#manonamora

[manonamora-if]

The 100% Good Twine SugarCube Guide!

The 100% Good Twine SugarCube Guide is a coding guide for the SugarCube format of Twine. It is meant as an alternative to the SugarCube documentation, with further explanations, interactive examples, and organised by difficulty. The goal of this guide is to make the learning curve for new SugarCube user less steep, and provide a comprehensive and wide look over the format.

VIEW / DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE!!!!

The Guide is compartmentalised in (currently) four categories:

THE BASICS or the absolute basics to start with SugarCube. No need for extra knowledge. Just the base needed to make something.

THE BASICS + adding interactivity, and creating a fully rounded IF game May require a bit of CSS knowledge (formatting rules)

INTERMEDIATE MODE adding more customisation and complex code Will probably require some CSS knowledge, and maybe some JavaScript

ADVANCE USE the most complex macros and APIs Will surely require some JavaScript/jQuery knowledge

Note: The Advanced Use includes all the APIs, macros, and methods not covered by the previous categories. This includes code requiring very advance knowledge of JavaScript/jQuery to be used properly.

Each category explains many aspects of the format, tailored to a specific level of the user. More simpler explanations and examples are available in earlier chapters, compared to the later ones.

If something is unclear, you found a mistake, you would like more examples in the guide, or would like a feature covered, let me know!

The Guide currently covers all macros (as of SugarCube v.2.37.3), all functions and methods, and APIs. It touches upon the use of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery, when relevant. It also discusses aspects of accessibility.

The Guides also provides a list of further resources, for the different coding languages.

The Guide is available in a downloadable form for offline view:

HTML file that can be opened in Twine

.tw file that can be opened in Twine

source code, separating the chapters, .js and .css files

GITHUB REPO | RAISE AN ISSUE | TWINE RESOURCES TWEEGO | TEMPLATES | CSCRIPT 2 SG GUIDE

Twine® is an “an open-source tool for telling interactive, non-linear stories” originally created by Chris Klimas maintained in several different repositories (Twinery.org). Twine is also a registered trademark of the Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation.

SugarCube is a free (gratis and libre) coding format for Twine/Twee created and maintained by TME.

VIEW / DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE!!!!

As of this release (v2.0.0), it is up to date with the version 2.37.3. If you are looking for the guide covering SugarCube 2.36.1, you can find it on my GitHub.

Note: the Guide is now complete. There won't be further substantial updates.

[twinegardening]

(not so) strangers in the night, by manonamora

Zach and Irene decide to play a little game tonight. What could go wrong with pretending to be strangers… ? This short interactive fiction piece was created for the SeedComp!, ShuffleComp and the Zach Jam. Made in Twine/Harlowe. It was inspired by the song Lola + Joseph by July Talk (YouTube). It also used in parts the following seeds: 100 photographs by BenyDanette, 1 link = 1 viewpoint change by CrocMiam, and 60 Pieces of Architecture. by MartynJBull. It has a character named Zach.

[manonamora-if-reviews]

dusting off here...

Hi!

It's been a while since I've posted in here. I've played and reviewed games since, but forgot to transfer them here - you can read them on the IFDB tho.

So I'm going to do the other way around - post reviews here first! And do a little more gushing about IF games in general (already queued!).

Anyways, I'm going to play this year's Neo-Twiny entries :) There are still 10 days to submit something (and you really should!), but I thought I'd get it started anyway!

See you in the next posts!

[iamthesloth]

First game/Primer juego

English

Yep, I publish my first little interactive fiction piece. Fantasy, and with a lighter tone compared to my usual style.

Available in English and Spanish :D

Español

Yep, justo ahora publico mi pequeña pieza de ficción interactiva. Fantasía, y con un tono más ligero comparado a mi estilo usual

Disponible en inglés y español :D

Link: Phoenix by A. Villarroel (itch.io)

[townofcrosshollow]

YES

OR

NO

?????

NO!!!!!!!

[signalhill-if]

You know what... Yvette would hella rock a dress with pockets!

