Hello!!! Thanks for playing this game. It's a simple game really, called The Meta Game. Why is it called that? Easy! It's called The Meta Game because this is a Twine game that teaches people how to use basic commands in Twine 2 to tell stories.
In the tutorials that follow, you should find simple instructions that allow you to make Twine games for your class assignments, and hopefully your own creative uses. Do you have Twine? If not, then you can open a new tab in your browser and search "Twine 2" to find it, or you can follow the link provided, copy and paste the url, then return to the game. You should be able to find the link <a href="https://twinery.org/"> here</a>! For this tutorial, no need to download it. You can click the link that says 'use it online'! Let's begin.
What would you like to do?
1. I would like to learn a little about [[Twine's History]].
2. I would like to know why people [[use Twine]].
3. I would like to learn how to make [[links]] in Twine to move my narrative forward.
4. I would like to learn how to incorporate [[images]] into my Twine game.
According to Twine's info page, "Twine is an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories" developed by Chris Klimas in 2009. But what is 'open-source,' why is Twine 'interactive,' and how is Twine 'nonlinear'?
Well, it's open-source because it is developed publicly, and it is available freely.
It is intereactive because Twine allows people to 'choose their own path' so to speak during the unfurling of the narrrative.
And Twine is 'nonlinear' because of this interactive nature: there are many ways that a Twine narrative might unfurl. Twine narratives jump back and forth, side to side, and can even end abruplty (I'm looking at you, 'The Uncle Who Works for Nintendo').
What would you like to do?
1. I would like to go back to the [[Start]].
2. I would like to know why people [[use Twine]].
3. I would like to learn how to create [[links]] in Twine.
4. I want to incorpoarate [[images]] into Twine.
Why do people use Twine? There are several reasons.
First, it's free! You don't have to pay a liscensing fee in order to use it, and you can monetize the stories/games you create in Twine without fear of litigation from the code's creators.
Second, it's easy to learn yet difficult to master! Creating stories/games in Twine isn't difficult. You will probably create your first game in minutes. However, due to the open-source nature of Twine, there are many, MANY resources available that allow one to enhance or augment the user experience of the game/narrative. For instance, this game teaches people how to add text and audio into Twine games.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, is that Twine is a creative outlet! Many people use Twine to make games/stories that wouldn't exist without the platform. Zoe Quinn, for example, created the game Depression Quest through Twine. Porpentine, another Twine game creator, made "Chyrstal Warrior Kesha". These games-and the people who make them-attest to the creativity inherrent in Twine. You too can use this to your advantage!
What would you like to do next?
1. I would like to go back to the [[Start]].
2. I would like to know about [[Twine's History]].
3. I would like to learn how to create [[links]] in Twine.
4. I want to incorpoarate [[images]] into Twine.
Welcome to the beginning of the tutorial! Creating links is one of the simplest-but most important-functions that one must know in order to create Twine games. It's important to know how to create links for a few reasons.
First, it is easily the most ubiquitous function of Twine games. Every page will have at least one link, and most will have many. In fact, the words that you click on to move the tutorial forward are all links!!!
That's the second reason to know how to create links! Links help to create new passages. When you create a link, that link must go somewhere. In Twine 2, once you have successfully created a link, the next passage will be created for you.
Third, links allow creators to organize their thoughts. You won't create a link unless you want the player potentially to go to that passsage. If you want a player to go to a passage, then you also have more to share with them. Links are a great way to organize one's thoughts becasue it allows the narrative to be split into digestible chunks.
To create a link, simply start by double-typing a beginning bracket (a beginning bracket looks like this '[' and can be found above one's 'Return' key on their keyboard), then typing the name you'd like to give the link, and then finish it by typing two end brackets (end brackets look like this ']' and can be found right next to beginning brackets on keyboards). SO, double beginning bracket, Name-of-Link, double end bracket.
Creating links is easy. In fact, I am using a link right now to take you back to the [[Start]] page if you'd like to go there!!! All it took was typing two beginning brackets ('[') then the word 'Start,' and the two end brackets (']'). Simple as that!
What would you like to do next?
1. I would like to go back to the [[Start]].
2. I would like to know more about [[Twine's History]].
3. I would like to know why people [[use Twine]].
4. I want to incorpoarate [[images]] into Twine.
<img src = <ahref="http://imgur.com/QfFUk1L"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/QfFUk1L.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
So, you want to learn how to incorporate images into your Twine game? Great! Many of the best Twine games use images to accentuate their narratives.
Incorporating images in Twine 2 is a two-step process. The first step is finding a way to ensure a [[static address]] for the image so it can be called by the Twine code. The second step is to know how to write the Twine [[code]] so that the game will show the image every time it is appropriate. We'll take each step in turn.
1. Creating a [[static address]] for the image.
2. Writing the [[code]] properly.
3. Go back to [[Start]].
<img src = <ahref="http://imgur.com/QfFUk1L"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/QfFUk1L.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
The method described here is meant to illustrate how html can be used to set an image in Twine. The first step to incorprating images into a Twine game is to select an image and then find a home for it. For the html method, Twine 2 will call the image from the internet.
Many people think that finding an image online and using that particular IP address will do the job. That isn't the case for this method. Take two issues into account to understand why.
First, it's possible that the image is protected, so make sure to use images that you have created, or have grounds for claiming fair use. Second, though, someone might take down an image that you've chosen, or change the URL to it. In the second case, the link will then be 'dead,' and the image will no longer show itself in the game. So, what is one to do?
No problem! Find a social media site that handles images well, like Twitter, Instagram, etc. For this tutorial Imgur is used. The reason to use Imgur is that one can easily find the html link to the image just to the right of it. Once the image is uploaded to Imgur, the html link can be copied and then pasted into the Twine code.
1. Move on to the proper writing of the [[code]].
2. Go back to the beginning of the [[images]] tutorial.
3. Go back to teh [[Start]]
<img src = <a href="http://imgur.com/IJCbmE7"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/IJCbmE7.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
Now that you have your image in a secure location, it is time to tell Twine that you want to include it in your game. How you do that is simple. You type the code provided below into your game, without the spaces that you will see in between the 'less than' (<) and 'greater than (>) signs, and replace the word 'image' with the html code that you can retrieve from your preferred social media site. It looks like this:
< img src = image >
SO, the way to call an image into existence in a Twine game is to use the 'less than' sign, immediatly type 'img src =' and then paste the html after the space between the '=' sign. Finish it by typing a 'greater than' sign and you're done!
1. I would like to learn a little about [[Twine's History]].
2. I would like to know why people [[use Twine]].
3. I would like to learn how to make [[links]] in Twine to move my narrative forward.
4. I would like to learn how to incorporate [[images]] into my Twine game.
5. I would like to go back to the [[Start]].