Hi guys. I began recently working in secret on a game mode story, with scores, variables linked chapters, conditional stuff, the whole thing! Apart from the fact that it is very slow to create for obvious reasons, I have a few questions. I succeeded in creating variables, showcasing them and even making them a condition to access a chapter... I created a skeleton of drafts, to work the structure, variables and conditions, waiting for later to add text. The problem is that if I publish the story all those unfinished chapters will be published, Is there a way to prevent that? Is there a way to hide chapters so they can only be seen if conditions apply? Would a link in a conditional passage mess with the game mode progression? If I delete a chapter do the following chapters remain in place?
I don't think, that this is possible. Maybe Friedman can approve the first chapter only. Currently, there is no way to hide chapters if they don't meet the conditions. Maybe you want to add a suggestion about this in the feedback section. You can use links and images within Conditional Branches - If-Statements, though I'm not sure what happens if you use a lot of images because the browser will probably start loading all of them, even if it won't display them. In general, everything you do within the chapter text doesn't affect Conditional Branch Variables. You can only delete chapters without child chapters.
Thanks for the answers. I found a way for the chapters, it's time consuming but for a slow paced story already it will work. I will clone the story, one published (once I have at least some content done) and its clone remaining in draft to work on. Then I'll harvest chapters to graft them on the finished version. As far as the link question, I realize that what I wrote was less cleat that what I had in mind. I thought of putting a link to a chapter in the text, bypassing the bottom page choice and that would be only visible if conditions apply. The destination chapter would then link to the next chapter after granting some bonus variables. A hidden bonus level of sort. The question about deleting chapters was to create a lump of chapters that couldn't be reached following a path (having no chapter before them.) and would be invisible in game mode without the map. I'm concerned that the story map, greyed chapters or simply notifications would spoil/ruin the story.
The game story mode could be improved in many ways, I think everybody would agree on that. However, it would require a lot of work from the staff. If I can give you a piece of advice, avoid as much as you can creating multiple conditional chapters with only a few different sentences. According to my own experience, it tends to quickly become annoying.
So far what I plan are different path that join back to a single chapter that will change depending on previous choices plus a some bonus chapters that will had to some variables if you fulfill some conditions. I didn't plan on writing tons of near identical chapters with slight variations, this is the way to madness. Still this is an exercise that is really different from a normal story. I usually find an idea, a title, a cover, write 2 or 3 chapters, publish and then add as the inspiration gets to me. Here it will probably be weeks before I feel ready to publish it.
When game mode is active, you can only access child chapters. (A linked chapter is a child chapter with internal forwarding to the destination chapter.) Attempts to access other chapters would redirect the reader to the current chapter. As a workaround, you could name all child chapters "continue" and set the conditions as needed. In the chapter text, you could then use the links with meaningful names. The reader could use both ways, though clicking one of five different "continue"s would be kind of gambling. You could create something like: Code: - Writers information - empty chapter (with conditions, which can't be true, the chapter won't be accessible with active game mode) - secret chapter (link to this chapter from the desired chapter) - secret chapter 2 You could use Conditional Branches - If-Statements para. 8 to hide the chapter text when game mode is off. Currently, you can't avoid showing the actual chapter title. You could only make it meaningless.
All of this is nearly exactly what I had in mind, you are a genius sir! I was so focused on hiding the chapters that I forgot I could hide all the text in it to those sneaky readers that won't use game mode. I already have a READ FIRST chapter in my story to explain the game mode aspects of it. I only have to had an empty and inaccessible BAG OF MYSTERY chapter and name all the bonus scenes Special Event. A little note in conditional text explaining what the special event is will do the trick, that way a reader that can choose it will know what it is, but everyone else will only know that there is something that they could have chosen if they did something else before. This is awesome, I had this in mind and was beginning to think it was impossible. Thanks a lot for taking the time to help me and I hope it can help others as well. Now all I have to do is to go writes 50 chapters or so to map the first day or two after the first choice of the story, but knowing I will be able to make those chapters unspoilable is great news.
