I’ve been playing around with a mix of the “branching narrative nodes” idea and a procedural hook system—essentially, the core story is laid out in nodes, but each node can spawn a handful of procedural side quests that feed back into the main thread. It keeps the big arc intact while giving players the freedom to explore the world. You could also layer in a “player‑choice weight” tracker so decisions gradually shape the environment, keeping the narrative cohesion but still letting players feel their own path. Try it out on a small prototype and see how the emergent bits mesh with the story you want.

Sounds good—I'll sketch a three‑node prototype and add a few procedural hooks. I'll keep the node data clean and test the weight system, and I’ll ping you if anything feels too scripted or too loose.