I remember reading that same one, but the style guide I have at hand doesn’t mention page_break at all and only talks about “something to do” every 100-200 words and not going over 400 words without a choice.
I’m very confused.
My personal rule-of-thumb is max 250 words per page (since that’s what my quick search tells me an average paperback page length is, which as such gives me an estimation of how long the story is) and a choice every other page, but my actual page lengths vary between 75-250. Sometimes there just is’t a good page-turning point or it’ll go overlength so it’s going to be on shorter end, sometimes I need a player reaction to something before continuing and it’s going to be even shorter.
But I remember the exact same details you do! The memory just doesn’t match the document I have at hand. Unless we’re both making the same details up, it must have been somewhere.
Something I often notice when giving feedback is a page including too many “ideas”, events, or transitions. Say a character is having a drink at the bar, then go and dance on the dancefloor, then see an important newcomer arrive, then go over to talk to them. That’s OK to have on one page if it’s meant to be a whirlwind of activity that’s not lingered on, but if it’s described in more depth it can feel rushed if it’s not broken up. One of the most common pieces of feedback I give is “this would be nice to break up with a choice” if the PC is being “steered” by the game without player input, and/or “this could do with more breathing room with either a choice or a page break” to make each “idea” in the scene feel more weighty and not rushed.
I kind of treat them like camera cuts. If I envision it would switch the camera (with whatever camera-sense I’m imagining it, since I don’t actually visualize, it’s more feeling-based), it’s a page_break. Of course I may need to do a page_break without a camera cut too, if it’s going too long on the same camera.
I don’t really consider word count when I decide to put in a page_break. My main concern is whether the idea or concept which I am trying to convey has been sufficiently illustrated, and whether there’s enough connective text to make that page flow well into the next one.
The latter also doubles as something like a cliffhanger, to make the player keep going even once the page is over.
I’m number-symmetry-obsessed so much that I need to constantly remind myself every page doesn’t need to have the exact same wordcount D: (and that when I run the numbers in three different programs and they give me three different results I want to scream), so probably not a good model to follow, yeah.
I do worry sometimes about page length–too short, too long, too inconsistent–but my main guiding principle on when to break has to do with whether I want to raise or lower the level of narrative tension.
There’s a piece of writing advice (I don’t remember where I read this) that has treated me well: when writing a sentence, put the most important or interesting thing last. It helps with the flow of the story, because it leads from one sentence to the next, and discourages skimming/skipping. I try to apply a similar principle to page breaks: end on something with enough significance that it makes the reader want to turn the page.
If I want to make the story feel more tense and loaded, that especially is when I’ll end a page on a “mini cliffhanger”. Like an unanswered question, a new source of risk or danger, a character that’s introduced but not explicated.
I honestly have just completely navigated page breaks and choices through vibe and vibe alone. When I play test the game I make a note of any scene where the page felt so long I stopped paying full attention, then add an extra page break or choice depending on which feels best for the specific scene. If there’s something fun for the player to engage with, I’ll make it a choice. Otherwise a break.
And if I hit three page breaks in a row without a choice, I have a serious think about whether I need to restructure the scene to give the player something to engage with.
I worry about length too but I don’t think I’ve ever gotten any forum feedback on it so I have no idea if my work bothers people. Sometimes when I check out other wip’s I notice their page length and wonder if I am doing it wrong. I tend to go for what I think are shorter pages with a few rarer long ones. Though when I replay I tend to try and break them up to haha.
In regards to page_break to choice ratio, I usually have two-page breaks max before a choice but I don’t believe in a perfect formula. I think this is personal preference where my own likes have just bled in. I get bored reading a lot without interacting in some small way. It’s why you can pet the pig in my game, truly the most pointless option but I couldn’t stand having so much text without a choice.
For games with honestly a stronger narrative than mine, I fully see why their pages are long and choices are sprinkled in more sparingly.
I also basically plany page breaks soley based on vibes alone. I see people suggest 100-250 words most often, but I rarely if ever check the word count. I just drop them where it feels right. Although i have seen some mobil readers say they prefer if the page fits on their phone screen withought having to scroll.
I optimized one of my games for mobile readers. The abundance of page breaks made the game feel less interactive than on desktop. Specifically because I use very big font and I get tired of scrolling for too long.
But, I didn’t want to make too many significant choices just for mobile users to scroll less.
But, as a lot of game text relies on conditional sentences and referencing past choices that can’t be easily split, it became too hard to make everyone feel included! Sorry, mobile users.
Honestly, this is how your players will parse them, so it’s a good metric so long as your vibes match your players’ vibes.
I’ve definitely thrown in like, 5-600 word pages before because the flow of the narrative demanded it - and I’ve likewise done pages which are a single normal sized sentence for the same reason.
I also decide by vibes when to use page breaks or choices to break up a long bunch of text. In Chapter 3 of my WIP, there’s a big infodump that takes up 2.5k words, which is a retold variant of a similar scene in The Shadow Over Innsmouth, though I did so in my own words with various modifications. I regularly had page breaks and choices (to make the conversation interactive instead of a monologue like in the source material), so scrolling is kept to a minimum. I think it worked out fairly well. At least, nobody has criticized it.
Page breaks aren’t just interruptions. They’re also a great way to create momentum. Changing the text to be something other than “next” can also be great to build a more fluid connection between pages and to prime the reader a bit.
That’s a good idea, but I’m definitely going to have to take some time to think about it. Don’t want to bring up the obvious (“writing is haaard!”) and also don’t want to go too weirdly specific (“don’t wait until 3/4 through the game to remember that the readers might not like your favorite character”).
Hey friends! It’s my first time posting in this thread so please forgive me if I’m committing some kind of forum faux pas. I’m looking for a bit of advice, or maybe just some reassurance I guess.
Does anyone else get really nervous when sharing their writing? I’ve been working on something for a while, and while it’s been super fun, I’m getting to the point where I’ll have something to show for it soon and I’m absolutely terrified.
Maybe it’s just because the story is really personal, or maybe because I’m new to CS and interactive fiction in general, but it feels a lot scarier than just posting fanfic or whatever creative writing assignments I did in college. I know that it won’t be seen by very many people, and that helps a bit, but I really just can’t get over it. It’s making it hard to finish what I’ve got and I’ve caught myself wanting to give up more than once. Has anyone else struggled with this? Does it get easier once it’s just out there? Sorry if this isn’t the right place to talk about this.
I really liked If It Please the Court on Heart’s Choice. The setting was really fun!
