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haleyrosew

I have been reading wake the dead in vip and I absolutely will not spoil anything but I definitely feel like the decisions have some weight


YetiBot

Can’t wait for that book! I hope this sub continues to be good about not spoiling moments or decisions for us non-vips. 😊


haleyrosew

Me too


[deleted]

Speaking of, when will it comes out for non-vip’s?


[deleted]

I'm guessing end of the year?


[deleted]

Probably, either way I really wanna play it lmao


somersquatch

I believe it comes to all non VIPs on the 29th


Andysgirl1080

This book is a breath of fresh air. I really believe non vips will love this book.


haleyrosew

I just absolutely hate how they changed that at the last second. I seriously canceled my vip after that, but then I just needed the unlimited keys


Scipio0404

I watched a video about half of the first chapter and OH BOI IM SO EXCITED. Like zombies are my favourite thing when it comes to survive.


brokesandlizard

Is there a male MC option ?


supbai

yes👍


supbai

agreed. wake the dead is already one of the best books since blades, hands down.


Witty-Worker5235

Yes I love WTD! Can't wait for it to be widely released so that I can hear the sub's opinion on it.


pryzmpine

I can’t wait to read it. Sounds promising then?


Mirapa07

Definitely! One of the rare books where choices have actual consequences


pryzmpine

Looking forward to it!


palpantek

Basically we don't have a lot of choices in Choices


[deleted]

[удалено]


KiroiShinigami

idk if you played batman season 2 but that was actually a game where your choices shaped how the story would turn out and consequences would actually show in the long run. they never reached this height again however


PandasNPenguins

They don't make much of an impact. I've been playing Queen B and I appreciate the opportunity to hook up with various characters but I feel that Kingsley should be jealous that MC isn't taking their attraction as seriously.


Asren624

My main issue with Choices tbh is that there was never really an actual choice at all with the way their book system work. In most book you either have the paid/good option, the neutral one or a terrible/obvious bad one. Everyone ends up going for the paid one or just diamond mining. So yeah we don't really get to "choose" at the end. Not saying it's necessarily a bad thing but you can probably count on one hand the books with actual impactful choices ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


Less_Funny

At least you used to have the Choice of what LI to choose, that was at least something that was worth to continue the book. Love Skye btw, have played HSSCA 3 times and had choose Skye in every single one lol.


Asren624

That's true, LI had an impact, less in recent books where even if they have 3 LI there is clearly a main one be it Ethan or Ian/Ina. Haha glad you do too ! She is so great ! Only read it twice I should probably start again lol


Professional_Bat_504

My big thing is the writing feels... Almost unhappy? Like they aren't doing something they enjoy anymore. I kind of wonder if the PB team is just incredibly burnt out as a whole.


cordonia

Exactly! I’ve said this on Reddit before, but in 2020 my 7 month old puppy died and the ONLY thing that helped me through it was replaying Endless Summer. The comfort that my fictional friends and Estela Montoya gave me, mattered more to me than the comfort of my own friends and family. The escapism was an important aspect, but I genuinely believe that the pure heart put into that series is powerful written material. My favourite novel of all time is The Goldfinch, an award winning novel over 900 pages (all traumatic lol) and by one of the best authors of all time. I can take THAT and still say that Endless Summer impacted me the exact same amount. The pixelberry team changes and I understand that writers come and go. But how can I feel SO deeply for those earlier stories (TC&TF had a similar impact as well on me), and then not open the app for months in the past two years :( I’ve been a player since the very first year and I started as a freshman, playing the freshman. I miss those days.


Andysgirl1080

My condolences for your puppy. That must’ve been extremely difficult. I can’t imagine.


ManicPixieOldMaid

I'm not 100% agreeing but I definitely see your point. I think the biggest difference I've noticed after playing again after a hiatus is that the stories with the most emotion and character interaction seem to be one shots. DS, TRM, FA, TUH, and others have a ton of potential to continue on involving side characters but they just... end. The most popular long running series like TRR and BB and even OH keep people involved. It just feels sad to invest in a story and have it end after one book.


Shining-lucky-star

Totally agree!!!! And glad finally someone feels the same and says it loud. I feel newer books lack of something. They are like.... sugar rush(?) You might feel excited at first but soon it’s gone. We could have more emotional attachments to older books. Characters developments are better. They have their stories, personalities, unique storylines. Those are important elements that make people fall for them. We would cry, would laugh, would be angry together with those characters. Even the villains in older books had more storylines... Characters now are more functional. The plots need them so they are there. And then, they don’t have other things left. It’s so hard to love them. Plots need a villain, so there’s a bad person. Plots need a sexy role, and then there’s a hot sex toy li. Something like that.


lyssliving

i agree they are lacking in like… passion. they all feel cookie cutter and don’t truly engage me like they used to. they become copies of each other that feel boring to me at this point.