Pockets are for people who "need" to "carry" "objects"... Yvette has people for that 😌

[bottlecaprabbitgames]

don't forget to actually submit your NTJ entry to the jam page ;)

thank you!! just got it subbed!

[interact-if]

Any completed IFs on Itch.io? Any genre

There are many!! Crowdsourcing recommendations for this anon.

Butterfly Soup is one of my all time faves and @manonamora-if and @lapinlunaire-games has some too.

[neointeractives]

Single Choice Jam starts today!

Come restrict player's choices with us :)

We will track entries on Tumblr with the #singlechoicejam, but you can also tag @neointeractives!

Join the Neo-Interactive Discord

[allieebobo]

Do you have any if recommendation?

Ooh! I have really, really bad memory(!!) but these are current faves that I have played/replayed recently that I can think of. A lot of the authors are also THE BEST HUMAN BEINGS EVER. So, double recommendation.

I probably missed a bunch out, so take this as a non-exhaustive list! In no particular order:

(Edit: Added some descriptions but yeah I got a little unhinged so I'm sorry nothing makes sense or if the quality of the write-up went down over time/did not actually give you any useful info)

WIPs with demos

Citadel, @bouncyballcitadel (I think of all the IFs on this list, this one makes me sweat the most. And I've said it once and I'll say it again: the dialogue is so snappy and well-written, and characters are SO DAMNED LOVEABLE.)

Infamous, @infamous-if (I've been manifesting Band/Musician IFs for the longest time, and then this popped up! I've even played Choice of a Rockstar, that's how desperate I was... Anyway, this is legions better than that. Angsty ex routes are my kryptonite, and Seven is just. Inevitable.)

Defiled Hearts: The Barbarian, @defiledheartsblog (I went into this wanting something juicy and fun/historical—and it's all of those things, but I didn't expect it to be so damned funny, too. The ROs are all impeccable.)

Raiders of the Caravan and Apartment 3-3, @leftski-if (A'ight listen, fantasy slice-of-life is my fave genre, and these are IT. Like, everything I never knew I needed in my life, and SO cozy/wholesome, with a cast of characters that I want to befriend in real life.)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: An Affair of the Heart @doriana-gray-games (First off, the customization in this game is INSANE, and the branching too. I've replayed a couple of times and the little variations I discover each time just blows my mind. Secondly, it's so funny and written so well. Ngl I'm not a Sherlock fan but that's just testament to how amazing this IF is.)

When Life Gives You Lemons, @when-life-gives-you-lemonssss (Modern slice-of-life with an adorable kid, a bunch of hot ROs, CC. Hill's humor, what can I say?)

Golden @milaswriting (Really interesting world-building, one of the coolest fictional cities I've read in an IF, AND I'm obsessed with the ROs, in particular K de la Renta. Also Mila is such an awesome writer, I'm beyond excited for @beyondthegame.)

A Tale of Crowns @ataleofcrowns (This game is beautiful, polished, and SO exciting. Honestly, it looks like the kind of game created by a whole-ass game studio and would cost $50 to buy, it's that good. I really got swept up by this IF—probably played it all in one go.)

Rougi @rougi-if (Again, another game with scrumptious visuals/UI and also is just so well-crafted. I love the premise too, it's so original and fresh.)

Scout: An Apocalypse Story @anya-dev (Unfortunately this one might be on hiatus but I am/was really, really obsessed.)

Wayfarer @idrellegames (Love the game mechanics of this one, and the visuals. Probably controversial, but I like the D&D / random dice effect. And I also like the fact that it feels like an old-school RPG.)

Chop shop @losergames (The premise is all I needed to be sold, really—I'd always wanted to buy GTA as a kid but my parents were like NO WAY. Anyway, this IF did not disappoint, and let me live all my childhood dreams.)

Edit: AHH! How could I forget, one of my recent faves, Folksaga @folksaga-if (Lush atmospheric writing, super unique premise—norse mythology, plus I'm head over heels for Katla).

