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How to Make a Text-Based Game Using Notepad

Text-based games constitute a nearly obsolete genre of video games, in which characters, environments and actions are not depicted using digital graphics, but explained through text. This genre was particular popular until the late 1980s, when computers and gaming machines did not have the capacity to support a complex adventure game. These titles were based primarily on decisions the player made on certain points of the story, which determined the next part of the game. You can easily create a text-based game with just a notepad, using the dichotomous key technique each time players come across a decision.

Instructions

- 1
  Write down the layout of your story on a scrap piece of paper. Determine the plot of your story, the characters and the different routes a player can take.
- 2
  Create a cladogram, depicting all different routes a player can take throughout the game, based on their decisions on certain points. For example, write on top of your paper "Start" and form two arrows, one heading to "Charlotte's House" and the other to "Police Station" and repeat the process with subsequent decisions. This cladogram is not part of the game, but it helps you organize your story before you start writing.
- 3
  Give a number on every page of your notepad. You must do this before writing the story, as each page play an integral role in the game.
- 4
  Write the first part of the story and halt when the player has to make a decision. At this point, write the two --- or more --- available options and give instructions about which page continues the story. For example, write "John goes to Charlotte's house. Turn the page" or "John decides to go to the police. Go to page (blank)."
- 5
  Complete the story following a certain path, then add all additional paths. This is why you have to leave several options' pages blank, as you cannot know the size of the story in pages beforehand. As you add the new paths, go back to the corresponding decisions and complete the "Go to page" sentence.

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