Twine: Change scene after event (Harlow).

Changing the scene text after an event in the Harlow theme turned out to be quite easy (once it was pointed out to me, thanks Greyelf).

To do this, you need to create a variable in the first passage (launch passage)

(set: $visited to 0)

The variable can be called anything as long as it has the “$” before it.
Then is the passage that you want to change add

(if: $visited is 0)[

](else:)[

]

The first visit text goes between the first set [] between the $visited and (else) and the second set (changes to) in the second set.

The when you come to where you want the event that changes things use

(set: $visited to 1)

when will then trigger the change in passage text.

This just scrapes what can be done with variables, but it serves me

Adding a background to Twine CSS

As I work through the next version of my Interactive Fiction I started looking into changing how the background is displayed. Once I remembered my CSS, this turned out to be simple.

(Please excuse the poor colouring here)

To make this change I first exported the file to html and dropped it into a folder. I then created the background image and saved it into the same folder as the html file.

To make the change you then have to click on the button at the bottom left and click “Edit Story Style”.

This make the CSS window open (empty)

Then you add

tw-story {
background-image: url(“tw_bg.png”);
}

This (as shown in the above image) only changes the main display section where the main body of the text appears.

There is more here that can be edited, tw-story is the main holder container and you can change the fonts and the colours also from here.

I’m tired so thats all for now,

see you in port next time Airship Captains.

From Fiction to Interactive Fiction (Part 2)

From Fiction to Interactive Fiction (Part 2)

While working through my Interactive Fiction based on my own story I started to think about the flow differences between the two formats.

Normally when you write a story there is a strait line flow from the start to the middle and to the end (with the exception of wondering off to explore other characters stories) however, with Interactive Fiction, there is quite a bit of wondering off the main story allowing readers/players to explore or search for clues before the story can continue. Trying to keep this in mind leaves lots of areas to drop hints and clues for other stories, but can get a bit distracting for someone who prefers the linear writing format normally associated to novel writing.

Opp’s I left this a bit late and my coach is arriving ready for my next outing.

See you in port Next time Airship Captains.

From Fiction to Interactive Fiction.

For longer then I have been writing I have always wanted to write an Interactive Fiction game (think Zork), but never having the idea or the skill to make one I have never given it much thought until last year when I discovered Inform7.  While I made a start in Inform7 I found it to be difficult. I recently discovered Twine after someone else started using it and found it much easer to get along with.

This image is a sample from Twines layout panel showing how rooms (areas) connect (content blurred to stop spoilers). The coding is so much simple as it is far more “plain text” then Inform7 and includes HTML. The other great thing is that it outputs to a ready to use webpage.

The first version of the Interactive fiction has worked fine on several devices that took time to test, the one notable exception is that the experimental browser on the kindle touch  is not able to load the page.

Now the alpha has finished I can concentrate on rewriting the manuscript to convert it into a more game like structure.

Well lets see how it looks next week.

See you in port next time Airship Captains.

CampNaNoWriMo Update ?

My OSX/IOS workspace

 

CampNaNoWriMo Update?

I thought I should write a post about how far along I am in the beta version of the book.

Using the Nanocounter my official word count (actual document word count) is sitting around 32,660 however, in the process of writing and the little distractions, I have written another 6K words on top of that! My original target word count for the first part of book one came in at 29K and 15 chapters (not to far short) and while there are still loads to do on it, I hope that the finial pre-publish will pass 30K.

Part 2-Second life MKII is only up to 3.5K, but I hope to get up to the 6K mark by drink o’clock (1759 According to Arthur Guinness)

I am at the point in the manuscript that I have an idea of where it’s going, but no notes on what to write.

I say this far too many times, but I am still amazed that a 2.2k word Halloween short has blown into a book series as more and more readers ask me questions.

I have a private hidden group on facebook where a few have had the chance to preview the first 14 chapters, but until the first part get epublished it will remain secret.

To dream the dream you write.

To dream the dream you write.

Often when I read other peoples books I find that an interesting part will reflect in my dreams however, while writing my own books, I am yet to have a single dream of the life of my character.

Does this mean that my work is boring is it because as I write, my mind see no point in having the dreams. 

For one I would love to be the dream instead of the dreamer.

Well as you can tell, I am struggling with my series. I have had to go way back to the start of the Captains story, way before he was a captain, all the way back to the start to when he was about to get married and the whole events that lead up to him becoming a captain. I had intended this to be a prequel if need demanded it however, there was a request from alpha readers for this to be included so that other readers would understand the linking events mentioned in the two current books.