#coding Twine Ifs

[thesovereignsring-if]

Hello! Your IF story inspired me to start my own IF game

Im thinking of using twine

And I would like to ask you if you had any tips or advice

Thank you!

Also side note I’m really excited and very interested in how this story is going to play out I already love the cast and can’t wait to see the rest!

OOoo thank you so much! I'm very flattered the game inspired you!

Twine has many different story formats, each with their own pros and cons. I personally use Sugarcube (I think next to Harlow, it is the most popular) so all my tips will be for Twine Sugarcube:

Basic tips:

Bookmark the Sugarcube V2 Document. This is your bible. It will have everything you need to use Twine. It's a daunting read, but I use it to troubleshoot when I forget how Macros work. I always have tab open for it.

Download a Twine Template. If you are brand new to Twine and making IFs, I heavily suggest downloading a template or two. Most of them come with tutorials and examples on how they work. Sometimes they even provide more helpful resources on Twine. I use Vahnya's Template II that I modified myself afterwards.

Study from pre-exisiting Twine IFs. Might be controversial, but I personally believe that diving in and seeing how other authors code and structure their stories helps a lot. Eventually you'll figure out a system and structure that works for you. It might not work for all games, but most Twine games can be downloaded and opened up in the twine editior. If you're worried about spoilers or upsetting people, feel free to download my game and see whats inside. I make multiple copies of the game, so any build I have out in the public is not the original build and therefore have no spoilers. I know it will look insane when you open it, but there's a method to the madness.

Writing and Planning:

Making an IF is no joke! Plan your story out, know your big variables, your branching routes and at least some part of your ending!! Try to stay as organized as possible. These projects and can will spiral out of control if you're not careful. I suggest having a giant excel sheet with tabs for important variables, chapter/scene breakdowns, wordcount and characters ect. Updating it will be a pain (that I am guilty of not doing) but will make developing easier. Even if you don't make a big project, its still good practise to do it.

#Stylesheet:

All the code in here relates to how the game looks. You can fiddle in there to configure the game to look how you want it to look. If you even want to see what element is tied to what ID code, the best thing to do is playtest the game (build >> play) and then leftclick and select "inspect element" you browser will open up the developer window and you see what elements are tied to what and even play around with the contents to test out CSS elements you like.

This website is a great resource on using CSS and other coding language. I personally used it many time to modify my game.

Helpful resources and Macros:

Chapel has made a LOT of custom macros that you can add to your game. You can find the list here.

But the most important one is the Pronoun Template. It might be confusing at first but one you understand how it work, its a great tool to have. You can even add gendered titles so that they work with the pronoun template.

Idrellegame is a great resource on coding in Twine. You can find the list here. It helped me out when starting out.

Exporting to Itch:

I never see people talk about Butler when it comes to uploading If games onto itch.io, so i'm doing it now.

What is Butler? Its a command-line tool that Itch made to upload your game onto Itch.io quickly and reliably.

The documentation is here. And I suggest coping and pasting the export codes onto a doc so you can use them for every update afterwards.

Here is a youtube tutorial you can follow along as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JCJa5iWREM

I personally have the Butler on the Itchio.app so that's its always up to date.

Thats all I can offer off the top of my head, if you or anyone wants some help on something specifically, feel free to DM me or drop another ask in the inbox. Always happy to help. Working in twine is very overwhelming for newcomers.

[when-life-gives-you-lemons-if]

I'm thinking of starting my own IF but I don't know where to start. How are you able to write multiple IFs together and do you have any tips for first timers like me?

Hey, that's great! 💕

We definitely need more stories in the IF community. A few quick tips I can offer...

Start slow. Don't overwhelm yourself. Just write a scene—maybe a small interaction with an NPC or RO—and see how it feels. Do you like it? Does it work?

Consider gender-locking at first. It helps you focus on story and interaction without needing to code different pronoun or dynamic responses right away. You can always expand later.

Write the story you'd want to read. I only write stuff I want to see my MC in. That way, I want to keep writing because I want to know how the story ends.

Choicescript takes a little getting used to. But once it clicks, you'll be fine. Here are some links for beginners: Link.

For Twine Here

If you're curious how I ended up with so many WIPs, I actually talked about that here in this interview.

Good luck with your writing! Just try not to stress about it too much.

[wings-of-ink]

Checking in - Author Updates - Quick Poll

Hello all! I hope you are all doing well!