Completed IFs

Butterfly Soup 1 and 2 @brianna-lei (these are completed and I will never not promote them. Honestly the most adorable, wholesome, funny sports/coming-of-age IF I've read)

Elsinore: After Hamlet @lapinlunairegames (Insanely cool premise, insanely cool execution)

The Thick Table Tavern @manonamora-if (I love bar/tavern games, and this one actually lets you mix drinks! Instant fave.)

Other HGs/COGs I love: Slammed, Tin Star, Fallen Hero, If it pleases the court, A Player's Heart (these last two are so underrated, though I guess cause it's mainly wlw)

[the-rosebush-mag]

Interview with SV Linwood

by Manonamora

Manon (@manonamora-if) interviews SV Linwood, an interactive fiction author known for their award winning games: A Long Way to the Nearest Star, Dr Ludwig and the Devil, and most recently, winning Best in Show at the SpringThing, Cut the Sky.

Read the full article on The Rosebush.

The Rosebush | Submissions | Mastodon

[twinegardening]

Teatime with a Vampire, by manonamora

Eir life is slipping away. Ey is forever stuck on this couch, flipping through the channels. But Alex's life will never be the same after tonight. A chance encounter, or a surreal experience, will push em to have tea with a particular vampire… Or will ey? Teatime with a Vampire is a semi-horror semi-surreal interactive story made in Twine. It was made for the Queer Vampire Jam and Smoochie Jam.

[fir-fireweed]

hihi !! i'm a young person EXTREMELY interested in writing and coding my own interactive novel, and i just had a few questions if that's okay !!!!

i replayed cantata for the fourth time today (i'm very much addicted), and i was wondering what software you used to code it? i really like the layout of it and how easy it is to understand, which is a feature i'd very much like to replicate !!

thank you so much for the hard work you put into cantata ᥫ᭡ it was one of the very first interactive novels i read, and it really inspired my love for this genre of games !! again, thank you for being you, and i'm super duper excited to see where chapter three leads me !! ᥫ᭡

also, thank you for taking the time to read this ask, even if you don't have the time to respond to it. if you have any tips or tricks you would like to share, i'm all ears, and again, THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!!

Hello! Welcome to the world of writing and coding! I’m relatively new here myself. 😁

I use a program called Twine. Within Twine are different story formats. Cantata was built in Twine Sugarcube, while my other story Viatica was built in Twine Chapbook. Sugarcube has a bit of a steep learning curve if you’ve never coded before, but the good thing is there are a ton of resources out there to help. I’d also recommend starting with a pre-built template. Being able to dive into and deconstruct the code in a template has helped me to understand it better.

I used a template by Vahnya for Cantata which can be found here.

This template by albie for building character pages was also extremely helpful. They also include a pdf of instructions to walk you through it.

If you’re new to Twine Sugarcube, I’d recommend this guide by manonamora. I’ve found it very helpful.

As far as tips or tricks, I’d recommend starting small and knowing your limits and constraints. I’ve seen so many grand ideas for epic, multi-book IFs; and while the premise is exciting, the reality is most will never be finished due to the sheer scope of work involved. I’m a big proponent of baby steps and project planning. 😁

My first story, Viatica, was adapted from an existing novella I wrote years ago. It was easier to adapt that then create a new story when I didn’t know the first thing about coding and branching. But now that I do, I feel much more confident in writing Cantata. And I feel it’s a much more polished and better crafted story because of that.

Be kind to yourself, have patience, and above all, enjoy the writing process! If you have any other questions, please don’t be afraid to ask. I’m honored that my story inspired you and I’m very happy you reached out! 🫶🏻 Good luck!

[ataleofcrowns]

hi i'm so sorry but if you feel like it could you help explain how to create a codex page in twine... i've just started figuring out twine and i'm extremely lost

There may be easier ways to do this, so mind you that I can only explain to you how I did it way back when I first made AToC. I'll start from the beginning, since I'm not sure how much you have or haven't figured out yet. I'm also not especially adept with coding, I just know enough basics to help me along!

Mind you these are instructions for Sugarcube, I don't know anything about Harlowe. You will need to know how <<if>> macros, variables and links work in order to understand this explanation.

