Guiding a Branching Choice Story (part 3)

The RPG storytelling method called illusionism can be used when writing a visual novel, subtly steering the player along the story path. The player should always feel like their choices matter, so VN writers need to make sure that there is always a unique result for each choice. However, that does not mean that the writer needs to move the story off onto an entirely different trajectory—the writer is the one determining the choices, not the player. In a way, it can be compared to a parenting technique often used with children who want to make their own decisions. Rather than argue with the child and impose authority to force a particular choice, a parent can empower the child to feel like he or she is choosing by offering them 2 or 3 options. The parent selects the preferred options and then presents them to the child to decide, but the child feels a win because he or she makes the final decision...from those options. Magicians use the same technique when “forcing a card” on someone who thinks they actually made an unpredictable, random choice.