I wanted to check-in. I don't have a ton to say on development, just wanted to keep you in the loop on where I am at personally since it tends to affect production speed. I also have a question for you at the bottom.

As I've posted about before, this year has brought about some challenges for me. There aren't a ton of good developments on that front, and my job is being...difficult. The (technical) good news is that I am still employed, but some days I wish I weren't. (I'd much rather be writing IFs, lol.) There is still uncertainty about the future of my job because it is at the mercy of the whims of my government. But what is more pressing currently is that my employer has opted to treat its employees worse (let me tell you, this is a feat because they've never really treated us well), by making our lives and jobs harder. I've made some "worst-case scenario" plans to prepare, so I'm just getting by one day at a time. Oh...and I also have needed to work overtime again, so that's another time suck there. Ugh. In May, I'm taking a couple days of off for me to rest.

In more recent news, I am doing physical therapy...yippy! In recent months I have struggled with my right shoulder. I assumed it was one of those "you're in your late 30s" pains, and I just dealt with it. Don't do that, by the way. I have a very bad habit of just doing with little regard for pain and discomfort. But, it got difficult to hug without pain, and nothing messes with my huggin'. We really don't know what is wrong with my shoulder/arm, but I'm doing virtual (oooh shiny) PT (not the Silent Hill variety) to hopefully correct the issue. If I don't see results, I will need expensive tests and scans. No worries currently, though, I don't think this will slow me down much at all. I can still write and I don't experience any discomfort when I do.

I'm also still working on a coding class, which is self-paced, but I'm sticking to a lesson schedule to make sure I get it done. I would really love to be able to make improvements of my own to GC or even make my own Twine Template someday.

So, in more fun development news, Chapter 6 is growing steadily. And so is Chapter 5, technically. If you missed it, check out this Tumblr ask where I talk a bit about that. The ask and answer contain some slight spoilers for Ch 5 & 6, but nothing too specific.

Chapter 5 is up by a bit over 1500 words, if you're curious, and Chapter 6 is up to over 69k words. I am wrapping up a big moment for Zahn, which might be a bit heavy. After that, there's a more fun moment, which will present a few coding challenges for me, but I'm looking forward to it. *rubs hands together like housefly*

Finally, I have a question for subscribers or those who may want to sub in the future. I find myself wondering what else to post about at times. Especially when I have inordinately busy weeks, I just can't think of things that you may want to see other than peeks at the chapter. I sincerely wish I had more time to add more projects. I have so many ideas kicking around in my head...

So, I was wondering if you were interested in seeing things other than God-Cursed that I have worked on. These would be things that may or may not become much of anything later, so I wasn't sure if there would be much pull to see them (or if it would just be a cruel tease, lol). I have an incomplete IF that I did to help me learn Twine a couple of years ago. I used it to just get acquainted because I am very much a hands-on learner. It's a humorous and simple story (loosely) based on an actual time in my personal life. I have debated about finishing it. I have a couple of others as well where I was playing with a story idea to see how it felt. I also have a complete romance novel which I am slowly editing for publication.

Patreon, Ko-fi links if you want them.

So that's all for me. If anything big happens, I will let you know! ^_^

Take care, everyone!

~Lunan

[fir-fireweed]

Ok, I’ve delved into Twine Sugarcube a little and I’ve had some revelations I feel the need to share.

1. Sugarcube is the devil. I mean that in the nicest way possible. I thought I was coding before… nope! I’m going to learn it anyway because the breadth of stuff I can do is amazing and worth it, but holy hells is this hard. Which leads me to number 2…

2. My fellow IF authors who use Sugarcube, you are now like gods to me. Massive respect for you. 👊 Seriously, the time and effort it takes to create a story in this, and to do it so seamlessly as many of you do, is mind boggling.

3. I don’t feel I’ve given enough credit to Chapbook. You’ve seen me talk about the lack of a save system. But for a shorter story like Viatica (currently at 155k words with Rebellion ending and coding) I don’t feel it’s a massive deal breaker. It also has no easy way to display stats or inventory or a codex. I had to jerry rig my own stats passage.

