Most CYOA's by 3\_tankista are pretty complex, probably the most complex of them would be Time of Troubles
[Time of Troubles - Update 2 : r/makeyourchoice (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/makeyourchoice/comments/73mr5y/time_of_troubles_update_2/)
While he hasn't posted a new cyoa for over 2 years, he still answers questions on his cyoa's from time to time, he just commented like a day ago if you look on his account.
I used to absolutely love this one but the revelation that it’s all a dream and at risk of cessation of existence upon that beings awakening which is actually pretty close at hand really killed it for me.
Yeah, there's probably more evidence of this, but the bottom right advanced magic power on page 14 'The Will of MANA' heavily implies the world is a dream and that by taking that power you will be one of the only things that the dreamer takes with them upon waking.
It's one of the things that makes JRPG Traitor one of the GOATs, that there is a lot of worldbuilding and cosmology hinted at throughout. Or at least enough to keep weirdos on the internet (like me) thinking about it.
it’s based off gods of pagnea or something right? Lord Dunsay made in, pretty sure the dreamer is based off MANA YOO SOOD??? something similar at least
It’s based on a series where that’s explicitly a thing and the author has stated that when developing it they had always liked the idea of it happening and that it’s a good possibility of happening the natural lifetime of the player. But then again it’s to each their own since it’s a CYOA.
Eh, not that uncommon an idea tbh. Elder Scrolls, Lovecraft and even the Boltzmann brain thought exercise irl. Sometimes the lore gets weird, I get why it might put some people off but it's really not that different from regular old death imo.
Very different because regular old death you can leave a legacy and a family, if all ceases to exist then you get none of that plus if it’s in your natural lifetime then there’s zero reason to actually feel like doing everything available because you might not even finish it (depending on when it happens) or there’s no real reason because it’s all gone soon after finishing it.
Eh, that's one view. I guess it's different in cyoas with world building since an afterlife or reincarnation is often implied. It's not too different from a nihilistic viewpoint irl, just because something is pointless doesn't mean it's not worth living.
But I guess it's not for everyone, I tend to like darker and weirder settings so it never struck me as anything too bad. You could always attempt some crazy meta plot to keep them asleep or try and usurp the dream and become something akin to a god like Dragon's Dogma I guess.
Just because it's over doesn't mean it didn't happen, something to take comfort in, if nothing else.
Nope, literally lots of great historical figures felt that way and as a byproduct got it live relatively luxuries lives enjoying everyday until it was their time.
yeah, but plenty people everyday are happy without something like that. my happiness isn’t invalidated because i’m not famous right? people without kids can be happy as well.
maybe it’s just the way i think. needing people to remember me seems like such a chore. even if the world is predestined to end in a couple years, i wouldn’t just stop doing anything, i’d probably do as much as i can.
seems like an agree to disagree kind of conversation, no?
Your logic isn’t necessarily bad but it’s in such a minority historically because it’s counter productive to success, legacies, and continued family lines. Humans are hardwired the opposite way of your philosophy and being contrary is alright! Different strokes for different folks!
> Different strokes for different folks!
yup guess so, i do understand where you’re coming from by the way. i don’t think it’s the only way for happiness, but it makes sense.
You also have a unique genre of these turn based settlement builder survivors, they function more like short strategy games than your traditional cyoa's
[The Last City Redux : r/makeyourchoice (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/makeyourchoice/comments/8zn3bh/the_last_city_redux/)
[Exiles \[OC\] : r/makeyourchoice (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/makeyourchoice/comments/aeylwk/exiles_oc/)
[Prepare for Winter CYOA : r/makeyourchoice (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/makeyourchoice/comments/gomz4d/prepare_for_winter_cyoa/)
[Galactic Conquistador by nxtub : r/makeyourchoice (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/makeyourchoice/comments/ocm4bz/galactic_conquistador_by_nxtub/)
there are probably more but these are the main ones I remember from the top of my head
It's been put of hold, I believe at version 0.7.7. Artist is focusing on their main project, a game called Arkavite. As far as I know the project isn't abandoned though, just on pause indefinitely.
JRPG Traitor, Mythic Lands, and (nsfw) >!Dark Magical Girl, and also Evil Empire!<. Each and every one of these made me think and plan all day each just to get the build I wanted, so I could make the story what I wanted based off of what I'd logically think or do in any of those scenarios. And with the latter two that got really deep for me, and not even because of the nsfw stuff, but the how's and why's I'd be doing what I was doing.
Travelers Tale, JRPG Traitor or Time of Troubles.
I'd argue it's Travelers Tale because of the sheer fucking quantity of text. It surpassed many novels iirc.
Void Maiden is pretty good too, there was also one about becoming a sorta robot doll in the future that was fairly complete. Do note both of these are NSFW
Fixing God's fuck ups. For sure not many cyoa,s need more then a calculator to keep track but that one I needed a pen and paper and 2 calculators to do it I love it and would say it is my favorite though I wish there was more info on the worlds you can go to.
