Writing Interactive Fiction with Twine

Writing Interactive Fiction with Twine: Play Inside a Story If you’ve ever dreamed about walking through the pages of a book, fighting dragons, or exploring planets then Twine is for you. This interactive fiction program enables you to create computer games where worlds are constructed out of words and simple scripts can allow the player to pick up or drop objects, use items collected in the game to solve puzzles, or track injury in battle by reducing hit points. If you’ve clicked your way through 80 Days, trekked through the underground Zork kingdom, or attempted to save an astronaut with Lifeline, you’re already familiar with interactive fiction. If not, get ready to have your imagination stretched as you learn how to direct a story path. The best part about interactive fiction stories is that they are simple to make and can serve as a gateway into the world of coding for the nonprogrammer or new programmer. You’ll find expert advice on everything from creating vivid characters to building settings that come alive. Ford’s easy writing prompts help you get started, so you’ll never face a blank screen. Her “Try It Out” exercises go way beyond the basics, helping you bring personal creativity and passion to every story you create! Get familiar with the popular Twine scripting program Learn how to design puzzles Build your own role-playing game with stat systems Maintain an inventory of objects Learn game design and writing basics Change the look of your story using CSS and HTML Discover where you can upload your finished games and find players

Table of Contents:
Foreword xvi Introduction to Interactive Fiction 1 Chapter 1 The Nuts and Bolts: Getting Started with Twine 5 Installing Twine 5 Starting Your First Story 6 Saving in Twine 9 Navigating Twine Menus 9     Getting to Know the Stories Screen 9     Getting to Know the Blue Grid Screen 9     Getting to Know the Hover Menu 10 Chapter 2 Using Choice to Create Agency 13 Designing Agency 14     Providing Clues 17     Crafting Meaning 18     World-Building with Optional Details 19     Using Choice to Affect Pacing 21 Imagining Different Choices 22     Giving Preference Choices 22     Giving Value Choices 22     Giving Adventure Choices 22     Giving Ethical Choices 22     Giving Cause/Effect Choices 22     Giving Exploratory Choices 23     Giving Obtainable Choices 23     Giving Directional Choices 23 Plotting Your Story’s Choices 23 Handling Endings 25     Using the Fan Story Shape 25     Using the Hourglass Story Shape 25     Delaying Branching 27 Creating Another Type of External Link 27 Chapter 3 Creating a Vivid Setting 29 Understanding the Importance of Setting 29     Creating Setting from Prompts 30     Adding Descriptions with (link:) 31     Repeating Text with (display:) 32 Setting Tips and Exercises 35     Writing What You Know 35     Being the Player’s Eyes 36     Considering What a Character Would Notice 36     Combining Motion with Surroundings 37     Using Your Other Senses 38     Considering the Mood of a Place 38     Drawing the Player’s Attention 40     Using Descriptive Words 40     Distinguishing Static and Dynamic Settings 42 Building a Map-Based Game 43 Creating a Maze 46 Chapter 4 Designing Puzzles 49 Finding Puzzle Ideas 50     Finding Puzzles in Everyday Life 50     Making Your Puzzles Matter 51 Building Puzzles in Twine 52     Finding the Starting Point and End Goal 52     Adding Layers to Your Puzzle 54     Finishing the Puzzle 58 Building Other Types of Puzzles 58 Using Macros and Hooks 59 Using Named Hooks 62 Chapter 5 Building Objects with Variables 67 Using Objects in Interactive Fiction 67 Building Interactive Objects with Variables 68     Creating a Variable 68     Changing a Value 69     Using Strings 70     Using Boolean Values 70     Using Variables in Passages 71 Building Conditional Statements 77     Adding a Conditional Statement 78     Adding More Than One Condition 81     Keeping Track of the Player 83 Setting Up Types of Quests 86     Writing Search Quests 86     Writing Fetch Quests 87     Writing Drop-off Quests 87     Writing End Quests 87     Writing Rescue Quests 88     Writing Escape Quests 88     Writing Transformative Quests 89     Writing Creation Quests 89 Chapter 6 Stasis, Catalyst, and Climax: Understanding Story Arc 91 Drawing a Story Arc 91 Understanding Time and Pacing 93 Making a Game with Story Arc 94     Opening a Game in Stasis 94     Continuing to the Catalyst 96     Building to the Climax 97     Returning Back to Stasis 99 Diagramming the Story 100 Extending Story Arc 102 Counting Turns with the (history:) Macro 103     Controlling Time with (history:) 104     Controlling Links with (history:) 105 Chapter 7 Exploring Interactive Fiction Genres 107 Managing Reader Expectations 108 Creating Chance with the (either:) and (random:) Macros 109     Using the (either:) Macro 109     Using the (random:) Macro 113 Delving into Genres 115     Exploring Horror 115     Exploring Fantasy 116     Exploring Science Fiction 117     Exploring Mystery 118     Exploring Espionage 118     Exploring Adventure 119     Exploring Magical