"True" endings

[roceru-tan]

So I was wondering how people feel about true endings.
Between a true ending and a happy ending, which one would you aim for?

More specifically in my case the prolouge of the story I'm working on right now only makes sense if the player gets the true ending...is that okay? Would it offend the readers or confuse them if they get one of the other endings?

Sorry if these are stupid questions or if they've been asked before...

[redeyesblackpanda]

Hm... If the prologue only makes sense if the player gets the true ending, it could be a problem. You always want your story to make sense. If the other endings don't make sense, they really shouldn't be included. It is alright if the prologue has a different meaning to the player depending on the ending, but anything that doesn't make sense should be removed or, preferably, fixed.

I think I'd have to see a clear example if I wanted to answer the second half of your question. I don't know if it will be confusing unless I see it, after all.

[OtomeWeekend]

That's fine as long as you don't make it clear ONLY on the true end. It was like the plot of Anglieque Maren no Rokukishi :'D
In angelique, there were lots of mystery at the prologue that was made clear in a certain path or the main path and once you finished it, the prologue changes into a more informative and clear one. Given that other parts are locked and you can only do the main path on your first try. :'D It works but it's annoying ="= I almost raged quit angelique

if Renault didn't die at the climax.

[gekiganwing]

You can do whatever you want with endings. If you want every ending to be equally happy, that's one idea. If you want all bad/depressing endings, that's another idea. Or mix them up, if it's appropriate. And there's nothing wrong with including secret endings or true endings. In short, write whatever you believe is appropriate and essential for your story.

Persona 4 gives us an interesting concept of "Good" versus "True" endings:

Good ending: the standard ending, assuming the player managed to figure out what to do during the dramatic hospital scenes. (Easier said than done...) The villain is defeated, and pretty much everyone lives. Remarkably upbeat for a Megami Tensei game.

True ending: continues on after the good ending, assuming the player figures out the right things to say at the end. The party discovers a foe beyond the human villain, and there is one final dungeon. Basically expands on the good ending, and is even more unusually upbeat for this franchise.

[LVUER]

I prefer true ending that ends happy (^_^) Like normal ending that bittersweet or cliffhanger but there's some changes or additional scenes in true ending where it's finally trully happy ending ;P

[sheetcakeghost]

I always thought True Endings were just canon endings. You know, so you'd know what would carry over into sequels. I never really thought about it more than that. So long as all the endings feel organic to the story I'm happy.

[Mickychi]

Normally in a game I first try to go for whatever obtainable catches my eye first if it's an Otome, I don't really care whether I get the true ending with that character or not as long as it all makes sense. Between a true ending and a happy ending I would most likely try to play through and see both but normally I prefer the one that satisfies me the best, another thing is I don't quite like it when it says at the end something like "You finished the true path." This just makes it annoying if I do not like the ending.

[azureXtwilight]

For me, true endings are fit if they could answer all the questions in a story. It's where all the truths are revealed and it gives a satisfactory answer, whether it is good or not. An ending where it's happy just because there is a deus-ex-machine which actually doesn't make sense to the whole story that has been built before can't be called a true ending. I usually named it "OMGWTFBBQ"

[Arcanum]

I see a little mystery in the introduction as a good thing, but it shouldn't be completely nonsense, I suppose! If there's a true end, other endings should hint at it, and at the path you should take to reach it. The other endings should allude to the introduction and offer some clues too, so the player doesn't feel completely lost and so that he can get even more interested/invested in obtaining the true ending.

Example from the game 999:
Even when not following the true ending path, the game hints at what's involved in the answer to the mystery by making seemingly irrelevant conversation about it. Each path reveals a little about the mystery, but only the true ending connects things together.

[LVUER]

And like I always said about 999 true endings (can't resist to say it again)

It's the worst (not in term of quality) ending among all endings in 999. It also seems the most disconnected (and forced) with the entire story (and other endings). It seems the true ending is only there to provide a happy conclusion for the game.

