Writer Portal Update: Line by Line Mode

Hey Creators!

We have been working hard to create new tools to help make story creation easier. In our last update we debuted our new button reorganization which helped us make room to add the new layering tools but this isn’t the only new tool we’ve been working on!

We noticed that sometimes when spot directing it can be difficult to get the exact placement right since the placement auto-plays and only stops on dialog lines. So when trying to direct we would see a lot of this…

Or this…

And even…

Which are a lot of ways to say “Can you just wait?!” Thankfully, we’ve got a new tool that we hope will help get rid of all those extra lines.

On the right-hand side of the previewer you will see a new button called “Line-By-Line Mode”. Clicking on this button will activate this mode and change several buttons on the screen green, like so:

In this mode the previewer will pause at script lines rather than speech lines. The green buttons show that this feature is active and which buttons have updated functionality.

Clicking through the story and tapping on the < 1line, << 10lines or >> 10lines buttons will now move by script lines rather than dialog lines.

To see this in action check out Default mode on the left and Line-By-Line on the right.

To deactivate this mode and return the previewer to playing normally just click the green “Default Play Mode” button. You can switch between these modes at any time while you are previewing your script.

Due to the way our tech works in the app this tool is only available on the web previewer. We hope this tool makes creating your stories easier and helps you avoid all of that waiting. :smiley:

Happy Writing!

Love,
The Episode Team

An additional note from our team on some frequent errors we’ve seen you all encounter: If you find yourself triggering a memory error, try reducing the number of characters or overlays you are using in your scene. The Web Previewer’s memory limits are meant to mirror the memory limits of your readers’ devices, so while we know some scenes that used to work are no longer working, we believe that the current limits will provide all of your readers with a better story experience.

66 Likes

Thank you so much!

1 Like

That is amazing

Wow, very cool!

This is actually amazing! Thank you!

2 Likes

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I appreciate it!! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

ooooo Look at this, Santa and the Elves hard at work in the workshop. Making every computer shine brighter, one portal at a time. I can just smell the Episode coffee and hear Mariah Carey sangin in the background :relieved:

6 Likes

Thank you! I noticed this last night and starting using it. It’s such a great help :sob:

6 Likes

No more worrying about leaving pauses in the final script! :yay:

Thank you for this creative solution!

9 Likes

Yeah, no more NARR Stop to put things in the right place :rofl:

4 Likes

I don’t wanna sound rude but I don’t get it. Can someone explain what’s this for? I’m just confused lol.

EDIT: English is my 2nd language btw.

4 Likes

This is not good at all!
This means all our past stories will have glitches if we used many characters or overlays on scene. :weary:

11 Likes

When you preview your script, it usually pauses at every line of dialogue and waits for you to tap. If you change to line by line mode, it will pause and wait for you to tap on every line of code now, regardless of dialogue.

8 Likes

Oh! Lmao I’m stupid. That’s pretty great. Thanks for explaining it to me!

2 Likes

You’re not stupid. It makes more sense when you test it out for yourself anyway :blush:

5 Likes

Oof, that’s the one :sweat_smile:

1 Like

Love it!

1 Like

Thank you!! I am doing a lot of spot directing in my story, so this is an amazing tool!

Oh no :woman_facepalming:t2: I hate this sm ugh

1 Like

This is going to make advanced spotting SO MUCH BETTER!! Thank you tons!

1 Like