But what it does well, it does exceptionally well. Chapbook is a complete out-of-the-box format and requires no previous CSS or HTML experience. It automatically formats everything for you, headers, footers, the adaptability to be read on any device, it’s all there. There is no style sheet to create, no Java script. The biggest challenge is coding choices and variables, but even then Chapbook comes with an easy to read guide that spells out everything you can possibly need. I would also be happy to answer questions or share screenshots of what I’ve done. If you’ve been wanting to try your hand at IFs but the idea of coding is daunting, you can use Chapbook. If you want to focus on the writing, your craft, and don’t have the time or inclination to heavily code, you can use Chapbook. If you’ve never coded a damn thing in your life and think CSS stands for “can’t style shit”, YOU CAN USE CHAPBOOK!

In conclusion, Sugarcube is evil incarnate, but I’m going to learn it anyway. Hail, Satan. Chapbook is mercy incarnate. Thank you, my lord and savior. And if you’re a newcomer and on the fence at all, I encourage you to give Chapbook a try. Say it with me… you can do it. 🤗

[cretaceous-if]

“WELCOME TO CRETACEOUS ISLAND.”

DEMO: TBA

NOTE: While I am training as a palaeontologist, I do not claim to be an expert. Therefore, although I will be conducting research into portraying more accurate dinosaurs, there will be possibly be discrepancies or inaccuracies either due to my own research or the lack of (accurate) data available.

-> SYNOPSIS <-

Cretaceous Island is based on the Jurassic Park/World franchise. You will step into the role of the head T-Rex keeper.

You’ve been working as a T-Rex keeper for over ten years now and every day is as interesting as the last.

Unfortunately, not even looking after some of the deadliest creatures in the world was enough to prepare you for the carnage that was about to unfold.

When the system goes down and the dinosaurs escape with evacuation impossible, it’s up to you and a ragtag team to restore order and protect both man and dinosaur.

-> ROMANTIC OPTIONS <-

GRAY/GRACE COLLINS [M/F] - Your big boss is cool, calm, and ruthless. It is well known that they’re not someone to cross, however, they seem have a soft spot for you which some might consider strange considering they also happen to be your ex-fiancé(e). [Poly with Nikolaj available].

LEE MIN-SUN [M/F/NB] - As Operations Manager of the Island, Lee is no-nonsense, grumpy, and has no real time for the corporate side of things that xe’s forced to deal with, but xe has a heart of gold under all the bluster and would do anything to protect those that xe cares for. [Poly with Aija available].

NIKOLAJ OLESEN [M] - He’s your best friend and the embodiment of the term ‘golden retriever energy’. He’s also the head raptor keeper. You’re not entirely sure how those two things go together, but it seems that you’re about to find out. [Poly with Gray/Grace available].

CIERRA DE LA ROSA [F] - A tourist that is vacationing on the island for the third time. You’ve met her a handful of times during those visits, but you haven’t found out much about her beyond her name and the fact that she’s one of the most beautiful women you’ve ever seen.

AIJA MISHRA [NB] - Highly intelligent and more at home among computers than people, Aija is a techie who works in the control room. They’re one of the friendliest and sassiest people you’ve ever met, but, in a crisis, there’s no one you’d rather have on your side. [Poly with Lee available].

-> FEATURES <-

Customise your mc (gender, pronouns, appearance, personality, etc).

Five romance options to fall in love with and two poly options.

Story-driven IF coded using Twine.

Interact with staff, guests, and most importantly, dinosaurs as you look after the T-Rexes and attempt to deal with the biggest crisis the park has ever dealt with and try not to get eaten in the process.

Cuddle with some baby dinosaurs.

-> STATS <-

Personality stats are pretty similar to most other IFs. They will include kind/grumpy, bold/shy, reckless/cautious, genuine/sarcastic, reserved/energetic, and friendly/stern. If you have any suggestions, feel free to lmk.

Skill stats will include intelligence, charisma, marksmanship, agility, and science and technology,

-> WARNINGS <-

This is an 18+ wip due to blood and gore, character and animal deaths, explicit sex (optional), explicit language, medical procedures, violence and injury, and potentially body horror.

[hpowellsmith]

I'm actually someone who looks at word counts when it comes to PURCHASING IFs!

So I can explain my thought process!

First of, the "purchasing" is a bit caveat here. I'm stingy, and I look at word count VS price as a factor when buying. If I see a 200k word story at the same price as a 700 word one for example, I will be wary of what it entails.

