Choices in Kinetic Novels

[vociferocity]

Recently I've played two games I'd classify as pretty much KNs - one storyline, no routes, but with a couple of choices. The choices didn't lead to different endings, but more like....failing/succeeding at the current scene. If you fail, you just try again until you pick the correct choice.

Now I'm starting to work on a short KN (I know, I know, it's nanowrimo and I have a larger VN project and a story to work on, what am I thinking??), and I guess I'm wondering....should there be choices? I know people don't like completely meaningless choices, but do you prefer mostly meaningless choices to none at all? There's going to be some hidden object gameplay, and probably a little fight minigame, but most of it's just going to be clicking through dialogue. Would that bore you guys, or do you not mind if the story is good enough?

[Taleweaver]

The definition of a kineno is "no branching paths". Even a small side branch that immediately routes back into the main story qualifies, so if you add choices, you no longer have a kineno. You have a VN with little variation

[vociferocity]

oh huh, ok. I thought it was more of a sliding scale, rather than a binary, but that makes sense!

I might just see what happens when I write the script, then. the plan doesn't have any choices, so I won't try to shoehorn them in.

[Sakai]

Well however choices can happen, just to make it fun however they will not change the story line whatsoever just as in my game we are making a KN however we have some choices that create no routes or changes in the story or game but to entertain the player

Indeed it is hard to call it KN but more of a VN.