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Your first story

This page writes a small story: a node with narration, a character, two options and a jump. It takes a few minutes. Open a story file in the Story Writer first (Getting started).

1. Add a node

A node is one part of the story, like a scene in a play.

  1. Click Node at the top of the map, on the left.
  2. Type a name, like Village Gate, and press Enter.

A box for the node appears on the map. The node opens on the right, ready to write in.

2. Write narration

Click on the empty line and type a sentence:

The gate creaks in the evening wind.

A line with no name in front is narration. The game shows it without a character.

3. Make a character speak

Type the character’s name, a colon, a space, then what they say:

Ayumi: Welcome, traveller! You look hungry.

Start typing a name and a menu lists your characters and their portraits. See Nodes and lines.

4. Give the player options

Click Insert Option at the end of the line, or press ⌥ Enter. Type Help the fisherman and press Enter.

The next line goes under the option. Type what happens if the player picks it. Press Enter on an empty line to step back out, then add the next option.

5. Change a variable

Under Help the fisherman, type:

> add 1 to courage

Press Enter. The line turns into a tag. If your game has no courage yet, Tsumugi makes it. See Variables and unlocks.

6. Jump to a new node

On a new line after the options (not under them), type:

> jump to Harbour

Press Enter. There is no node called Harbour yet, so Tsumugi makes one. An arrow to it appears on the map.

7. See it like the game

Click Show Preview. It draws your game’s screen with the line your cursor is on. Click the preview to go to the next line. Click an option to pick it. See The preview.

What the file looks like

You never have to edit the file by hand. This is what Tsumugi saved:

title: VillageGate
---
The gate creaks in the evening wind.
Ayumi: Welcome, traveller! You look hungry.
    -> Help the fisherman
        Ayumi: That was kind of you!
        <<set $courage to $courage + 1>>
    -> Take the fish
        Ayumi: Hey! That was his dinner.
<<jump Harbour>>
===
title: Harbour
---
===
  • title: names the node. The name you typed becomes one word.
  • --- starts the node’s lines. === ends the node.
  • The lines indented under an option happen only if the player picks it.
  • <<jump Harbour>> is the Chatterbox command for Jump to.

Colours

If something needs attention, Tsumugi colours it: red is broken, purple needs code, amber needs art. See Problems and checks.

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