Hero-U - Update #5, Story, Relationships and More

[RPGWatch]

In the fifth update for the Kickstarter Hero-U, Corey Cole talks about story paths and relationships in the game, new pledges, testimonials, interviews and the Kick it Forward program.

Here is the bit on story paths and relationships:

There are a lot of "black and white" games out there. They give the players two paths - good or evil, etc. That's an improvement over making the player sit through a linear, non-branching story.But we can do better. Yes/No, Either/Or, Binary pathing is so last century! It's also not the way life works.Quest for Glory broke the mold of D&D-style games by eliminating experience levels. Instead, players gradually improved each of their skills through practice. In Hero-U, we are doing the same thing for character relationships. All of your actions during the game will affect how others see you, and how they react in turn.No two players are likely to see the exact same story in Hero-U. Each player will forge their own relationships, and choose where to spend their time. The subtle connection between these decisions will affect many aspects of game play.This won't as simple as "You're a Thief" or "You're a Rogue Hero." The game - like real life - will be much more complex and layered. Shades of grey mean something in Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption.

Let's say for instance you've been friendly to one of the other students. Maybe that student saw you in the hallway after curfew, but she'll keep quiet about it. Or maybe she'll mention a useful book in the library. If things work out, maybe you can develop a romantic relationship.Of course, the opposite is true too. Maybe someone else is jealous of that budding relationship, and decides to make you look bad. There are a lot of ways for a Rogue to find revenge. Maybe one of your teachers will stand up for you, or maybe everyone will hang you out to dry. Everything you do in the game will affect someone's attitude towards you, positively, negatively, or sideways. That would be the case when a plot element hinges on your actions, and a character decides you might be useful to them... or not.
The people who write walkthroughs for games are going to have a hard time with Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption. The players, on the other hand, may find themselves playing the game over and over, trying to see what changes when they take a different attitude. The developers will need to develop some automated tests to check out all the options.