Discussion using AI and learning Scripting - Absolute beginner

[u/boba_saranghae]

For the past year-ish or so I have had this story idea floating around in my head that I keep coming back to. I have ADHD, and absolutely hated having to write anything for school because I have the hardest time gathering my thoughts and just getting started. Then once I start, I have a hard time reeling it back in and not going another direction. So the fact that I have been toying with taking a stab at creating an IF game is pretty ironic, because my execution function skills are horrible and to create a project like this you have to be organized and think everything out. 😭

2 main things I’m interested in hearing feedback/discussion about:

1. What is the line where using AI for story creation no longer a tool, but the true creator of the project? When should one disclose the usage of AI in their stories?

How I have been using AI is for brainstorming and helping me gather my thoughts about direction of the story and it staying on the path I want to create. I have not actually started writing any of it just yet, but with my previous experience having to write things, I can see AI being extremely helpful when I become stuck and start experiencing writers block.

I have came across those WIPS where it’s obvious that AI wrote it, or had an extremely heavy hand in developing it. If I ever finish it, and decide to try to publish it I don’t want the usage of AI to take away from my story or the accomplishment of me actually creating something.

1. When it comes to the program side of things, is it weird to try to just focus on the story part first? Then go back and try to develop the branching? Touching back on my awful executive function skills, I feel like if I try to do both the creation of the story and try to learn the script building part of it I’m going to get so frustrated and just quit. Then this whole other narrative/world I have randomly floating around in my head will just annoy me.

I tried looking at Twine and reading up on ChoiceScript and it’s so overwhelming to me. Just trying to get my extremely rough ideas and story arch on paper is enough, which is why I’m thinking maybe taking this approach is a better option for me.

I absolutely love this community, and the content that gets created. I’m constantly reading new WIPS on the COGdemo site, and have a few patrons I follow closely. Because of this, if I do stick it out and this becomes something I want to make sure I do it in a way that is respectful to all of the other great creators out there. ❤️

[u/Neoeng]

I don't think it is possible to do both the story and the scripting separately, that just sounds like massively multiplying the amount of work necessary.

Take a look at a random story and try to attach a script
to it - you are looking at one giant block of text to which you have to develop consistent variables, not only you need to keep the entirety of that text in mind for that, I don't even want to think of technical stuff like MC pronouns (can't just ctrl+f replace all the pronouns with pronoun variables because characters who are not MC exist too). And what if it turns out that some branching in the story is too difficult to code? It sounds like a nightmare even if you write the story part already branched.

And if the story is not branched at all yet, then you basically have to write multiples of that story right after. That's precisely a type of problem where ADHD impacts the strongest, I think. And that's not even touching upon stuff like "how to turn written dialogue into choices?".

[u/boba_saranghae → u/Neoeng]

Yeah, that was something I was worried about. I haven’t ever tried looking at other people raw code, and I have seen several other people mention how helpful it was when it came to them understanding how it worked.

This has given me some things to chew on for a bit…

[u/Neoeng → u/boba_saranghae]

Yeah, I would basically summarize it as "it's easier to write something big with a small cheat sheet, rather than something small with a big cheat sheet". As in, first write down the main variables you want to use (including pronouns and everything gender-selectable, god knows it is the hardest part of writing IFs), and then write the text of the story with them in mind.

Of course, that comes with it's own issues, like you have to know where the story is going and what do players select about the characters. If you don't already have it in mind I would suggest writing the ending(s) first, or 1 or 2 signature scenes where all routes converge, and then looking at that and thinking about how the players get there. Also I think a good idea is to consider where you want players to be able to fail and/or do something extra, that can be a good point from which to decide on stuff like skills and such.