Honestly speaking, I would never pay for early access. I think it breaks up the reader’s experience, and ultimately, as a writer, I feel my job is to give the best experience possible to my readers. With that in mind, I feel that gem choices should not detract from the experience, but rather enhance it. In other words, no gem choice should impede the reader’s ability to read the story in its entirety. This means no paying for certain choices, no early access and honestly, no bonus scenes that could detract from a reader’s experience. As an author, these are some of the ways I’m planning/I’ve thought of to implement gem choices in my stories:
- scene selection (I allow readers to replay from specific scenes within the story. Choices are to be omitted as to not mess with the point system. Choices are final.)
- full episode replay (This would be a great option to include for people who skip an episode without meaning to or for people who would just like to see the episode again.)
- view all endings (Does not impact the ending for the reader, but allows them to see alternate endings.)
- bonus hints for mini games/choices (Still requires them to make a choice, but gives them the option of having a little more information about each outcome.)
- bypass mini games/choices (Completely bypass a mini game or choice and receive the best possible outcome.)
- gain an extra clue (Working on a murder mystery right now. I’m trying to decide how to implement this without completely screwing over my points system, but I’m working on it.)
- customize a background character (I do not allow much customization in my stories because I use a lot of custom overlays. This would be an option that goes along with some bonus content following a completely unrelated character with almost a sub-mini plot.)
- bonus mini games (Fairly self-explanatory.)
- art gallery (Option to replay all art scenes at the end of an episode/story. This could also include a close-up of any covers.)
- view hidden points system (I keep my points systems completely or partially secret to avoid spoilers. Allowing a reader to view their points could be a potential way to earn gems without totally ruining the plot.)
Things I’ve seen that I like:
- gems for art scenes (I know this is sort of unpopular, but honestly I like this. This should be applied specifically to art scenes that do not impact the plot. Typically, they’re just there to be pretty and could be summarized with narration. These sorts of things, I wouldn’t mind having gem options for. It makes sense for the author, as the author has paid a lot of money for quality art and this would be a good way to earn that money back.)
- unrelated bonus scenes (These are scenes that have little or nothing to do with the plot. I don’t mind this at all, as I don’t feel like I’m missing out if I don’t pay for these scenes.)
- top up points (Honestly, this makes perfect sense to me. This is altering the plot, but not in such a manner that impedes them from reading–rather it allows them a little more freedom in their choices.)
- support the author (Obviously.)
Things I do not like and will not purchase and may quit reading a story over:
- gems to skip episode
- gems for clothing options
- gems for plot-altering choices
- early access
- gems to customize
I may add more to this later as I see more released…