You can try submitting the file to markets like sub-Q or Strange Horizons. This will let you save anan HTML file which you can give to readers. To export your story, choose the Publish File option from the story menu (by clicking on the triangle at the bottom of the window). I used a jquery plugin to add a dial which readers could adjust. Twine also supports javascript, so if you’re familiar with that, you can incorporate javascript libraries for fancy effects.
When you have lots of code (as opposed to story text) it can create unwanted line breaks.
For testing you can specify the file’s full path, but remember to change it back before you do a final export.) (This means you won’t be able to see it when you’re playing through a test version. In this case the image file should be in the same directory as your exported file. If you want to change the story’s background color (keeping in mind that black text on a white background is hard to beat for readability) you can add CSS (using HTML RGB color codes) to the stylesheet. Clicking the triangle on the lower LHS of the window gives you a menu where you can choose Edit Story Stylesheet.Īdd the following lines to hide the undo/redo buttons.
To do this you need to edit the story’s stylesheet. I usually turn off the undo button (so readers can’t change their choice after they’ve made it). The words (text-color: “red”) are scrawled in blood on a reinforced ] door. You can also apply formatting information by wrapping items in single (as opposed to double) brackets. (if: (history:) contains “Jake’s Apartment”) You can do this by checking if history contains the passage’s name. Sometimes you want the text to be different depending on whether the reader has read that passage before. (set: $dogName to (prompt: “What is the name of your dog?”)) To get input from the reader you can use prompt If you want a variable to be text (rather than true/false or a number) then use quotation marks. To format it to match for plurals you can use I’ve only been shot ($frogleyShotCount) times. At the start of your story set the variable to its initial value.įrogley smiled.
Variables also help keep track of how many times Frogley has been shot. You can choose your own variable names, but names which explain what the variable refers to make things easier. “Please don’t show the photo to my wife,” the Commissioner begged. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you.” The Commissioner pointed a gun at Frogley. Then when Frogley visits the Commissioner, check whether this variable is true and put the matching text in brackets. In the passage where Frogley shows her the photograph you set a variable to true. The Commissioner will respond differently depending on whether Frogley has shown his wife the photograph. Twine’s variables let you show different text depending on the reader’s choices. You could link to a passage called Jack’s Apartment by using ->. For example, you don’t want to give away the results. Sometimes the text you want the reader to see differs from the name of the passage. To change where your story starts, select a passage and click the Rocket button. To step through your story, press the play button. Twine gives you a graphical depiction of how your passages are linked. “You’re out of your depth, Frogley,” the Commissioner shouted. The reader can choose to storming out of the commissioner’s office or try to blackmail him. The story opens with Frogley confronting the Jellyfish Commissioner. Let’s say you want to write a story about the adventures of Jack Frogley, Swamp Cop. You can also create a passage by clicking the green menu button. ] creates a link to a passage (which Twine automatically creates if a passage with that name doesn’t already exist). To create a link to another passage you enclose the text in double brackets. Twine is based around the idea of passages (similar to scenes in a story), which appear as boxes on the editor screen. Until you’re more familiar with Twine, I recommend sticking with the default format, Harlowe. The other confusing thing is there are different story formats and not only do they have different stylesheets, but they also have different syntax. Editor’s note: Aidan Doyle’s introduction to writing interactive stories can be found here.Īlthough creating interactive stories with Twine is generally easy, one of the confusing things is there are major differences between Twine 1 and Twine 2, and many tutorials still refer to version 1.