There's also the fact I always liked longer stories as a rule of thumb. A 13 episodes show? I will watch it if I'm REALLY into the pitch or if I know other seasons are in the making. A 50 episodes show? As long as it seems like my kind of story, I will watch it because I know I'm in for a long adventure and that I'll have time to truly grow attached to the characters. That's cause I know myself, and I'm always left frustrated if a work of fiction is too short.

So when I say I usually "ignore" stories that are less than 100k words it's because chances are pretty low for it to hit the spot since: a) no matter how optimized the code may be, that IS quite short as a wordcount. b) if it isn't very short, it means it has very little branching, and I usually prefer IF with more branching to begin with.

But back at the caveat. This is still because when I pay for something, I don't want to be disappointed. If it's a free story, I won't look at the wordcount because "even if I'm disappointed, I didn't loose anything by playing it". If it's not free, then the pitch has to really catch my eye to buy it. So really, it's a matter of money more than anything else.

Now, there's the fact this is mostly about choicescript based games, and I'm very used to the code of these. So if I'm hesitant, I may code-dive the demo to check the appeareance of the code and know if it's optimized or not. Seeing the way a game is coded gives me a clearer idea of what the word count may equate to and so, to the "true length" of the story.

Now, another caveat is access to the WIP!

When I follow the story update by update, making it episodic, it feels longer, especially if the author answers character asks, posts extra content and stuff. Because that sort of "adds content" to the story. In these instances, even a 70k words story feels (and technically IS) longer, thanks to the extra stuff. But if I just find a completed game on Steam well... I don't have all of that. So usually, if I follow a WIP from start to finish, I actually tend to purchase the game no matter what, even if I'm not planning on replaying it soon. Unless I really disliked it, but as long as it didn't come crashing down at the ending, there is no reason for that if I actually followed it for so long.

That doesn't mean I never purchase shorter IFs, word count wise. But for me to do so, like mentionned above, I have to REALLY love the pitch. It's especially true since I play a LOT of IFs. And I really mean a LOT. Both choicescript and twine based ones. I just have to be selective in one way or another if I don't want to lack time for anything else in my life or spend too much money on it, and word count is a factor like any other. If I know I prefer longer stories as a rule of thumb, then best to give precedence to 500k+ words IF rather than ones around 100k words which are bound to be shorter even if more optimized code wise. At least when money is a factor, of course.

Ultimately, considering I do it myself (and considering my reasons) I can't imagine not doing so, I think being mindful of word count is just something influenced by how each person's brain is wired, and both doing so and not are valid ways of thinking. At the end of the day, I prefer to support an author I know and love on patreon than spending the same money on multiple stories that are too short for what my tastes usually are. I will never actually ignore an IF with an interesting pitch (despite the phrasing I sometimes use), but I will be WAY more careful about purchasing a shorter one.

(sorry for taking so long to post this, it's from nearly five months ago when I was asking people about how game wordcount factors into whether they play/buy!)

That makes a ton of sense, thank you for sharing!

I hadn't actually thought about the fact that most people play WIPs chapter-by-chapter (or in whatever kind of small chunks) over a long period of time, so that may contribute to when someone says a completed game feels "rushed" - it's the same amount of time, but the former is spread over way longer so it'll feel like a longer game.

[endemise]

long ramble, progress update, & potential release timeframe below:

hii! i got a lot of coding done and i think im finally satisfied with how the game looks (for now…)

here are some screenshots of what some of it will look like on mobile!

the friendship and romance levels shown in the relationship menu are just random as is the blurb for Aesop’s thoughts, they’re just for the example! (also characters thoughts are hidden by default, you click to reveal, then hide, them)

the stat bars were giving me hell but i finally figured them out with the the help of some forums and tumblr posts

i liked how in when twilight strikes by evertidings, the menu buttons (i.e. profile, stats, relationships) are listed at the top of the page so i took inspiration from that! and the many IFs that have a splash (?) screen at the beginning with the title

compared to when i started using twine (i think august 2023 was the first time i gave it a try), i’ve learned so much and there’s still so much to learn as well, i think coding has become my favorite part (making things looks pretty hehe)(with the help of amazing templates & ppl smarter than me, they do the heavy lifting fr)

with all the coding done (appearance wise) it’s lock in time for the revised prologue and chapter 1

the prologue has undergone a fair bit of change with the help of feedback & i’ve (hopefully) better established the setting and story.

