#coding programs and resources

[if-confessions]

Anon confession : I’m worried about this WIP IF I’m following. The author said that there are going to be huge changes in the game so at the dead of night I opened the demo and copied the entire game code to my cside before the author update the demo. Is that wrong? I trust the author in what they’re doing but the change was so sudden that I panicked and did THIS. I’m not going to post it online and it’s just going to be personal use only. (I like doing it bcs as a newbie @ coding seeing the code of a functional game helps me see what I’m doing wrong).

Hi Anon,

I can't speak for the author of that particular WIP, but it would be fair to assume they would probably not like this. There must be reasons for why they are changing the story in major ways, and I don't think they would be happy to find that a copy of a version they have disavowed is out there, without their blessing.

I personally wouldn't like that at all (and I've made my old source code available). I'd find it incredible rude to have someone do this because I mentioned changing an important thing to my story. I'd see it as disrespectful, honestly. It might even make me wonder if I should even continue with the project at all if people don't trust my judgement...

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If you want to see how things are made, instead of intrusively going into the author's code:

ask the author permission to do so

ask the author how they did a certain thing (you might not get the exact code, but you'll probably be pointed in the right direction)

ask people who are open to coding questions for example (or drop into a coding server)

check the IFArchive for source code or playable files you can look into

Not every author wants to have people code dive (usually for spoiler reasons), and find the practice very intrusive. Even if it is easy to do so with most HTML games out there, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do (especially when there are so many venue to get help).

TLDR: don't code dive / copy code from a game unless you have EXPLICIT consent from the creator. Don't be sneaky.

[if-confessions]

Twine is my worst enemy. Respect to all the authors that manage to get the hang of it. 😭

Here's a hug, bud.

Takes time, practice, and a hundred of Test files where you check if dummy code is dumb or actually works. And a bunch of dumb questions on the Twine Discord... Sorry Chapel, Greyelf, TME....

If you need help, I got a Twine Resource list, with tutorials and communities and such. And I have a coding support "desk" on my main (@manonamora-if). Send an ask, if you need help :).

[if-confessions]

Confession(?) I really really want to try making some form of IF but I only have an android tablet (and an old one at that..) and I'm very unlikely to be able to get a pc or laptop (what every coding thing I've found works on) any time soon, and i understand why its that way since it's much easier to code on a full computer than a tablet but im still sad about it :(

Oh that sounds like a pain...

But, while it is easier to code on a computer (especially since some programs need to be downloaded), there are quite a few programs with an online/web presence (Twine, Texture, Moiki, Adventuron, Donjon.fi, Borogove [Inform,. Ink,...], etc... [even VSCode has a web editor]). Here's a list of known IF programs, where you should be able to edit on browser. It is still recommended to save/export the output frequently (as browser-based saves are not the more reliable ones). And you probably will need to go back and forth between the documentation and the program.

So don't despair, anon! It is doable!

[if-confessions]

today had issues with setting up tweego but I finally did it and my god things will be so much easier now :') and how do people write so much I stared at my screen for like 3 hours and wrote 300 words X.X

Congrats on installing Tweego! It's a hassle at first, but damn isn't it worth it. No more lag, no more weird passage glitch, easy to edit passage, etc... Twine is great to start, but Tweego is def an upgrade after a while... thank you TME for creating it.

People write so much because reasons. Maybe today wasn't your day to write a lot. But good job on still writing 300 words! 👏

Also plugging-in my Ready-to-Use Tweego Folder for easy installation/use. It has a guide too! Download, open in VSCode and Code :D

[if-confessions]

I don't like CoG as a company, there version of public PR being distinctly authoritarian especially on their forums is just a disaster, but God is Choicescript easy to wrap my mind around. I've tried Twine soo many times but for whatever reason my brain doesn't want it to compute. Makes me sad that a wonderfully easy tool for IF comes hand in hand with having to decide if you even want to support the company, and their practices and general views, that makes it by using it.

For a ChoiceScript-like program, you might find Dendry interesting.

[if-confessions]

portrait mode anon here. just clearing up that i was talking about text-based IFs and text-based IFs only, i thought that was obvious because i brought up dashingdon IFs (i meant choicescript, but i couldn’t remember the actual name for the life of me lol) as a comparison.

visual novels can be formatted however idc.

Reply to this ask

My OG answer still applies... Check some of the Neo-Twiny Jam entries, which are 100% text based, but would not work on mobile... Or this game of mine which is a text-based IF, but can't be viewed properly on mobile either (please don't try to run it on mobile, it's not a fun time).

[if-confessions]

the twine/itch.io great migration is wonderful and i love that it gives IF writers less stress, more freedom and more money, but i really wish they would add portrait mode options to their stories.

the appeal of the dashingdon IFs was the fact that i could read them on my phone with ease. reading them on landscape on my phone is so awkward and reading on a laptop ruins the experience for me even more idk.

if you’re an author and your IF doesn’t have a landscape option, please consider adding one. i’m on my knees, begging y’all PLEASE😭

Not every game can be mobile -or even portrait mobile- friendly, nor should they be. Some games are just not meant to be played on mobile or in a portrait mode (like VN-like projects). And some creators might not have enough CSS knowledge to make it mobile friendly.

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For any creator wondering how to force portrait mode on Itch, you need to go into the Edit Project of your game, and enable the following options:

Note: Testing the UI to ensure it is mobile friendly before enabling it is needed (unless you use the base UI, then it's fine).

I don't really know about being less stressed with moving to Twine/Itch... 😅

[if-confessions]

author confession: honestly, i find twine to be a breath of fresh air in terms of difficulty, because for about six to nine months i was using choicescript bc i was designing a game for heart's choice games for that period of time (before my editor said and i quote, 'it's no longer fitting our paradigm' but tbh i like the freedom to design my game how i want much, much better) and i found choicescript to be 500000% harder. choicescript DOES let you get into the nitty gritty of coding, but twice is more user friendly. tradeoffs!

Everyone thinks differently. The logic of CScript will work best for one person, while Twine will be more easier for others. There are dozens of different IF programs out there. Find the one that fits your brain best! Heart's Choice is a publishing label under the ChoiceofGames entity.