Realism 120     Exploring Historical 120     Exploring Western 121     Exploring Nautical 123     Exploring Fairytale and Folklore 123     Exploring Mythology 124     Exploring Realistic Fiction 125     Exploring Other Genres 125 Understanding Motivations 126 Chapter 8 Constructing Believable Characters 127 Recognizing the Traits of Successful Characters 127 Using the (click:), (mouseover:), and (prompt:) Macros 129     Using the (click:) Macro 129     Using the (mouseover:) Macro 132     Using the (prompt:) Macro 137 Distinquishing Types of Characters 138 Limiting Characters 139     Creating a Clear Set of Traits 139     Setting a Goal 142     Being Vulnerable 143 Deepening Character Building 144     Assigning Purpose 144     Providing Exposition 145     Exploring Relationships 145 Chapter 9 Maintaining an Inventory 147 Managing Inventory with Arrays 148 Using Variables to Work Around Arrays 151 Using the (array:) Macro 154     Building a Basic Array 154     Adding Items to an Array 156     Dropping Items from an Array 158     Checking Strings in an Array 159     Checking the Array Size 161     Limiting the Array Size 161     Troubleshooting Arrays 162 Using the (count:) Macro 164 Utilizing Literary Techniques 165     Using Symbolism 166     Using Allegory 166     Using Simile 167     Using Metaphor 167     Using Analogy 168     Using Allusion 169     Using Irony 169     Using Hyperbole 170 Chapter 10 Achieving Proper Pacing 171 Understanding Plot 172 Setting the Pace with Language 177     Determining Description Amount 177     Employing Internal Thoughts 177     Leaving Information Unknown 177     Setting the Danger Level 177     Varying Sentence Length 178     Regulating Passage Length 178     Limiting Word Count 178     Using Sentence Fragments 178     Moving with Vivid Verbs 179 Utilizing Setter Links 179 Chapter 11 Foreshadowing Important Clues 183 Using the (append:) Macro 184 Using the (prepend:) Macro 187 Foreshadowing Clues 189     Dropping Direct Clues 189     Dropping Subtle Clues 190     Dropping Dream Clues 190     Dropping Feeling Clues 190     Dropping Red Herrings 190 Creating a Hint System 191 Including Inside Jokes and Easter Eggs 194 Chapter 12 Making a Role-Playing Game 195 Using the (datamap:) Macro 196     Adding Values to the Datamap 197     Removing Values from a Datamap 198     Using a Datamap for a Stat System 198 Establishing Class 199     Becoming a Wizard 199     Becoming a Knight 199     Becoming a Thief 199     Becoming a Healer 199     Becoming an Elf 200     Becoming a Dwarf 200     Coding Class Selection 200 Establishing Names 202 Establishing Personal Characteristics 203     Choosing Gender, Height, and Weight 204     Troubleshooting User Play Decisions 204 Establishing Traits 206     Deciding on Traits 207     Determining Hit Points 207 Making the Next Character 208 Wrapping Up the Opening 210 Limiting an Array 211 Chapter 13 Combat and Consequences in Role-Playing Games 213 Exploring the World 215     Using Personal Characteristics 215     Making Consequences 217     Using Traits 219     Using Items 220 Battling Monsters 223     Starting the Fight 224     Continuing the Fight 227 Solving Puzzles 229 Writing a Conclusion 231 Taking Your Role-Playing Game to the Next Level 231 Breaking Down Game Writing into Manageable Chunks 231 Chapter 14 Wiggling Words: Changing the Text Appearance 233 Changing Fonts 234     Adding a New Font 234     Designing Fonts 235     Picking a Font 236 Changing Text Style 237     Adding Style 237     Changing Understanding 238     Changing Size 239 Changing Text Color 240 Changing Text Transitions 241 Chapter 15 Story Style: Changing the Game Appearance in Harlowe 243 Navigating the Stylesheet 244     Setting Up Selectors and Declarations 245     Changing the Background 247     Changing the Sidebar 248     Changing the Font 249     Changing the Links 251 Getting Rid of Whitespace 252 Chapter 16 Adding Images in a New Format 253 Changing Over to SugarCube 254     Learning a New Macro Format 255 Deciding to Use Images 256     Knowing Which Image Files You Can Use 256     Enhancing Understanding with Images 257     Enhancing Player Mood with Images 257     Enhancing Game Play with Images 257 Adding Images to a Game 258     Sizing Images Before Uploading 258     Writing Image Code in a Passage 258 Using Images Creatively 260     Making Simple Links 260     Making Setter Links 262     Making Mouseover Clues 264 Chapter 17 Setting Up the Pre-Story, Central Story, and Post-Story 267 Learning New Macros 268     Using the <>, <>, and <> Macros 268     Using the <>, <>, and <> Macros 270     Using the <> and <> Macros 273 Designing the Pre-Story 275     Telling or Not Telling 276     Working the Backstory into the Game 277     Including Game Tutorials 278 Designing the Post-Story 279     Defining the Ending 279     Moving Beyond Happily Ever After 281     Making Sequels 282 Chapter 18 Developing a Strong Player Character 283 Using the <>, <>, and <> Macros 284     Learning the <> Macro 284     Learning the <> Macro 285     Learning the <> Macro 286 Using the <> and <> Macros 288     Learning the <> Macro 289