some things that have changed besides wording and sentence structure, etc.: being able to choose what you did as a job (ex. working at the family inn) and meeting a new character (more like an old friend?)(no spoilers:))

some things i’ve been considering (SLIGHT SPOILER FOR CH.1 MAYBE): merging the revised prologue and chapter 1 into just the prologue bc chapter 1 differs a bit from the other chapters, but then the prologue would maybe be too strange timeframe wise? it’s a time skip after the events of the prologue (is that considered a spoiler, i don’t think so but???) that connects to the next chapters so maybe it’d just be better as its own chapter? or dropping the revised prologue by itself along with the updated ui/appearance then chapter 1 sometime after, or dropping the revised prologue and chapter 1 together, idk these are all just ideas i’ve been thinking about maybe i’ll do a poll

if you have anything you’d like to see, for example a specific job your MC worked, certain personality traits, or something like that, feel free to let me know & i’ll take them into consideration! i think now is the best time to add things bc it’s early development days & it’ll be easier to do so now than later

i’ve also decided to lean a little more into the supernatural aspect which i’m excited for (one specific thing really, i can’t wait to get to it🤭) the story’s world itself is fairly grounded in reality (as in the supernatural is unknown to most) but i’m looking forward to exploring it more

what you’re probably reading this for: depending on how i end up going about the prologue-chapter 1 merge decision & whether anything is added from requests/feedback, i’m aiming for a june release, july at the latest (fingers crossed). now that the appearance and function coding is complete (besides stat/choice tracking & other story related things), finishing the writing and coding it in is all that’s left

my schedule has done a 180 & some things are less than ideal at moment but it should all (hopefully) go smoothly from here! should anything change, i’ll let you all know

anyways, that’s all i have to say for now! ty for being patient & for reading this mess, i appreciate you all :)

[witchblood-if]

Small Update (and sad news?)

My loveliest lovelies!

First I want to adress the most important news that has already been spreading on Tumblr for the last couple of days:

The shutdown of beloved dashingdon.com

There's been a kind soul or two in my inbox that has informed me of these circumstances, as well as pretty much any IF-blog on here.

I always kind of assumed that would happen, as the alternative site cogdemos.ink has been around longer than I've been working with IFs and I had read about it as dashingdons successor when I first started looking into having a possible game hosted. I've seen people on here being shocked and sad (and weirdly the-end-is-near-y) about it all and I get it. But these things happen frequently as time goes on. In any case I thought the guy on who's shoulders the weight of the whole ChoiceScript-community rests (namely Don) is also hosting this new site.

So, what we'll do is: I upload the game on CogDemos andd change the link on both intro and announcement post (and it absolutely doesn't have anything to do with the fact that I lost the password to my dashingdon account, nuh-nuh, no Sir). I fact, I have already done it (and here's to hoping it works, please report back if anything doesn't work)

With this I will also upload the bits and pieces of the first chapter that have been sitting on my computer since forever, so... New content, yay! (It's not entirely edited though, so a couple of errors in wording and spelling should persist)

I will also use this opportunity and announce the sad news of putting Witch Blood on hiatus for the time being.

Over time I realized that I pretty much bit off more than I could chew, with it being my first actual writing experience. And it's been a lot of fun to learn! But as I've been working more and more on my first fanfiction over the past year I noticed how my approach for Witch Blood was certainly organized in a way but not enough or at least not in a way that works for me. Additionally creating a whole new world is more complicated than I thought because it makes you question everything. I tell myself that I don't have to have all bits and pieces sketched out and logically working, the only thing that matters is what ultimately takes place in the story anyhow. Whatever happens outside of it could be causing more problems than it solves (and God knows I don't want to turn into She-who-must-not-be-named and her whole "I've had this all planned out since the beginning and I am certainly not making this up on the spot because someone asked"-shtick).

But! I am not giving up. I personally still like a lot of things I've come up with. Just the way of going at it isn't working and at this point a re-write is unavoidable.

In other news I recently had a look into Twine, mainly because in a video I saw how great it is to visually represent non-linear storytelling, and it would work really well as just a visual (which I've been looking for since forever) but why not use it for coding as well? There's a couple of helpful things guiding you in contrast to having to do everything from scratch with Choice-Script. I don't think I will be doing any crazy visual effects, since I like the simplicity of CS a lot, but Twine would be interesting to use anyhow.

So, with this absolute monster of a post I also want to thank each and every one of you, who have still stuck around even though there was so much silence on my end! Special shout-out to the lovely Anon asking me if I am okay some time ago!