[Kura]

True endings are mostly appropriate for games where you can succeed or fail--a true ending when you manage to resolve the conflict completely, and other endings when you fail to resolve it or only partially do so. Or a true ending would be appropriate if there's some kind of "big picture" and most paths only show you pieces of it, but a true ending lets you see everything that's going on. On the other hand, if the story doesn't have just a single "successful" path, then it's not really appropriate to treat any path as a true ending.

The important thing to keep in mind with a true ending is that it's earned by responding correctly to the situation. It shouldn't be determined by something arbitrary like which love interest to pursue.

[cracklings]

Are you talking about a true ending when there are options for multiple pairing or true ending when there is only one pairing?

Yes, I'm talking about a renai game because those are the only type of VNs I play.

I think, if there is only one pair and there are endings ranging from bad to good to true ending, I won't have a problem with it. In terms of renai games, you'd want to maximize the happy ending and make the player feel nice in the end.

However, if there are multiple pairs and only one pair has a true ending, I wouldn't like it so much. Why? Because it shows bias on the part of the creator. You might end up putting all the emotion and all the nice stuff in the OTP (one true pair) making other options look not as powerful as the OTP and everyone else look like date disturbers. I don't think it's bad to have one, but it sells other endings short unless all character have a true ending option. Depending on the player, he or she might think one ending is better than the other because he or she might like one character better. There is no guarantee a player would be able to tell that they reached the true ending unless the game specifically mentions, "True ending. Achieved!"

Do I think you should put a true ending? I guess you can, but if I play your game, I'd prefer you not say which it is because I'll be let down if it's not the character I like.

But if it's another type of game like a mystery or a horror, yes, I would love a true ending.

[pinkmouse]

The only time I wouldn't object to a story ending being labeled as "true" was if it was based on historical fact, and one of the endings was the historical, real-world ending.

Generally though, stories are wholly fictional and so labeling one of them as "true" is bad storytelling because it's author intrusion. It's saying that one particular part of this artificial creation (the game/story) has "special approval." So what happens if I prefer one of the other endings to the "true" one? Suddenly I'm made to feel that my choice is second-rate.

I believe that all interpretations of a text are equally valid.

[Taleweaver]

The only time I wouldn't object to a story ending being labeled as "true" was if it was based on historical fact, and one of the endings was the historical, real-world ending.

Mmh. Not quite. In a mystery ren'ai story where a lot of strange things happen but you can still get a romantically happy ending even without finding out the truth about the mystery, I wouldn't consider that ending the "true one". A true ending, in my opinion, needs to answer all questions and leave no open ends.

I believe that all interpretations of a text are equally valid.

True. But in some cases, the question of "truth" isn't up to interpretation. In others, I agree with you. (There's a short book by Pierre Bayard, L'Affaire du chien des Baskerville (shortly presented here where he proves that Sherlock Holmes convicted the wrong man for murder in one of his cases - a hilarious read.)

[pinkmouse]

The only time I wouldn't object to a story ending being labeled as "true" was if it was based on historical fact, and one of the endings was the historical, real-world ending.

Mmh. Not quite. In a mystery ren'ai story where a lot of strange things happen but you can still get a romantically happy ending even without finding out the truth about the mystery, I wouldn't consider that ending the "true one". A true ending, in my opinion, needs to answer all questions and leave no open ends.

I believe that all interpretations of a text are equally valid.

True. But in some cases, the question of "truth" isn't up to interpretation. In others, I agree with you. (There's a short book by Pierre Bayard, L'Affaire du chien des Baskerville (shortly presented here where he proves that Sherlock Holmes convicted the wrong man for murder in one of his cases - a hilarious read.)

Ah, using "true ending" in the sense of it being a well-crafted, satisfying ending rather than a cliffhanger or setup for a sequel. I see your point, although "satisfaction" is of course, subjective.

However, I was talking about using the literal label "true ending" in a VN by the author to signal that this is what should happen in the story. The arrogance ticks me off.


Re: the holmes story - yeah, retconning can be a whole lot of fun. Have you read "The Seven Percent Solution"? (ISBN 0525200150) I'll say no more to avoid spoilers.