jimdattilo

Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven scenario poll

Added 2021-08-15 16:32:01 +0000 UTC

This poll asks about plot armor, in which certain characters will never die because they are integral to the plot. I have asked this question before but people's opinions change as the story progresses. I am guessing that most of you have at least tried the Part 3 test version, so you know that certain characters die, while others are immune to death. I would like to know your thoughts on the idea of plot armor.

I use two terms when planning and writing my games that relate to characters:

Core character — this is a character who will not die. Coding is far easier when characters are not variable. For example, Jaime and Rachel are always in the group, so I do not have to constantly check that they are alive. This makes coding and writing easier.

Variable character — this is a character who may be alive or dead, or maybe gone from the group or present. For example, Kelly is a variable character because she may be missing from the group at the end of Part 2. It is much more difficult to write and code variable characters because of the extra time and testing involved in checking their presence in a scene. Of course, variable characters provide an extra amount of player agency and variability, which makes the game more entertaining and the story more realistic.

As I finish writing chapter 12, I am considering plot armor more heavily. Should one of the core characters be able to die?

So what do you think about plot armor?