My inbox will remain open though!

And now, as always

Hugs and kisses

Carter

[redo-rewind-if]

Hi, I wonder how are you creating your wip? Do you write it in google docs and then code it in Twine? I'm starting making my own and I'm looking for some technical tips

Hi! Thanks so much for the ask! It's always good to see new authors starting their own IFs. This might be a bit long so I'll put everything under a read more for those of you who aren't interested.

For me personally, I write in LibreOffice, which is a free alternative to Microsoft Office/Word. But, you can definitely use Google Docs or whatever other writing program you prefer!

As for coding, you can just code in Twine, but I like to code some as I write so I don't forget when to set certain variables. If you don't want to code anything in your draft, then I'd recommend at least leaving yourself reminders at places you'd like to add variables or when you want to have skill checks or anything else of the sort.

I should mention that a lot of people dislike coding in Twine, the code isn't set apart from the text visually and can be confusing for some, so if that's the case for you, I'd recommend checking out something like Notepad++ for coding and then copy and pasting everything into Twine once you're done.

If you do use Notepad++, and you're also using SugarCube, I'd highly recommend downloading and using this to add SugarCube as a custom language to the program so your code is easier to read. (You'll be able to select it as the coding language in Notepad++ after downloading and following the directions, though you may need to exit and restart the program before it shows up in the language list).

Some other great resources I use: The Twine Cookbook (of course), SugarCube Documentation or Harlowe (if you prefer), some templates (including the one I use!) [1] [2] [3], and w3schools tutorials for basics in CSS and JavaScript (assuming you don't know how to code in them already, if you do, that's great!)

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask! I'm no coding expert but I have taken a few classes on Web Dev stuff in college so I know a thing or two.

Best of luck to you on your project anon!😊

[ataleofcrowns]

Hi so sorry to bother you but I want to learn how to make IFs, so I've been using twine and trying to learn how to use sugarcube but like how 😭😭😭

Babes I am so embarassed I'm literally studying computer science oh my god. Like in theory I know that programming languages are different but this is the first time java vs javascript is really hitting,,,,

Do you have links to any resources you used to learn? Like how you randomized variables (for the 'i'm into both men and women' option's gender setting) and how to do the pronoun thing properly, and stuff like the codex, plus if you can how you customized that sidebar

Thank you and I'm sorry to bother you!!

No worries at all!! Here's a masterlist of Twine resources you can use for the things you mentioned and more. It includes tutorials for beginners, including multiple different ways on how to code pronouns, CSS customization and templates for your game, etc.

For the randomization of variables, the line of code you want is <<set $variable to either("option1", "option2", "option3", ...)>>

But for my purposes specifically, to maintain an even 2 male/2 female LI split, I had to use the code in a little more convoluted way since randomizing all the genders with that code could end up with an "uneven" balance (like 3 out of 4 LIs being randomized as female, or all LIs ending up as male).

If you want to do something similar with having a 2 male/2 female LI randomization, here's how I went about it, though I'm sure there's a much quicker way to do it. Mind you I was a total beginner when I wrote this haha:

Basically what this does is randomize R's gender and randomize X's gender first to either male or female with the first two lines. If R and X are both set as male or female, then A and D will both be set as the opposite. If R and X are set as different genders, however, then A's gender will be randomized next. Then, based on whether A is male or female, D's gender will be selected to complete the 2/2 split.

Hope this helps!!

[beastinthecave]

Just finished updating my WIP about superheroes and cosmic horror ^_^

The game currently contains the first Episode and the first Interlude.

While working on the game I shifted through the COG documentation, watched GDC talks on branching narratives, read postmortems and played a lot of IFs.

I haven't been able to apply everything I learned to the first chapter of my IF, but I'll keep them in mind for the next one :)

So here is what I learned:

-shocker, people play IFs for the choices (appearantly data shows that one choice or interaction every 250-500words is preferred)

-games which focus on story tend to do better

-major branching should be done towards the end of a game not the beginning

-scope creep is a thing

-false endings, dead ends and fail states should be avoided, since they make for an unsatisfying story

-most games which claim to be 100k words on their first chapter actually have way less if one excludes repeated passages. Often (but not always) it's just a sign of bad coding rather than actual content.

