OokamiKasumi wrote:
Playing nice by not rubbing salt into people's wounds is also good forum courtesy, so is staying on topic -- which happens to be techniques for story branching.
Do you have a preferred technique, since your focus is on romance games?
... Okay, before we get back on topic, there's one thing I'd like to clarify.
I wasn't doing any 'salt-rubbing'. You didn't respond to Anima's post immediately, so I assumed you ignored it or otherwise missed it (which you did for a moment before editing). The way I see it, I was helping you out by letting you know that multiple posting tends to invite negative reception. The alternative would be to keep quiet and let the other people give you flack, which wouldn't exactly be nice of me either.
Regardless, I appreciate the fact that you're editing your posts now. I'm not trying to perpetuate an argument, I just think it's a little unfair that you're calling it 'salt-rubbing' when really I was trying to help you out.
*deep breath* With all that said, I think we can move back to the topic now.
And yes, you could sort of say I have my own technique for creating choices. I wouldn't say that it's as 'rules-based' as the framework the article describes. Basically, in romance games, by making a choice, the player is making a statement about themselves to the in-game characters. Likewise, by reacting to that choice, characters are revealing something about themselves.
Overall, I think that RPGs use choices more as an avenue for exploration. Romance games use choices more as an avenue for communication. Both types, however, use decision-making as a means of self-growth for the player.