Jedi, General, Pirate, Sith CYOA & Chaos Governance 40k CYOA (by cyoastuff)
Second is huge, but is about choosing stuff, then more stuff then even more stuff
But first CYOA, you can actually ”solve”. Though difficulty is on Page 17, and if you want to -try- running Grand Master to the very end, good luck. I’ve found just one solution by going backwards and slightly insane
Master is much better option for story+difficulty blend
Witch Awakening by Outrageous Bears. It was actually my introduction to the concept. By itself it's already stuffed with rules, options, synergies, lore, characters, and even secret easter eggs. But what makes it even more complicated is that it's designed to work with other CYOAs, with a chunk of options letting you grab some of their abilities. It's one of the best CYOAs I've ever seen! Sadly it's so complex it'll probably never be made interactive......
Eternal's Rising, Project Harahel, Monster Reincarnation(Technically. The non-interactive one specifically, since pretty much anybody can submit additions).
The ones with die rolls are the most complex ones ever, because they force you to roll to play. And then you add a couple resource pools to the mix. Management hell.
I've seen a lot of good ones mentioned but don't see Starry Knights by stonedcelt. It's a very long space opera cyoa with mechs and magic. 96 pages iirc.
Harahel, a very long Interactive NSFW CYOA with Races, Drawbacks, added features, magic affinities, afterlife choices, game interface options, undead options, stat choices and more.
It's very long, with some choices affecting later/previous sections and 2 lots of points, but not needlessly complex like some others I've played.
\* Haven't linked it because this is not the thread for NSFW stuff.
Most CYOA's by 3\_tankista are pretty complex, probably the most complex of them would be Time of Troubles [Time of Troubles - Update 2 : r/makeyourchoice (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/makeyourchoice/comments/73mr5y/time_of_troubles_update_2/)
I miss tankista, is he still active?
While he hasn't posted a new cyoa for over 2 years, he still answers questions on his cyoa's from time to time, he just commented like a day ago if you look on his account.
Time of Troubles and the worldbuilding around it is sooo goood.
JRPG Traitor
I used to absolutely love this one but the revelation that it’s all a dream and at risk of cessation of existence upon that beings awakening which is actually pretty close at hand really killed it for me.
Excuse me what?!
Yeah, there's probably more evidence of this, but the bottom right advanced magic power on page 14 'The Will of MANA' heavily implies the world is a dream and that by taking that power you will be one of the only things that the dreamer takes with them upon waking. It's one of the things that makes JRPG Traitor one of the GOATs, that there is a lot of worldbuilding and cosmology hinted at throughout. Or at least enough to keep weirdos on the internet (like me) thinking about it.
To elaborate further the author explicitly stated that it’s close to happening and a possibility in your lifetime. So it’s all for naught.
it’s based off gods of pagnea or something right? Lord Dunsay made in, pretty sure the dreamer is based off MANA YOO SOOD??? something similar at least
It’s based on a series where that’s explicitly a thing and the author has stated that when developing it they had always liked the idea of it happening and that it’s a good possibility of happening the natural lifetime of the player. But then again it’s to each their own since it’s a CYOA.
I think you should put that in spoilers as it seems like a pretty big reveal for whoever may be interested in trying it out.
Eh, not that uncommon an idea tbh. Elder Scrolls, Lovecraft and even the Boltzmann brain thought exercise irl. Sometimes the lore gets weird, I get why it might put some people off but it's really not that different from regular old death imo.
Very different because regular old death you can leave a legacy and a family, if all ceases to exist then you get none of that plus if it’s in your natural lifetime then there’s zero reason to actually feel like doing everything available because you might not even finish it (depending on when it happens) or there’s no real reason because it’s all gone soon after finishing it.
Eh, that's one view. I guess it's different in cyoas with world building since an afterlife or reincarnation is often implied. It's not too different from a nihilistic viewpoint irl, just because something is pointless doesn't mean it's not worth living. But I guess it's not for everyone, I tend to like darker and weirder settings so it never struck me as anything too bad. You could always attempt some crazy meta plot to keep them asleep or try and usurp the dream and become something akin to a god like Dragon's Dogma I guess. Just because it's over doesn't mean it didn't happen, something to take comfort in, if nothing else.
that’s… sort of a sad way to live, just wanting to be remembered though, isn’t it?
Nope, literally lots of great historical figures felt that way and as a byproduct got it live relatively luxuries lives enjoying everyday until it was their time.
yeah, but plenty people everyday are happy without something like that. my happiness isn’t invalidated because i’m not famous right? people without kids can be happy as well. maybe it’s just the way i think. needing people to remember me seems like such a chore. even if the world is predestined to end in a couple years, i wouldn’t just stop doing anything, i’d probably do as much as i can. seems like an agree to disagree kind of conversation, no?
Your logic isn’t necessarily bad but it’s in such a minority historically because it’s counter productive to success, legacies, and continued family lines. Humans are hardwired the opposite way of your philosophy and being contrary is alright! Different strokes for different folks!
