From this creative module in Digital Studies, I learned how to make my very own interactive story! A good deal of this process was trial and error, making a little change and then checking to see how it affected the game. I used the links from twinery.org to its Wiki and forum to help me work through problems I was having and discover interesting additions for my story. While at times the help given was straightforward, most times I had to fiddle with the coding to get it just right on my story. Particularly the stylesheet that changed the visual aspects of my story gave me some trouble. At one point, I hit a certain key and all of my work was deleted. I tried hitting “ctrl-z” to undo it, but all my work remained gone and I had to start over the css coding from scratch. This did allow me to better understand the specific effects of the code I was typing, even though it was bothersome.
I was able to include a few details that I found really interesting. To start, I made a first screen with the ability to type in a player’s “wizard” name that will be used throughout the story. Moreover, I was able to include a few variables to change the game outcomes and options later in the story. For example, if you talk a certain way (or not at all) to the Guard when you first meet him, he may either like you, hate you, or not care for you either way. This will change how he acts towards you if you choose him to be your companion on the quest and in some cases lead to no-so-great endings. In another path, you can earn a magic sword from helping the warlock you battle, Bartholomew, from dying. Should you choose to answer the king’s summons, later in the game you now have the option to kill the dragon with the magic sword.
Through this module, I found that my goals can be a little too much for my time constraints. I really wanted to make a very complicated game with lots of variables and paths, but I was forced to dial myself back into a reasonable project. I also learned that interactive fiction has a longer history than I would have originally assumed. While I had played a multitude of interactive fiction stories before this project, I have come to respect those who make them on a whole new level.
Recent Comments