    Learning the <> Macro 290

Using the <>, <>, <>, <>, and <> Macros 291

    Learning the <> Macro 291

    Learning the <> and <> Macros 292

    Learning the <> and <> Macros 294

Working with Narrative Voice 296

    Setting the Narrator 296

    Being Consistent 297

    Changing the Point of View 298

    Playing for Research 299

Communicating with Non-Player Characters 299

    Handling Dialogue 299

    Using Twine Tricks for Conversation 301

    Conveying Nonverbal Communication 302

    Employing Juxtaposition and Contrast 303

Defining Goals and Assigning Purpose 303

    Creating Blank or Defined Player Characters 303

    Considering Gender 304

    Slipping Into Character 304

Chapter 19 Balancing Pacing and Action 307

Using the either() and random() Functions 308

    Learning the either() Function 309

    Learning the random() Function 310

Using the turns() and visited() Functions 311

    Learning the turns() Function 311

    Learning the visited() Function 313

Using the <> and <> Macros 315

    Learning the <> Macro 315

    Learning the <> Macro 316

Using the <>, <>, and <> Macros 317

    Learning the <> and <> Macros 317

    Learning the <> Macro 319

Saving Your Game 320

    Using the Save Feature 321

    Retrieving a Saved Game 321

Playing with the Pacing 322

    Speeding Up the Story 322

    Slowing Down the Story 323

    Striking a Pacing Balance 323

Managing Expectations 324

    Highlighting Change 324

    Using the Rule of Three 325

    Distracting the Player with MacGuffins 325

Chapter 20 Keeping Players Engaged 327

Returning to Arrays 328

    Building a New Array 328

    Adding Items to an Array 329

    Dropping Items from an Array 330

    Checking Strings in an Array 332

    Limiting the Array Size 333

    Troubleshooting Arrays 334

Checking Your Inventory 335

    Setting Up an Inventory Passage 335

Understanding Special Passages 337

    Using the StoryMenu Passage 337

    Using the StoryCaption Passage 338

Knowing Your Audience 339

    Aiming for a Niche 339

    Speaking Broadly 340

    Writing for One Person 340

    Deciding on Length 341

    Piquing Interest with a Teaser 341

Recognizing the Three Types of Players 342

    Making Games for Win Seekers 342

    Making Games for Story Seekers 343

    Making Games for Realism Seekers 343

Keeping Players Engaged 344

    Having a Plan 344

    Being Creative 344

    Giving a Purpose 345

    Rewarding Choices 345

    Leaving Them Dreaming 345

Chapter 21 Show, Don’t Tell 347

Learning About Other Formats 349

    Adding New Formats in Twine 349

Utilizing the time() Function and <> and <> Macros 350

    Counting Seconds 350

    Building a Timer 352

    Delayed Text 353

Practicing Showing, Not Telling 354

    Problems with Telling 355

    Describing Actions 356

    Drawing Conclusions 357

    Demonstrating Behavior 358

    Transporting the Reader 359

    Trusting the Reader 360

Telling, Not Showing 361

Chapter 22 Story Style: Changing the Game Appearance in SugarCube 363

Navigating the Stylesheet 363

    Reviewing Selectors and Declarations 364

    Changing the Background 367

    Changing the Sidebar 368

    Changing the Font 372

    Changing Links 374

    Creating a Class on the Stylesheet 376

Using HTML in a Passage 378

    Bolding Words 378

    Italicizing Words 379

    Underlining Words 379

    Resizing Words 379

    Changing the Color of Words 379

    Putting It All Together 380

Chapter 23 Finishing Up and Clicking Publish 381

Editing Techniques 381

    Tackling Different Types of Edits 382

        Editing for Structure 382

        Editing for Details 384

        Editing for Sound 384

        Editing for Coding Errors 384

        Editing for Mechanical and Grammatical Errors 385

    Navigating to the Proofing Copy 385

Testing Your Game 386

    Questioning Beta Testers 386

    Using Testing Notes 387

Clicking Publish 388

    Hosting Your Project on Philome.la 389

    Hosting Your Project on the Internet Fiction Database 389

    Hosting Your Project on Your Own Site 391

    Comparing the Options 392

Reaching Your Audience 392

    Posting on IFDB.tads.org 392

    Posting on Forums 392

Joining the Gaming Community 393

    Participating in Jams 393

    Participating in Competitions 394

    Earning Interactive Fiction Awards 394

Breaking the Rules 394

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