Questions After the End

Questions, skill improvement, and respectful critique involving game writing.
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Westeford
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Questions After the End

#1 Post by Westeford »

So I'm in the final stage of my script. I'm really feeling it, I really like it.
I'm at the epilogue and then it hits me. There are still some big questions left. Things like "were they the master or the student?", or "how the heck did they do put together this whole scheme."
Basically at this point, it feels like I'm leaving too many things open and essentially sequel baiting the viewers. I very much want to avoid that.
Any ideas as to how I can approach this problem?

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Imperf3kt
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Re: Questions After the End

#2 Post by Imperf3kt »

If you're nearly finished and you're happy with the way it currently is you have four choices that I see.

1
Rewrite / rework it to cover the unanswered questions.

2
sequal

3
Epilogue

4
Leave them unanswered


Each choice has pros and cons.
For example, just a few examples. This is by no means exhaustive.

1
Pros
More deep story, players likely enjoy it more
Cons
Longer story, some people may dislike the extensive verbiage.
More work, can't use work as it currently is.

2
Pros
Can be presented from a completely different perspective without feeling out of place. No need to edit your current work. Potential to draw in a fan base.
Cons
Even more work than reworking your current work,. More expensive (more assets needed, new backgrounds, songs etc)

3
Pros
Similar to #2, but less work.
Cons
Some people view Epilogue as "cheap" and unimaginative. Lazy. Can impact players opinions on your game.

4
Pros
No extra work. Sometimes the best option is to leave people to come to their own conclusion.
Cons
Comes across as lazy or incompetent.
Warning: May contain trace amounts of gratuitous plot.
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Zelan
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Re: Questions After the End

#3 Post by Zelan »

I think that if the unanswered question could be seen as a plot hole, it's more important to answer it somehow, or at least leave hints so that the reader can reasonably figure it out themself. If the unanswered question is more along the lines of "what happened to _____ after this?" it's usually fine to leave it open-ended.

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