First, if you want your codex links to show up in your sidebar, you need to create a passage called StoryMenu, which is where you can drop the links to your codex passages.

Further, if you only want the links to show up after the player has reached a certain point in the story, the easiest way I figured out how to do it is to create a variable.

Let's say, you only want your Character Codex to unlock after a player has reached a certain passage in the main story, then you should create a variable for it (e.g. $charcodex). At the passage where you want the codex to unlock, simply set $charcodex to true, and in your StoryMenu passage, qualify the link to the Character Codex with a simple <<if>> macro.

This is an example of what the StoryMenu of a very early build of AToC looked like:

Very basic! For AToC's current build, it looks a lot more complicated as I'm using a template with additional CSS code for formatting. I'm sure there's other ways to do it as well, but I'm not particularly adept with code so this is what worked easiest for me.

So, you've created your Character Codex, and it shows up in your StoryMenu, what now? Simple: just link to individual passages in your Character Codex however you want to format it. Like so:

There's a whole host of ways to format individual codex pages depending on your needs, like images or basic CSS code, but I won't get into that right now, you should be able to find tutorials for that!

Another important note: make sure to include the following code to your Javacript section, under the "Story" tab of the menu in Twine. It prevents players from getting caught in a loop of passages while they're going through the codex pages and the main story:

// MAKING SURE RETURN TO GAME LINKS DON'T CREATE A LOOP $(document).on(":passagestart", function() { if (!tags().includes("noreturn")) { /* If it doesn't, then set $return to the current passage name. */ State.variables.return = passage(); } });

This code requires you to tag any codex passages, both menus and individual ones, with "noreturn", like this:

Hope that explanation helped you!!

But, as I said, I'm not particularly skilled with coding. For future reference, if you need more coding resources, I would recommend checking out @/nyehilismwriting, @/idrellegames, and @/manonamora-if who have all set up extensive masterlists for coding resources or have answered questions from others that may be useful to you!

[townofcrosshollow]

belated early birthday wishes, Jasper! Here's to another year of cool stuff happening for you <3

Thank you so much, Manon! Let's hope, haha 😌

[loveafterdeath-if]

Heyy dear authoor, I dont know if you are taking question on these but I wanted to ask you about twine and coding. I’ve been interested in writing my own IF but vscode and twee and everything i’ve been reading so far got me super overwhelmed and I tried vscode and everything went red and error with templates I tried to use 😭 I was wondering what is your flow of coding the LAD and how did you started. How is story folders works, how do you structure the files and compile them

Anon... I'm shit at this but I'll try to help as much as I can.

Tbh, I touched a bit of everything before publishing anything. Idk how many games I started on renpy only to abandoned them because I was too lazy to continue and because I dunno how to draw and because I didn't know how to code it in a text only thing. Idk how many IF I started and are still gathering dust in my files and waiting to be rewritten properly, because I wanted to use choicescript at first but didn't understand a single thing lmaooo

I think templates are the most useful for a first IF, especially if you dunno anything about coding etc. I struggled a bit with mine at first (still am sometimes).

You also have to be sure to check if the template was updated for the latest version of twine and if you use the same story formats (SugarCube, Harlowe and... I don't remember the others). Make sure to check in the comments of the template you got too, sometimes some have answers to your potential questions.

My coding flow is a mess so anything I say will probably not help you. I knew some stuff before starting thanks to many attempt at publishing IF, even though I never published any until LAD. We're talking about maybe 2 years of attempts. So in the meantime during those attempts, I've watched some tutorials on ytb for exact stuff I needed, searched on google, on tumblr too (btw check @uroboros-if account, they have a lot of helpful stuff, that's where I found out how to deal with the pronouns, etc. and there's also @outoftheblue-if who knows much more than me (and I used one of their(?) templates! And @manonamora-if definitely will help you better if you got any question about twine!)

I think you should ask or search for the exact things you need. I did that most of the time and gathered it all somewhere in my files. Like, if you wanna know about how to code cycle choices, or how to deal with the pronouns of your ROs, or that kind of thing.

I doubt I've been helpful, but do feel free to head to my discord if you have more question about stuff!