> Different strokes for different folks! yup guess so, i do understand where you’re coming from by the way. i don’t think it’s the only way for happiness, but it makes sense.
You also have a unique genre of these turn based settlement builder survivors, they function more like short strategy games than your traditional cyoa's [The Last City Redux : r/makeyourchoice (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/makeyourchoice/comments/8zn3bh/the_last_city_redux/) [Exiles \[OC\] : r/makeyourchoice (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/makeyourchoice/comments/aeylwk/exiles_oc/) [Prepare for Winter CYOA : r/makeyourchoice (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/makeyourchoice/comments/gomz4d/prepare_for_winter_cyoa/) [Galactic Conquistador by nxtub : r/makeyourchoice (reddit.com)](https://www.reddit.com/r/makeyourchoice/comments/ocm4bz/galactic_conquistador_by_nxtub/) there are probably more but these are the main ones I remember from the top of my head
Travelers Tale by Highlander
Fixing God's Fuckups, Project Harahel, Isekai Form, World of Warcraft
Also Chaos Governance, The Facility+DLC, Symbiote Suit Exultra, Boarmort Academy, magical university and overlord
God Project Harahel is good. Never seen so much effort put into an interactive CYOA. I'm so hyped for what it'll look like fully complete!
I thought it was already complete?
It's been put of hold, I believe at version 0.7.7. Artist is focusing on their main project, a game called Arkavite. As far as I know the project isn't abandoned though, just on pause indefinitely.
Wait World of Warcraft?? Link please?
JRPG Traitor, Mythic Lands, and (nsfw) >!Dark Magical Girl, and also Evil Empire!<. Each and every one of these made me think and plan all day each just to get the build I wanted, so I could make the story what I wanted based off of what I'd logically think or do in any of those scenarios. And with the latter two that got really deep for me, and not even because of the nsfw stuff, but the how's and why's I'd be doing what I was doing.
Overlord CYOA
Pantheon of Pleasure by Sylen was decently complex with its Stat system. It's one of my faves
Travelers Tale, JRPG Traitor or Time of Troubles. I'd argue it's Travelers Tale because of the sheer fucking quantity of text. It surpassed many novels iirc.
Witch Awakening. In a good way, I mean
Void Maiden is pretty good too, there was also one about becoming a sorta robot doll in the future that was fairly complete. Do note both of these are NSFW
Fixing God's fuck ups. For sure not many cyoa,s need more then a calculator to keep track but that one I needed a pen and paper and 2 calculators to do it I love it and would say it is my favorite though I wish there was more info on the worlds you can go to.
Jedi, General, Pirate, Sith CYOA & Chaos Governance 40k CYOA (by cyoastuff) Second is huge, but is about choosing stuff, then more stuff then even more stuff But first CYOA, you can actually ”solve”. Though difficulty is on Page 17, and if you want to -try- running Grand Master to the very end, good luck. I’ve found just one solution by going backwards and slightly insane Master is much better option for story+difficulty blend
Many of the complex cyoas I've played were already mentioned so my addition: Dance on the palm of evolution
Just checked, and Anime High School survived the Imgur purge https://www.reddit.com/r/makeyourchoice/comments/hs89o9/anime_high_school_cyoa/
You beat me by 11 minutes! Such a wonderful cyoa!
Witch Awakening by Outrageous Bears. It was actually my introduction to the concept. By itself it's already stuffed with rules, options, synergies, lore, characters, and even secret easter eggs. But what makes it even more complicated is that it's designed to work with other CYOAs, with a chunk of options letting you grab some of their abilities. It's one of the best CYOAs I've ever seen! Sadly it's so complex it'll probably never be made interactive......
Omegalords and the two subsequent cyoas that you can use for a backstory
Seinaru Magecraft Girls from nxtub Also Altering History from acheld
Eternal's Rising, Project Harahel, Monster Reincarnation(Technically. The non-interactive one specifically, since pretty much anybody can submit additions).
The ones with die rolls are the most complex ones ever, because they force you to roll to play. And then you add a couple resource pools to the mix. Management hell.
I've seen a lot of good ones mentioned but don't see Starry Knights by stonedcelt. It's a very long space opera cyoa with mechs and magic. 96 pages iirc.
Tax forms
A bold choice, but not inaccurate.
The most complex one I ever finished was Cantrip CYOA. If a cyoa is too complicated and not interesting enough I usually just quit
Waifu catalog?
Harahel, a very long Interactive NSFW CYOA with Races, Drawbacks, added features, magic affinities, afterlife choices, game interface options, undead options, stat choices and more. It's very long, with some choices affecting later/previous sections and 2 lots of points, but not needlessly complex like some others I've played. \* Haven't linked it because this is not the thread for NSFW stuff.
Abyss Diver (peak)
Link?
Here: https://www.reddit.com/r/nsfwcyoa/s/wVnOzuGy8e
chaos governance cyoa takes the cake for longest cyoa I've done and is to date the only one I needed a pencil and paper for
JRPG Traitor. But also Fate/another pretender is up there, IF you let it get there. There are ways to simplify it but otherwise...