StoryNexus (Fallen London, Zero Summer, and more)

So with Fallen London (previously Echo Bazaar) making it to #18 in this year's Coint & Plick, I was wondering if anyone had tried out any of the other games, now StoryNexus has expanded into an open beta development platform?

I've tried out a few, and Zero Summer seems like it's the most playable so far. It's set in a post-apocalyptic Wild West milieu, and you're trying to find out who you are while ingratiating yourself with the various factions of the town. It has decent writing, and a good feel for character creation.

The Hour also has a lot of potential - it reminds me a little of the opening to Stephen Granade's Losing Your Grip, with it's quiet sense of surreal bewilderment. However, it's not got many storylets so far, so isn't great for play.

Any thoughts?

StoryNexus

Oh, I suppose it should be said - all of these games are played by card storylets, and restricted by action limits on a timer. I dislike the limitation form, but can live with it if the limit is fair; if you absolutely can't stand it then this stuff is maybe not for you.

I'll definitely check out any recommendations you make - when it first launched it all looked a little tedious but I think the form as a lot of potential.

What was that IF game you suggested I play really recently? From the latest comp iirc?

The new Emily Short? It's called Counterfeit Monkey. She released it on the last day of December (non-comp), so I'm sticking to my guns that it should count for the 2013 C&P.

Here's the link: http://emshort.com/counterfeit_monkey/

for some reason i was sure that emily short had written a storynexus game but i can't find it anywhere so i think now i must've dreamt it or something?

I had the same experience as you before starting this thread. She's written on the games and the concept generally (see here, for example). We were maybe thinking of Bee, which is written with Varytale. I'm happy for this place to be a discussion of those things, too - they're similar mechanics, though Varytale seems more traditionally CYOA, while StoryNexus has more elements of RPG, I guess?

yes! that is exactly what i was thinking of! whew.

i can see how these would be fun if you worked an office job all day but waiting 10 minutes to do anything is excruciating

Yeah, it's not a great system. Best way I've found is to just play what you can and then come back the next day, rather than popping back repeatedly to frustrate yourself with one or two goes at a time. It is at least better than the social gaming system on a lot of iOS-type products (or facebook or whatever), where once you go up a level it takes three hours, then eight hours, then a day, etc, for the next thing to happen (unless you pay them or annoy your friends a lot). But as I said at the start, if it's something you really can't stand, then no matter how good the writing, you won't be able to get into it.

is it worth using a fake facebook account for the echoes or is it just a once-a-day thing?

How do you mean 'for the echoes'? Do they give you an fb bonus or something? When I started I used my twitter account - they didn't originally have a non-social network option, but they do now, and I'd always choose to use a separate account over fb or similar. However, it has always been fine for me, they don't post anything for you, but they occasionally send you DMs to alert you to one-off events and the like.

this:

You can also regain actions by echoing a flavour snippet to a social network. Once every 24 hours, echoing a sidebar snippet to either Twitter or Facebook (or both together) will fill your action candle.

Ahhh. Yeh, might be worth it with a throwaway account, then? I've never done it, myself, but if you're in a mood to play then getting two rounds worth in can show you a reasonable amount of extra content.

In case anyone is playing and hasn't seen this:

Echo Bazaar
Delicious friends: a small bug may have cost you a few extra actions. So here are fifty free actions! http://bit.ly/15PJ4it Drink them in good health.

o i've been obsessed with this for three months btw

Along with the other user-created worlds, there is this new one that I think is done by the original Fallen London people. It is kind of crazy.

The Black Crown Project

\_\_Welcome to the Widsith Institute. You will shortly be carried to your desk to begin your work. Please tackle the tasks assigned to you as promptly as possible. More work will be assigned to you as and when you have the time or good health.

\_\_When you evacuate your bowels during that carrying, please do not be afraid, or ashamed. We are taught from a young age to fear such exclamations, but they are only our bodies attempting to share what they have been gifted. Your suit has been outfitted with a cloacal system about which you never need to worry. We hope that it proves as industrious as you will._/_/

that sounds interesting

i got to a point w/ fallen london where it seemed like it was doing zynga style escalation, only on a slighter gradient. i don't know if i was playing it wrong or what, though

Hm, which bits do you mean? There's definitely an element of freemium to it but I've always found it well disposed to genuinely free players. The big thing for me is that I'm now at such a level where my play has become aimless and I'm not sure if I've got any more stories to follow that are free.

I've been playing FL for a couple of months now. I initially started in 2011, forgot about it due to getting distracted with something else, and resumed in April. The game seems to have developed a lot since then.

This posted upthread by Zora...

Delicious friends: a small bug may have cost you a few extra actions. So here are fifty free actions! http://bit.ly/15PJ4it Drink them in good health.

...still works, thank you!

I have a fake Twitter account for friends but afaik you can't echo actions anymore?

Hm, which bits do you mean? There's definitely an element of freemium to it but I've always found it well disposed to genuinely free players. The big thing for me is that I'm now at such a level where my play has become aimless and I'm not sure if I've got any more stories to follow that are free.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 25 June 2013 18:07 (15 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ha, it's been a while ... i had a lot of the basic city map open and was just getting to the point where i'd need to grind for a stat for a whole day to get to the next plotline in any one thing. i think. that sort of level.

there's an annoying period before you become a person of some importance where there just isn't a lot to do, and that's when i felt like quitting. now that i'm past it there's WAY too much to do and it's overwhelming

I'm there myself, I just acquired my ship and spouse and I'm not even going to try sailing yet. I made the mistake of trying a bit of everything rather than focusing. Right now I'm earning items to buy things in the sidestreets. Still haven't finished my ambition yet though...

i don't think any of the ambitions are actually completely written yet so don't worry.

right now i'm thinking about retracing all my steps and doing everything i can again everywhere just to be a completist. it sounds a lot better than grinding for a zubmarine

If anyone is doing the new expedition story in the Forgotten Quarter, logging in with this link will get you free supplies.
http://t.co/vmr3wRJLAq

just spent a month or two grinding to build my zubmarine, now that i have it i don't want to ever look at fallen london again