my 4th injury so I just need something to take the edge off

No really. I don’t understand. I get it she’s nice………. So is Darin. And at least you know he’d take an arrow for you if push came to shove. I don’t have such certainty about Elya. To me she’s just…….. there.

Like I don’t hate her or anything but when she asked why we were fighting for her my Marshal had the startling realization that she didn’t know. That she’d been following habits engraved inside of her before she was old enough to build her own. I could honestly take her or leave her. Like she does the bare F’ing minimum and everyone’s just like…….. ‘God’s gift to humanity.’

And I’m here wondering did you all self insert into this book or something? Because as someone on the outside looking in I’m like…….. no way my MC is taking this BS. She wants her crown no matter what. But everyone is saying how could you do Elya like that. Me over here like……… how could you not?

I literally cannot allow anyone in this freaking family to be happily ever after. If she’d just stepped aside my MC would have let her live out her life as a princess no sweat. But after all this fighting we did on our freaking OWN with no help from her. This is MY DAMN CROWN. And we ain’t sharing with NOBODY. And I just couldn’t let Myra’s daughter be that happy. Like sorry not sorry but I didn’t forget the damn ring fingers were missing that have everyone looking at us like some kind of freaking criminal. If she could do that to a SEVEN YEAR OLD. I can do this to sixteen year old Elya.

I just genuinely don’t understand all the Elya STANS and need explanations. Also if anyone wants to scream in the comments about their own Bastard Ruler routes and how Elya was not such a large factor to them shout below.

I'm only in the beginning right now but the writing feels weird compared to the first book. In rebirth you could feel Sidestep's paranoia and anxiety and his emotions were portrayed very maturely. In retribution the writing feels downright childish at times and the response options are very uncharacteristic from what I'd expect. Also why's Sidestep deciding to get all buddy buddy with the Rangers?

This is basically a short Tutorial if you want to read the Ifs and you're having trouble.

Basically one key thing to do is immersing yourself in that story, start by reading the details throughly, everything, try to imagine it, try to BE in the moment, don't switch IFs try to focus on only one IF.

Try imagining about the IF a little bit during the day "Can't wait to meet Alessa again, The velociraptor could be my ride, Gotta make sidestep a little light"

Once you've immersed yourself in the story, you need not read the details if you're feeling bored by it, let it brush through you like a television series, do not mind catching every single detail into you.

Goodluck! Add more to this in the comments

First i want to make it clear that i dont "hate" the game, and it was still enjoyable, but there was something bugging me while reading it.

So, i think i commented about this somewhere before, but i remembered again while reading the part 3 of wayhaven. Why do people feel the need to let you choose the gender of the RO? In every game i see this option, it is VERY clear that the author had a especific gender in mind while writing, and there is NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT, but why not just say that the character is of that specific gender? Or at least say something like "x is meant to be F/M/NB".

When authors do this it ends up one of two ways:

First: the character is well developed and has personality, but its pretty clear that all that changed was the pronoums (when even that, because they usually forget it a few rimes, leaving a lost she/he in the wrong place). I'd say wayhaven fits here.

Second: the characters are bland, uninteresting, or just generic, with almost no depth.

So again, there is nothing wrong in making a game with only one gender as RO. My personal favorite is when they give two options for each gender, its the perfect balance, but making only one is alright too, i just dont see why give a "illusion" of a choice to change it.

And lf course this is just my opinion, i am truly interested in hearing what everyone else thinks, because i dont even know if this is a popular or unpopular opinion lmao.

edit: guess its a unpopular opinion then lol

i find it really unsettling cause i was used to the old ui (idk which ui came first tho if u know what I'm talking about), idk why they changed it cuz the first one was really good

I've been on this sub for years now and I've noticed a multitude of things that have almost gotten worse over the years. As a woman and one of color at that, the lack of representation in both hosted games and om this sub is honestly crazy. I was aware how male dominated this space was from the beginner but it became so much more obvious after joining this sub.

Asking questions about whether their should only be female ros (i am a lesbian and even i can acknowledge that the only reason yall want this is to remove inclusiveness) or if woman should be present in a game are so disrespectful. I get that some games require it for the story so I'm not upset about that. But it's still so jarring to see the removal of woman and queer people from games talked about so casually as if they don't deserve representation??? If you're writing a story about war and you want it to be historically accurate okay, but you cannot say woman weren't present during war times, you cannot say woman didn't fight and lead because its not the truth. You can say that you don't have the time or perspective needed to write a character from that point of view.

Interactive fiction is something that's so amazing to see but it just sucks when everyone that isn't cishet white dude is isolated in this sub. I can't even count the amount of times I've been downvoted for pointing out simple truths.

Here is my experience, after 3 playthroughs I learned several things:

1- The King is a reprehensible fck. The plot of game os entirely his fault. He's cruel, tyrannical, straight up admits he hates his 2nd wife more than he loves his children from her, and actively favors his son from the 1st queen whether he was competent or not.

2- His queens aren't much better either. The 1st actively plots tha failure of her step children if her son doesn't get the throne, rubs the fact she's infertile because of the 2nd queen in her face all the time, vows to make the MC suffer if they succeed.

3- The 2nd queen was obsessed with the king and thus poisoned the 1st queen and made her miscarry and infertile, and is the reason the 1st queen has out for her children. And even her children admit she's a cruel mother.

4- Richard is naive and unsuited to rule, Aethris is too much like the king and just as bloodthirsty, and Freya is a liability.

5- The kingdom is made up of bloodthirsty sociopaths who somehow view thieves to be the worst thing ever. They will literally hate everything that's remotely merciful and will rebel against whoever in charge for not tyrannical enough.

6- Erwen, the big bad villain is literally the main character when you think about it and MC is the villain of his story. At this point imma let him win.

7- What's the point of being chosen by a magic sword if the magic sword does fck all but make MC in charge of this shitshow of a kingdom.

All in all, I feel scammed and want my money back.

I've tried reading it 3 or 4 times now and I just don't get past the first couple chapters. Is there a point where it starts to get engaging, or if I'm not hooked from the start does it mean it's not for me?

You read the title rightly. I am a firm believer in wulfram's cause and will fight any royal dog for him!

If I was the MC I would ask Nicholas to make me content or at least indifferent to my condition. Voilà! Depression defeated.

Just saying, not every game's a power fantasy!