-the majority of WIPs would really benefit from being short focused stories instead of stretching out a 10k word plotline to be 100k

-the vast majority of people only play through an IF once, meaning that if one has to choose between focusing on a good story with flavor choices and extensive branching, the former is preferable. (Although this highly depends on the type of project you are making)

-worldbuilding is cool, but it should not hurt the story's pacing. If the plot stops and an NPC just lore dumps 20 pages of history, players tend to get mad

-most coding questions can be solved by reading the relevant documentation (sometimes you will find what you are searching for in HTML5 documentations/tutorials; not sugarcube/twine)

-new vegas style stat checks (stats unlock optional branches) instead of automatic failure and success based on a number seems to be better for telling a narrative

-aggressively merging branches is the way to go

Some of the stuff here are guidelines at best, but I think that I am still going to try to follow them as best as I can.

[lilac-den]

(I’m the anon who asked about nsfw explicit scenes and genitalia)

the whole cog not allowing nsfw scenes suprised me because there are plenty of IFs that have very vulgar and nsfw scenes (not sex or anything tho, they have fade to black), however I think that cog does have another site that is like hearts something that does allow those scenes buuuut I may also be wrong with that. (I’m not disappointed that there won’t be nsfw per say but i am thrilled that you will go in-depth with emotions and not just a fade to black) but if you really do want to add nsfw scenes you could always upload two IFs of the same if one with nsfw (to heart whatever the name was) and one without to cog. btw really looking forward to how your gonna add how we can react when meeting the dead ROs (when they basically surround us)

2. yea I get the whole not being sure on how to portray trans characters, totally understand I’m just a. But sad that A there is not a whole lot of trans characters as choices (like female, male or non binary or trans ROs) but nothing against you.

Long answer once again! Referring to this post!

Oh - they do allow nsfw scenes but nothing too explicit (At least, that's what I thought till I see comments in my previous ask mentioned up there ☝🏻) Of course there would be a fade to black option, but I'll try my best in giving both them and the detailed scenes its worth. (and if I really can be explicit with those NSFW scenes, I'm worried about how my smut writing is gonna look 🤣) And I believe you're talking about Heart's Choice - that's a branch of Choice of Games that sells romance-genre/focused games. I don't know if that allows only certified authors to apply though, but I would still pick to apply Hosted Games should the time to submit my WiP comes. And regarding uploading two IFs of the same if to CoG - I'm afraid that's not how it works in that company? I can't imagine them being pleased with posting the same IF twice. But regarding TSR: I don't have plans to submit it to HG because of how brutal the contents are. Maybe if I want to, I'll try Twine...But learning a whole new coding mechanic is difficult for me because I'm slow with learning stuff, so I'm still sticking with dashingdon for the time being. Thank you for giving me a mental workout tho! XD This is interesting to discuss and all.

Thank you for not holding it against me :D And honestly, it's slowly - but I'm seeing more IFs that are allowing trans-ROs and the like. You can try a WiP call Wolf Set Free (@wolfsetfree-if) - it's one of the WiPs I'm rooting for!

Again, thank you, anon, for the questions! :D

[rotting-ink]

I have a question that may seem out of nowhere but…seeing your work has me thinking of maybe making my own IF game one day, but I have zero clue on how to code or make the game. Are there any tools you’d suggest to help me learn? Thank you!

Immediately, get Twine! Ren.py is nice and all, but I love Twine. I can do so much and all without the ability to draw.

DO NOT ignore the free templates on Twine they offer. They offer some fun things to do with Stylesheet section that you can have a LOT of fun playing around with.

What I did to properly learn A LOT, is to download a twine game on itch, then import it to your own twine. I did this right at the start JUST to look over the coding they did. It was such a good way to see how your favourite authors and coders choose to do things. Like, it's literally how i Learned. Looking at all the things you could do to collect variable answers, like the cycle option as well as listbox. It makes for amazing reading and I still have my own notes for all the extras that were hard to find in the official twine cookbook (WHICH IS STILL A V GOOD RESOURCE) Also, genuinely, keep playing other IFs. You'll get inspired as you go. Even the Wayfinder author legit keeps a helpful guide on their page just from how fuckin insane their own game is!

OH! THE WAY TO LINK TO ANOTHER PASSAGE IS [[ ]]. ITS VERY OBVIOUS BUT I DIDNT FIND THIS OUT FOR A BIT TOO LONG AND I WAS CONFUSIONED FOR A DAY. then, so your players can read something other than the passage name you can add a | in the middle. So you can fully put [[You slowly continue down the hallway....|Hallway.StealTheirBallsPassage]]. I've done this so much just to make myself giggle.

