Perfectionism is one of the greatest flaws a person can have, yet many of us don’t realize its negative impact on our lives. Some of us are even proud of it, and wear it like of badge of honor. In reality it’s something to be ashamed of, and can hold us back in just about every area of our lives. I’m no authority on the subject but I am an ex-perfectionist myself. So whether...

Every book you’ve ever read in a store and every film you’ve ever watched on a screen follows a timeless structure. It’s invisible; you can’t see it but it resonates with us on a subconscious level. It’s what makes a story a story, and without it, everything collapses. Your fleshed-out characters and detailed world must work within this structure, so do yourself a favor and build the foundation before working on the windows! This...

The third book of the Samurai of Hyuga series presented a ton of challenges for readers. Aside from the usual memory tests, Book 3 introduced deduction puzzles and text-input observations. It also introduced another challenge: scenes with large amounts of characters in them. But keeping track of the cast shouldn’t be a challenge—it’s the job of the author to make it clear who’s in the room and who isn’t. Interactive fiction writers aren’t playwrights,...

The third book in the series is certainly the toughest, with all manner of observations to make and clues to deduce. Like in the previous books, it’s impossible to get every achievement during a single play-through. Warning: spoilers ahead! For those interested in perfecting tests or how to save Daisuke/Keiko in the final chapters, scroll to the bottom of this article. I will provide a detailed description of the point system used. Unfortunately the...

Samurai of Hyuga Book 3 has been released! Check out it’s page here! It’s been a long year for me and Hyuga fans. I want to thank everyone reading this for their patience, especially those who have written such nice words to me on the forums, this website and twitter. Speaking of twitter, make sure to follow me @MChoiceStudios for blog updates and release dates! If you’re interested in some behind-the-scenes insight, then keep...

The demo version for the sequel is here! Samurai of Hyuga Book 3 is the mind-shattering sequel to your favorite interactive tale. The journey continues in the land of silk and steel, where fantasy and reality clash and tough choices await you on every page. Get ready to prove why you’re the toughest ronin around. This demo contains the first three chapters of the story. They are part of the third book in an...

The desire to feel important is the most subtle desire entertainment can address—it’s the one most taken for granted and overlooked. But its absence is the single greatest source of misery in modern man. Feeling stupid or undesirable is terrible, but feeling unimportant strikes an even deeper chord. It ties in with our very will to live! Below, I’ll delve into what it means to feel important and why we crave it desperately without...