[Solved] Game flow visulization?

[DrGonzo]

Hi,
I am working on a game that is more non-linear than a VN.
It contains a day to day schedule for the NPCs and eventual changes based
on the MCs decisions and other factors.

My problem is that it is starting to become very difficult to keep track of the game flow.
Should this happen already, or are some conditions still not met, etc. That kind of thing.

I've started using FreeMind in order to have a visual representation of the games progress,
but even that has started to become cluttered with long storyline branches.
Still - much, much better than nothing.

Is there any other software available to help visualize game progress?
"If it is on a Tuesday and after 5 PM, then this can happen. But only if condition A was previously met."
I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
I had tried Twine 2 for this btw, but it didn't really help me visualizing the game flow.
I also had considered Visio, but I don't think it has an advantage over using FreeMind.

Thanks!

[Offworlder]

I'm not certain what you mean by "more non-linear than a VN". Visual novels are non-linear as a general rule, and it's very common to have day-specific events in dating sims.

...That's not the point of this thread, though, so I digress!

My personal favorite mapping program is "articy:draft", which is available for purchase on Steam. Unlike most programs of this type, "articy:draft" allows you to store pretty much ALL of your game development info in one place. Characters, maps, story flow, even a game design document.

Since "articy:draft" has quite a few more features than other comparable programs, there's a bit of a learning curve. However, they've got TONS of tutorials to assist you, including video guides like the ones I've linked above. For your particular dilemma, "articy:draft" would allow you to further organization/de-clutter your story flow map in a variety of ways. Check out this video for an overview: Click Me!

I hope that helps!

[Preseva]

I second Articy: Draft. I was getting lost having all of my resources and assets in different places and wished there were some kind of master program that could store them all at once... that's Articy! The flow system is by far the best feature for me. In addition to the excellent utility features, like the program being able to run through your entire story flow and check that all the variables and conditions work, it has a more attractive interface than the free alternatives and allows thumbnail images for events, which goes a long way towards being able to visually comprehend what's going on.

[DrGonzo]

I'm not certain what you mean by "more non-linear than a VN". Visual novels are non-linear as a general rule, and it's very common to have day-specific events in dating sims...

In theory, yes.
But I've seen some rather linear non-linear VNs.

Thanks to the two of you for suggesting Arcity Draft.
I will check it out and see if that price tag is warranted.

At any rate - this was exactly the info I was looking for, so - thanks again!

[DrGonzo]

I've checked out Articy, and it is a very powerful and versatile program. No doubt.

But Articy's very steep learning curve, and the lack of exporting the final game in a somewhat RenPy friendly format would probably double my development time.
For now I'll stick with Freemind.

Once Articy can export a flow segment as:

Code: Select all

p happy "That's what I'm talking about!"

I'm buying it right away!