An experiment with using the randomisation I’ve been learning with an ‘open world’ style. It’s bare bones at the moment, but you get the point ; )
I’ve tried to build a mechanic that:
1/ Allows you to move around freely.
2/ Randomly generates the places you travel around.
3/ Then remembers them so you can return there (and some day interact with the things you find there.)
Want to hear about it when The Aegis Saga Blood is released? (I will only ever email you when a story is released)
I love working with Adrienne Valdes, she’s so easy to talk to about ideas and she’s so talented!
Things are really coming together – still loads of spell checking to do, but that looks like light at the end of the tunnel, and as an added bonus my short story ‘Venom beneath the skin‘ will be released to the public in 4 days after the Short Story Comp judging is finished!
It’s now submitted! In a short month the judges will decide on the winners (there are a few categories in there). The competition title is ‘poisonous intent’.
My story is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet, but set within the fantasy world of Eris. It was written over 31 days and I hope to use it as a basis for a full length story.
It’s a comedic romance with a little action, told about two races and two lovers (potentially! The narrative is choice-driven, so that’s up to you!)
Would you like to hear about about new stories when they are released? (I will only ever email you after one of my releases)
I love interactive fiction and indie games and I hope this short story will help a few people get acquainted with me and possibly even get interested in my full length story ‘The Aegis Saga – Blood’. Now the competition is drawing to a close, I’ll be getting back to preparing ‘Blood’ for release through Choice of Games’ Hosted Games label.
I hope you enjoy ‘Venom beneath the skin’ when its released, and please keep your fingers crossed for me in the competition.
I’m having a lot of fun trying to work Romeo & Juliet into a short story for the competition. 1st, it’s just bloody great, and I’m trying to use some of the language and poeticism where I can. 2nd it’s a joy to draw inspiration from a pre-existing text, because writing flows more freely and elements of the story seem so universally understood and identifiable with, that I think they actually could work – set amongst the characters living on the world in The Aegis Saga, Eris!
I’m setting up the Montagues and Capulets as the humans and the Arantians (a race of beings with the ability to direct and control the pervasive magic on Eris). I’m hoping to write Chapter 2 of the short story today – because that deadline of the end of the month is getting closer by the day ; )
I’m biting my nails a bit over whether I’m going to get ‘Venom beneath the skin’ finished in time!
Alright!
I have my sketch outline for the Short Story Competition!
The competition theme is poisonous intent – and it’s taken me a while to engage with the idea and really understand what I want from it.
– IT WILL BE SET IN THE WORLD OF ERIS
– IT WILL BE CONNECTED TO BOOK 2 OF THE AEGIS SAGA!
but. . . spoilers ; )
wish me luck everyone
– this is going to be tough. And I hope some of you will be so good as to beta-test it later this month. 
That’s it, the full ten chapters is out for proofing and editing : )
In the meantime I’m joining LordIrish’s 4th Annual short story competition to kick start writing the sequel and maybe get a little exposure with other aspiring and published interactive fiction authors!
http://www.choiceofbox.com/cscomp16.html
The fantasy world of Eris (the greek word for Strife) is named after our own greek goddess of discord. She’s described by the poet Hesiod as taking two ‘wholly different’ forms – the first Strife is ‘evil’, while the second – ‘harsh Strife’ – makes us competitive. Heriod says of this second form of Eris, “a man would praise her when he came to understand her”:
“So, after all, there was not one kind of Strife alone, but all over the earth there are two”. . . “one fosters evil war and battle, being cruel: her no man loves; but perforce, through the will of the deathless gods, men pay harsh Strife her honour due.”
“This Strife is wholesome for men”, “neighbor vies with neighbor”. “She stirs up even the shiftless to toil”
(and Hesiod says the goddess Eris is to blame for choicescript authors getting angry or competitive with other choicescript minstrels too 
)
But to return to my fantasy world.
The full ten chapters of my interactive fantasy novel ‘The Aegis Saga – Blood’ are being proofed now, prior to going to a publisher.
(click here to find the four chapter demo and here to find a brief description of the story)
Charles Parkes 