Join the Twine discord. Those people are fucking legends. I prefer to use sugarcube, it's closer to what I learned in school, and I can just send in either something I'm having trouble with or something I want to do but don't know how, and they fully take time out of their day to help. Then ALSO, the twine reddit. I have gone there in times of need more often than I dare to voice.

Genuinely, the more you spend time coding, the easier it gets. I'M NOT KIDDING. It used to take me a lot longer than a day or two to fix up a demo, have a nice layout, plus audio, and a solid amount of choices built into the text, but these days, now that I'm used to all of it, it takes next to no time at all! It's downright fucking funny. ALSO YOU HAVE TO BE READY TO GET EXPERIMENTAL WITH IT! That's the best way to learn.

Invest in someone else to read and play through when you're getting up in the word count. YOU WILL MISS THINGS. Rotwood is literally 106883 Words and 346 Passages long now. Do you know how fucking bug riddled and messy my game would be if not for my beta testers? VERY.

Hope that's what you're been wanting to know. GO have fun!

[wings-of-ink]

Sorry to bother, as an IF author myself i was wondering if i could ask for some help. I am on the struggle bus trying to code in my gender selectable ROs and was wondering if you have any sources or tips on how to do so.

Sure thing, Anon, and no bother - I totally know how that feels. That was one of the biggest challenges I had since I was so fresh to using Twine. I understand it a lot more now though, but I think my way is probably more clunky than others out there, but I'll just break it down the best I can.

So, the way I have done it for Zahn is that in one passage I have my options for the gender listed that link to corresponding passages.

In each of those corresponding passages I set a variable for the gender. So: <<set $Zgen to 'male'>> Or <<set $Zgen to 'female'>> from these variables, you can set the pronouns and such.

Now, I used 3 passages, but I think you can do this two. Right after you have set the variable for the gender, under that, I think you could go ahead and set the pronouns. I was going to end up with 3 passages anyway, so I just did pronouns in the third and it looks like this:

I would put paste the text in, but Tumblr doesn't want me to, lol.

I put this list together with the help of some random forums that were a few years old, and then I ironed out the kinks (and typos) with a lot of trial and error. In future IFs, I may find a better way, but weirdly, you get used to typing out the variables after a while so I just stuck with this one.

Sadly, I can't find any of the posts or sites I used. This was really early in my learning and I didn't get all my sources saved at the time. I likely Googled something like "Twine Sugarcube how to set pronouns" and stumbled upon them. Sometimes you really have to dig to get solid answers.

I hope this answers your question, but feel free to drop another ask if you need more help. If you don't mind not being anonymous, you can send me a DM too if you need more guidance or don't understand what I've got cooking up there. ^_^

[fir-fireweed]

hi fir! i just want to say thank you for sharing your gorgeous works with the world, both viatica and cantana are so so pulling and inspirational! i've been wanting to make my own if since last year and never had the courage to do it because of the fear of coding but i'm going to push myself and dive into coding and try my hand at making an if of my own! thank you again fir!

Oh my goodness, you are so very welcome!! This is truly one of the best things I could ever hear! 🥹

You can do it! 💪🏻 For all its shortcomings, I think Twine Chapbook is a fantastic platform for anyone new to coding. It’s a complete, out of the box format that requires no previous html knowledge. Not to mention there’s a very extensive guide for it that is easy to understand.

BUT there’s a lot more you can do in Sugarcube if you’re feeling adventurous. It was a lot harder to wrap my head around, but there’s a lot of great resources out there. I have several linked on my itch creator page if you need.

This was truly the best compliment, thank you! Writing and sharing these IFs has brought me so much joy and introduced me to some amazing people. I wish you the best on your journey, and thank you again for your kind words!

[black-flag-if]

are u looking to switch? I like both but it depends on what ur trying or want to do with ur IF?

Just curious. I used choicescript before, so I'm familiar with it. It's easier to use, and I don't have to spend so much time coding and can simply focus more on the writing so just trying to see what people prefer more or have an easier time with when playing IFs before I venture into writing again and revising. I like the freedom in Twine, but I also like the easiness with Choicescript. Don't really care for the platform as I play stories on both but I'm thinking about maybe switching?