Idea Details

Fuzzy Bits is the name of this project, hopefully to be released for the '01 IF Comp. Fuzzy Bits is made up of a multitude of separate "modules"- game files- that are played in random order to make a certain path. Thus, there can be a different story every time. Not every module will be played each story as well, making it even more different each time. The modules do not have to be all that similar- just enough for the player to be able to make the connection in the story between any two modules in any order.

Confused?
I hope that instead of building blocks, these modules are more like... say... pictures. Say you see three pictures: one shows a man in a car, heading down a long road. One shows him hitting a tree, and another shows him in a bar, drinking and talking.

In that order, you would assume that the man went on a journey, got in an accident, then recovered and talked about it to another guy in a bar.

In the opposite order, you may assume that he went to a bar, got drunk, got in an alchohol-induced accident, but when recovered, continued with his journey, his mission.

In tree, car, bar, order, you might think that he was in an accident, recovered, and continued his journey to a bar.

Car, bar, tree. He went on a long journey to a bar, talked, then got in an accident.

I hope that's a little clearer for what I intend. This is quite simplified, so some pathways are somewhat similar, but I hope this explains my intentions better.

Three things to keep in mind while writing a module:

  1. The Beginning
  2. The Middle
  3. The Ending
Seriously. When writing the beginning, keep in mind that that module may be the first module of the story, the last, or anywhere in between. It should stand on its own, yet fit with any other module that may come before it.
The middle shouldn't be very large; mini-comp size or speedIF size, say. The characters and setting can but don't have to be the same as in another module- it may be best to hint at it, but not say it outright in such a way that, depending on the modules the player plays, he may assume that they are or aren't.
And as for the ending- again, the module may be the first, the last, or somewhere inbetween. So that if the story ends with this module, it would work; and also so it fits with any other module coming after it.

Fuzzy Bits Home
chadschultz@hotmail.com