Yes, me. I am that reader! Picking the first option always helped me remain calm during timed choices… I guess not anymore 
4 Likes
Love it! I’m a big fan of Choices, so I thought there were some similarities. Your timed choices have a really nice flow to them.
When I mentioned wording, I was thinking more along the lines of how some of your timed choices are like this: “Fly!” “Fall!” “Falter!” All of the options are short, but if someone’s trying to pick the right choice in a hurry, they might press the wrong one without thinking. So it’s fair, but still functions as a good timed choice. What were you meaning, if you don’t mind my asking?
I think the percentage rate sounds like a cool idea! I’ve seen something similar in some Choice of Games/Hosted Games stories (text adventures), but I’m not sure what their method is. If you look into how they did theirs, it might help you figure out what your own coding in Episode needs to be.
3 Likes
Ahh, I see what you mean! I was talking about the lead up to the choices (that lets you know they’re coming). I do want to use more alliteration like that 
But I also have many readers who aren’t native English speakers, so I try to keep the options short and literal.
For the code for the choices with certain percentages of success, I’m thinking about having two invisible tappable overlays over the choice button that lead to different options, and switch back and forth in a continuous loop at a high speed (like 0.05 seconds each of its a 50/50 chance), and I’ll use a conditional to decide how long each one stays there… like maybe if you have over 10 points with a character, the overlay that leads to the good option stays over the choice button for 0.06 seconds and the bad option stays for 0.04, for a 60% chance of getting a good result.
3 Likes
Timed choices! For example, (just an idea, not something I’m thinking of doing) you’re on the run from something, and every few seconds or so, you have to say, jump, run, or dodge past an obstacle. Choices are timed to make the reader click quickly. That would be so interesting!
I gotta say tappable overlays are my favorite, though. They have so much versatility in them. 
2 Likes
Ohh, that’s a brilliant idea! I think it could work. The only way I see it not functioning properly is if the app itself can’t handle it. I use overlays a lot in my WIP story, and when it comes to looping ones for example, the Episode app is… not pleased.
2 Likes
I really like this sort of track and field minigame idea you’ve got going on here. Could totally work for fighting minigames too! 
2 Likes
Yes!! I recently read a story that used a fighting minigame. It was so cool!! 
1 Like
as a reader im gonna be honest I don’t like minigames because they’re not really relevant to the story and they do nothing for me, so I don’t see the point of them?
edit: unless if it’s a horror/mystery where the game is essential for survival/outcome of the story
1 Like
That’s fine. Minigames aren’t for everyone. For me, I think it can be just a cool extra feature - like if someone’s coded a menu and/or art gallery. It’s not a bad or incomplete story if they don’t have one, but it’s just a fun feature if that’s your thing.
1 Like
If it hates them at a speed of 0.05 I’ll just switch to 0.5 and not have any other overlays animated in the scene I know it can handle that much.
I know the app bugs out and like… buffers?? every few seconds if there are too many continuous loops in one scene.
1 Like
My current tragedy is that I was trying to see if I could fade an overlay in and out on loop (for example: candlelight), but the app isn’t about to let me then give it a new command unless I delete the overlay. It gets the animation aaaaall bugged up.
2 Likes
Wait wait wait… Explain this more? I think I might know a hack to do it, but I’m also not entirely sure we’re thinking of the same thing
1 Like
I’ll try. Basically, the system is getting confused once I give it a new command after giving it the “loop forever” command. I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s trying to follow both commands at the same time.
3 Likes
Ooooh, sorry, not the thing I was thinking of 
1 Like
No worries! I don’t think a fix exists at the moment. What were you thinking of?
2 Likes
I can’t even explain what I was thinking of. I thought you were meaning that you wanted something to continuously loop, but to also have pauses in the middle (see, my explaining skills = terrible). So fade it out, then be faded out for 2 seconds, then fade it in and have it visible for 2 seconds and so on and so forth
2 Likes
Ohh! No, I know what you mean. Having pauses between actions being part of the loop basically.
2 Likes
Yes, that is what I meant lol
2 Likes
As a reader, I find minigames fun even though I tend to get frustrated with the wrong results.
1 Like
As a reader, I find them annoying.
As a writer, I don’t think they’re worth my time to code in.
1 Like