Writing A Case Tip and Tricks

[ProfessorPancakes]

I know the very basics of this case maker by playing around with it. But I'd like to start writing my own cases so I was wondering how you guys wrote it? Like before even working on it how the outline would work in say Wordpad or Google Docs. Thanks in advance!

[123fendas]

Yes, I made a text file, in which I wrote a few ideas for aspects of the crime.

I reworked a few aspects, to make them better. The way I'd originally written it made no sense. I was referring to the defendant as the culprit. I have no idea what I was thinking.

even after reworking it, it did not turn out well. I had very little to go on, so one of the aspects of the crime is completely irrelevant to the development of the mystery regarding the crime.

if I were to make a new case, I think I'd have to spend a lot more time developing the circumstances of the crime.

[Enthalpy]

What do you mean by "how the outline would work"? Are you asking how to use Wordpad/Google Docs, how to format the outline, what makes a good outline in general...?

[ProfessorPancakes]

What do you mean by "how the outline would work"? Are you asking how to use Wordpad/Google Docs, how to format the outline, what makes a good outline in general...?

Maybe outline wasn't the word I was looking for, but what I meant was more so how do any of you case makers write it out? Do you write out the story first with a lot of explanation, is it like a script, or in between? For example "Phoenix and Athena wake up in the defendant lobby.Confused they try to leave only to realize that they can't. A robotic balif tells them that it would disrespect the one who watches. They talk for a small bit before getting called in to court"

Or more like "*Phoenix wakes up with a pounding headache* Phoenix:Ohhhw my aching head... *Screen Flash*Phoenix:Wait is this...The court house?"

Hope this explains what I meant!

[Enthalpy]

Oh! I assume you're talking about a trial only case. I always write out a "walkthrough" for the trial segment before I script anything "final". It includes testimonies, the correct answer for every evidence present and contradiction, all evidence descriptions, notes on major story points that I want to come out at a specific time, and notes to explain the flow of logic entirely. My method beyond that depends on the case.

Starting out, I focused almost exclusively on mystery and case logic elements. (Choosing to focus on either mystery-side or story-side while not paying much attention to the other is a good practice when you're starting out. There's a lot to learn, and it's easy to get overwhelmed.) I started with one idea I really liked, for instance, "Phoenix calls on Edgeworth to defend Trucy from a bank robbery charge shortly before Apollo Justice." I'd then brainstorm details about how the crime happened with rough ideas of what Edgeworth needed to figure out and when. Then I went to the walkthrough and then I went to the script.

The case idea I have in mind now is more character-focused, which requires a different approach. Now I have to work out where I want the characters to start and end up, how they're going to get there, how the characters will react to the events of the story, and whether those are building up to the story I want to tell or not. In my case, I'm also trying work out the mystery at the same time. Again, I don't recommend that for a new author. Then I'll go through my usual walkthrough and script pattern.

Hopefully that helps.

[ProfessorPancakes]

Oh that helps a lot! What about investigation segments? Are they the same but with more work put into them?

[Enthalpy]

I don't have as much experience scripting investigations. Investigation design is complicated, and I refer you to Ferdielance's excellent tutorial: viewtopic.php?f=50&t=8255 . When in the planning stages, I like to start with an idea of what needs to be discovered in the investigation and next figure out what investigation locations I need to get that across. I'll then work through what conversation topics need to be available at each location and when investigations become available or not. I can then write an annotated walkthrough as before.

Full cases should remember to give each character something to talk about, not only with the murder or its backstory, but about the characters themselves. So, for example, we can talk with Adrian Andrews about her reaction to losing the urn, hear Klavier rant about having a bad day (showing he's not as light-hearted as he appears), and talk Steel Samurai with Cody. If you don't feel up to this (again, it's a lot), focus on plot points and leave characters for later.