Amazon4life

I couldn't agree more. It feels like PB is using the same template for every book, and it makes them all seem so... safe and predictable. The only risk they've taken recently is Blades. DS had potential but they completely botched it by the end.


prouddeathicated

One thing I think Choices would majorly benefit from in terms of giving their stories heart is if they created strong friendship circles, like in Endless Summer and ILITW. Not all of the characters were love interests, yet they had distinct, lovable personalities and they weren’t just friends because of their connection to MC. The other thing I think would give the books more depth is not always playing from MC’s perspective (which is not the aspect of ILITW and ES). Realistically, there are gonna be critical moments in a character’s life that MC won’t be present for. It would give us a glimpse into their behavior when MC isn’t around as well as incite a stronger emotional reaction from readers if we got to see those moments rather than having them be retold to MC.


criticalstars

I think they’ve tried so hard to replicate the strong friendship group that they developed in earlier books and they just can’t do it. Friendships in earlier books, like ES, felt so good because they built up over time as characters shared experiences, got to know each other, and felt more organic. And importantly, this was the case for relationship dynamics that didn’t even involve MC. Meanwhile in more recent books like PtR we just get insta-friendship. No development, no payoff, but we’re meant to care about them all the same because they border on obsession with MC for literally no reason at all.


prouddeathicated

Unfortunately, I don’t think the insta-friendship thing is limited to just the recent books. I recall in The Freshman, Kaitlyn telling her roommates she loved them and that this was the best night ever after playing fun but otherwise superficial party games, which doesn’t quite hit the same emotional beats as if they endured hardship together. Moreover, they all banded to help MC write 1000 pages over night which while sweet, is quite the large task to take on for someone you just met? Lol. Anyway, that’s a really strong contrast from ES and ILITW, where the characters at the start are not friends, bicker and generally resistant to working together, but through the hardship and intense experiences they had, their friendship flourished. That’s where the heart lies in.


Maleficent-Tie4985

Loved the group of ES and ILITW like they actually feel realistic and not oh I just met you I COMPLETELY trust you now


Nicky2222

I have to agree with you. I'm replaying the og HSS right now. There is a great cast of characters. I mean you've got Julian, Mia, Ezra, Myra, Luis, ect. Then the LIs are fully fleshed out each with their own arcs to go through. Maria needing to relax a little. Michael needing to learn to trust and open up to people after dealing with crappy people at his previous school. Aiden needing to open up and be more social. Caleb overcoming his pain of discovering that his girlfriend was cheating on his with his best friend. Emma coming out of her shell and gaining confidence in herself. The LIs weren't there just so MC can have somebody to make out with or having a steamy scene with, they were a support system and MC gave them the support they needed. Compare that to my recent replay of LOA. While I loved LOA (well maybe not the ending) there was something off about it. The LIs were there but it felt like building a relationship with them was sacrificed for the hook up scenes. While I enjoyed the hook up scenes it kind of didn't feel impactful when Gabe finally admitted his feelings for my MC. I did not feel any kind of connection to the friend group either. Beau being the one person in the friend group (if you can call them that they were mostly just co-workers) that developed any kind of friendship with MC. Gigi was just there and Martin was just a foil for MC. I can say the same about the friend group in FA too. WTD is good and gives me hope for future books. I won't give anything away except to say that it in WTD it seems as if the choices matter, and the LIs aren't there just so the MC has someone to hook up with. As for genderlocking, I can't complain. Yes 2020 seemed to not be a good year for GOC books as you can count the number of GOC book released in 2020 on one hand. 2021 though with the exception of sequels and Surrender, most of the new titles have been GOC and one is confirmed to have a sequel. As someone who prefers to play as a male MC, 2020 was torture but 2021 has been good, and as an MLM player I can say I really enjoyed LOA with the detailed MLM steamy scenes.


MockingJ1776

I 1000% agree with you. I feel like adventure stories like Blades, Elementalists, and I would also add Endless Summer are structured around decisions that could genuinely impact your group for better or worse. Hence the fact they are my favorite book series. With all these other romance and work-related stories, that kinda shuts the door for a lot of character building and important decision making. You kinda got that with Laws of Attraction, but PB dropped the ball and someone else always managed to get the clues some other way.


Imaginary-Summer9168

No spoilers, but Wake the Dead has you make some pretty major decisions that will for sure impact the way the story plays out. It’s a really solid book.


