Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion FoLC Productions Brains Needed: Let's Make A Fanfic!

There's a reason I'm posting this here instead of just straight-up Fanfic Related.

FoLCs, how many of you are familiar with the general concept of interactive fiction? A story unfolds, and the reader/viewer actively participates in its telling; maybe even altering the outcome. I want to make an L/C story using such a method.

Now, here's the thing; I have the means to create a Text Adventure/Game. For those of you who need a crash course on what that is, they look something like this:

...For a basic example. Anyway, I'm willing to do all the programming. What I need, though, is *ideas*. What will the story be? What are the puzzles? What major endings will be possible (aside from any standard game-over things such as "The salmon mousse was apparently tainted. You are now dead.")

First things first; basic plots anyone? Shall we have a dangerous, suspensful mystery? A light-hearted dating game? Or something else entirely?

Sounds like fun! I vote for a mystery, but set in S1 or S2, because of course one of the choices has to lead to either a Superman revelation/no revelation/Lois guessing/Lois clueless etc. And "Clark naked" should definitely appear somewhere in the game, with "Clark in blue suit" and "Clark without glasses" as other options.

Is there only one story line where puzzles have to be solved to continue, or can you have multiple story lines, with possible different conclusions? How many lines and how many conclusions are possible?

This sounds like fun. I like both ideas of dangerous mystery and lighthearted dating game. If we go with the dating angle, can we include Daniel Scardino and Mayson Drake, or should we stick with the classic Lois/Clark/Superman love triangle?

For the mystery scenario, Is there a way to select which villain will be in the story? If S1 or S2, then my suggested options would be Lex Luthor (of course!), the Prankster (because it's Bronson Pinchot!) and Intergang.

Oh and this... Made me LOL for a full minute. Sounds like my kind of prize.

BJ

Sounds cool. Reminds me of this "airport" program I used to have, where there were various "tasks" you had to complete before catching the flight.

For the L&C version, maybe there could be things that Lois had to collect and, with those items and going to a certain place, "the secret" would be revealed. Or by following a certain path, she could end up at the Metropolis Sewage Reclamation Facility.

malu

Hooray! I'm glad you're all liking the idea!

First off, let me address the questions of what is/isn't possible:

Tads3 isn't one of those fill-out-a-form kind of programs; I'm pretty much working from scratch. This means that the only limits on what's possible are my programming ability and your imaginations. The former is further stretched by access to manuals and good online support groups, etc., so no worries there.

Do you want one main plot with a pass/fail setup? It shall be done.

Do you want multiple endings?
I was actually working on such a thing before my Muse quit on me. It's totally doable.

The hardest part about IF is having to think like a programmer *and* a writer at the same time, which is why I'm drafting you guys. *g* As long as you're generating the ideas, I can pretty much do anything short of teleporting a live monkey to your house.

I will warn you, though, that given the nature of this project, it could take a while to unfold. Is that okay with everyone?

Wow, the fact that you're doing it at all is amazing.

My votes: Clark (not Superman) swooping down (metaphorically) and kissing Lois with an uncharacteristic burst of courage; Lex Luthor and a kryptonite ring; Red K doing something totally bizarre to Clark; Lois getting kidnapped or tied up; Bureau 39 - frankly, anything about them could be an excellent storyline!

...We may need a poll here. <_<

Heh, no kudos until it's done, please. My track record for finishing projects is pretty iffy.

ETA: Okay, this poll should help streamline things a bit. http://www.lcficmbs.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=12&t=000395

Okay, calling in the results of the poll.

The winning genre is Mystery/Suspense. Romance was a very close second, though, so I'm thinking we might want to do an A/B plot format. Sound good?

So let's start tossing some ideas around. What's the mystery? What's the Romance plot? Who's the villain, etc, etc? Any ideas at all? Just shout 'em out.

I've always had a little snippet of a story in the back of my mind from the original airing of GGGOH. Instead of Lois and Clark getting caught by Trask, they do a stakeout of the dig site, and in the process Lois learns a lot about Clark and his childhood. For example, they take some hidden path from the Kent farm to the site, and on the way Clark talks about playing in the woods, taking some girl to "Makeout hill," etc. Lois seemed to warm up to Clark alot in this episode, getting to know him better, so maybe the B-plot could be "stories of Clark's childhood"??? I don't know about A-plot...

Ok, I'm hearing some consensus on the setting being s1 or s2 with a possible reveal at the end. Any more ideas?

Someone suggested Luthor, someone else suggested B39... any favorites here? More hats in the ring?

...Nother Poll?

Okay, that should be plenty of time for the poll. (Sorry actually, I got sidetracked for a bit). So our top choice for villain is Lex Luthor, with B39 a close second. I leave it to you whether the story has just one of those or both. If we're keeping close to the main L/C universe, then I think that probably automatically sets the story in season 1. Yes? No? Does anyone have a different idea/opinion?

So we need plot bunnies. Lois and/or her new(ish?) partner Clark get caught up in something thrilling and mysterious, and Lex and/or B39 is somehow involved.

Now, I won't ask each of you to pitch an entire woven plot, but we do need to start tossing possible threads back and forth. What should the setup be? What are some possible dangers? What are some possible endings?

I'd like to gently remind y'all that it's tough thinking as a programmer and a writer at the same time, so I was hoping to foist the latter responsibilities on you guys as much as possible.

So any snippets or ideas?