My story works with the game mode. So, for some chapters certain variables must be there in order to read them. And if someone reads my story without the game mode, then they will be confused because it can be that they accidentally go on a date with someone they haven't met yet and similar things. So my question is, how and where would you tell your readers that game mode is essential for experiencing the story correctly? So far I wrote it in the first chapter and in the description of the story. Is there another place where you would write it so people see it.
What you did sounds good to me. If readers still don't activate game mode after being told so in the first chapter it's on them. One thing you should be prepared for is that a considerable contingent of readers don't care about experiencing the story properly. They are here to wank and skip anything that gets in the way of doing so.
You could also use Code: {if@ a>100000}Start Game to read this story{else}[chapter content]{endif} in all of your chapters. Though, you might want to use a different note and you could offer "Start Game" as a link that starts the game. (You can copy that link from the sidebar.)
The above would piss me off if I came across it. Please don't. There's no reason for it. Do as Gambio says, and let your grownup readers make their own decisions.
I think it would be interesting if chyoa offered games that are only possible to play in the game mode and not in the story mode. Then people could choose what they want to do on the site, read stories or play games. And if you pick form the game list, then you couldn't read it any other way, plus you wouldn't see the story map
I agree with this, which is why I abandoned variables and game mode. I also changed a ton of my chapter titles to be very indicative of what content is actually in there so people "fast-forwarding" with story map can land in the right place for them. I'm giving up some control to gain readership, but for my personal preferences that was okay.
Some readers might not understand how Game Mode works and might (and do) report chapters that "are empty" or "don't make sense" because the in-chapter syntax doesn't always provide a default the engine could choose when there is no Score. If you want to go the extra mile, define a path that a reader could go within the story and offer that part in the chapter using the @. At least inform the reader that they aren't in Game Mode and that they might not have the full experience as long as they have started the game. Though it might also depend on whether you use variables only for branching or also within chapters.
Makes sense. to be honest as a test how many people use the game mode I have chapter early in my story that can only be read without the game mode because in the game mode you need more points for that chapter than you have at this point. And surprisingly very few people read this chapter. Many more go choose the other option which makes it seem like a lot actually do use my game mode.
So far I didn't even know that you can work with the @ sign in chyoa. Well I'm new there anyway. Oh how do variables within chapters work? How do you do that? By the way, is there a guide or something that explains more tools to use since I don't know where you know those things from?
This sounds fine to me. Something like: Code: {if@ a>100000}WARNING: This story only makes sense when you enable game mode{endif}[chapter content] Just don't hide the whole thing.
There is the CHYOA Guide. The manual for Game Mode is described in the branch Conditional Branches. The use of If Statements in chapters is described in Conditional Branches - If-Statements.