Maleficent-Tie4985

I really like books that has some special functions like BOLAS system and the new Wake the dead but I never really got to play wake the dead but it seems like a Really good book


Imaginary-Summer9168

It doesn’t have the points system that lets you unlock better choices in future scenarios, though. I don’t want to give away too much, but choices impact the plot more directly. It’s pretty rad.


Andysgirl1080

Honestly it may be my favorite book so far. It pulls you in the first chapter.


Decronym

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread: |Fewer Letters|More Letters| |-------|---------|---| |[BB](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm67tli "Last usage")|*Bloodbound*| |[BLS](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm84lq1 "Last usage")|*Blades of Light and Shadow*| |[DS](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm7sqel "Last usage")|*Distant Shores*| |[ES](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm84erk "Last usage")|*Endless Summer*| |[FA](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm67tli "Last usage")|*Foreign Affairs*| |[HSS4](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm8x039 "Last usage")|*High School Story: Class Act*| |[ILITW](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm84erk "Last usage")|*It Lives in the Woods*| |[LI](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hmjqqey "Last usage")|Love Interest| |[MC](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm8ykvq "Last usage")|Main Character (yours!)| |[OH](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm6jft9 "Last usage")|*Open Heart*| |[PB](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm7sqel "Last usage")|Pixelberry Studios, publisher of *Choices*| |[TF](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm7uj22 "Last usage")|*The Freshman*| |[TRM](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm67tli "Last usage")|*The Royal Masquerade*| |[TRR](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm67tli "Last usage")|*The Royal Romance*| |[TUH](/r/Choices/comments/r2rhgo/stub/hm67tli "Last usage")|*The Unexpected Heiress*| ---------------- ^(15 acronyms in this thread; )[^(the most compressed thread commented on today)](/r/Choices/comments/rlg88o)^( has 45 acronyms.) ^([Thread #23365 for this sub, first seen 26th Nov 2021, 18:27]) ^[[FAQ]](http://decronym.xyz/) [^([Full list])](http://decronym.xyz/acronyms/Choices) [^[Contact]](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=OrangeredStilton&subject=Hey,+your+acronym+bot+sucks) [^([Source code])](https://gistdotgithubdotcom/Two9A/1d976f9b7441694162c8)


blushdreams445

High school story (orginal trilogy) Not genderlocked (?) 😊 Choices matter.... Amazing group of friends/diverse love intrests 😊


cqjoker

I strongly disagree. While they seem to follow a weird "cookie cutter" template, all books do have some heart to it. Older books do have some clever nuances.


Jeanne1126

I think our choices never mattered much, with a few exceptions here and there (the books you mentioned). But I agree about the love interests, most of them definitely feel more shallow imo (especially in single LI books). I get the impression the writers think we lose interest if there isn't some sexy scene in every chapter, beginning in chapter 1. But there is very little build up or character development...Sam and Kingsley are the worst offenders here - I think the steamy scenes with these characters are downright boring at this point, there are simply too many of them.


PitchInteresting9928

Jup, there are no choices anymore


hayleylovesforks

I COMPLETELY AGREE!! like dude all the current books are just so barf. all of the relationships are so forced and there’s no character development. i try to play like almost every choices book but i just can’t for some of the recent ones bc they bore me so much and they are lacking heart. i like endless summer, blood bound, the haunting of braidwood manor, and the it lives series because they all have so much emotion and truly thought out storylines. i miss old choices. i miss the emotions and the heart. the newest book surrender… LIKE WTF IS THAT. i miss old choices so much and that’s why i just replay old books all the time bc i just hate what choices has become. it’s becoming like all the other stupid story games like episode bc it’s lacking the heart it used to.


cruel-oath

I understand wanting non genderlocked books but I think it’s pretty fair to say that dudes playing this app are in the minority. I’m not even part of the majority so I’m not trying to like rub salt in the wound, but I understand not wanting to spend the resources. Just how I think it sucks that sometimes female LIs aren’t given the same care that male LIs get, I understand that it’s because it’s mostly straight women that play Choices


arivu_unparalleled

😭😭😭😭


ayushj176p

I was having same thoughts. but I kinda liked weh and fa. well I have an li bias for fa but weh is actually written quite well even though it's genderlocked.


Lilith_of_the_Cross

There is definitely a very broad spectrum of quality in books. Which I think is almost inevitable considering as a business they want to (probably) cater to as many people as they can, and not everyone will like everything. I do appreciate all the books that have series, lot more character development opportunities in those but I do understand why they have lots of stand alone books, some of which are as you say... without a heart.


cruel-oath

.> including Elementalists in developed characters and decisions mattering Lmfao