#flowcharts

In case you were wondering 😘

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The actual flowcharts for WSC are made entirely in Ren'py itself.

It uses a plug-in made by my friend Feniks.

Placement of the nodes is determined purely by code and the cool thing is that the connecting lines are also determined by and drawn by the code.

I had to make the GS flowcharts in photoshop. Which had some benefits as the code was simpler. But building the flowcharts took so much longer because I created the images manually.

For WSC I've created a small set of re-useable graphics that the flowchart system uses to build the flowcharts.

The code for the WSC flowcharts looks like this:

And that is for this section of the Chapter 7 flowchart:

The system is designed to track things like the player's current path, their previously seen paths, their unseen paths, etc.

Feniks will hopefully be able to make the plug-in public at some point in the future but they have a lot on their plate and writing the documentation on how to use it is going to take a while because it's a really robust plug-in that can do a *lot* - there are a lot of different components to explain and we're still figuring out all the different ways you can use and manage different things.

As a side note, if anyone wants to see the dark past of the WSC flowcharts, this was, I think, the very first image I ever saw of the very beginnings of the flowchart plug-in back in September of 2023. It has come a long way. 🤣🤣

Why Flowcharts?

Why am I so obsessed with flowcharts, one might wonder?

I wanted to add them into Changeling, I did add them in GS, I've added them in WSC and I'll be putting them in Thornewood...so WHY?

It's a lot of extra work and is it really worth it?

The truth is I'm really interested in the part of game development that has us communicating to the player about the story and choices - whether it's ways to better communicate what the choices are doing so players can better analyse the story content and make informed choices that will lead to their desired outcome. Or if it's communicating about how you're navigating through the story and what else exists that you aren't seeing.

Flowcharts are just one way of showing people what their choices are doing and where they're heading.

There was an incident I remember while watching a Changeling Let's Play where someone made a choice where Nora had to answer a question. And someone signalled to Nora that she was about to say the wrong thing - and what the correct answer was. So the changed the answer she said from what the player chose. The player took it as a sort of fake out option but what was really happening behind the scenes was that she chose an answer that could have led to some bad endings - but the game did a check against her cumulative score and because she'd been choosing desirable answers overall, it shifted her away from the bad endings and allowed her to continue the story.

That incident really struck in my and head and I've always thought since then..."If there was just a flowchart, she'd have known what happened there."

I think they're a useful communication device about the shape of the story and the path you're travelling when you go through it.

In the Chapter 7 flowchart for When Stars Collide, you can see that there are only four scenes shared between all the characters. The red lines show Asher's path through the story and you can see how that stacks up to other characters as well as just the sheer amount of story there is to replay for the other characters. The purple boxes are the scenes for the "No LI off ramp", which isn't a full path of course.

You can compare it to the Chapter 6 flowchart which is much less bulky because it has a lot more "shared" content between the routes and is, overall, a much shorter chapter (literally less than half the size of Chapter 7).

I don't think that flowcharts are a perfect communication method (that's why I have other features in WSC too) but I still really like them in visual novels and other branching story games.

As someone who is quite visually oriented, I like being able to "see" the story as a shape so that is why I like including them.

The flowcharts in WSC have been an adventure because they are SO HUGE. Every chapter is essentially the content for 6 different characters all crammed into a single chapter. It just makes the flowcharts these huge chonks.

But they're still really fun to see once they are put together.

Anyway, that's all for this little developer interlude. Hope everyone has a nice week as I continue to pull this chapter together. We're at about 70 % and are down to art and then things like the remaining bits of flowchart as well as glossary articles and things like that.

Branded Google Slides design of high quality: Frequently Asked Inquiries Explained

1.What files can Google Slides import?   

Google Slides can import various file types, including Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx, .ppt), OpenDocument Presentation (.odp), and PDF files. Additionally, it can import images in formats such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF. Users can also upload files from Google Drive or through other Google services. However, some formatting and features may not be preserved when importing from PowerPoint or other formats.

2. Can I rotate a table in Google Slides?

Yes, you can rotate a table in Google Slides. To do this, first select the table by clicking on it. Then, click on the "Format" menu, choose "Format options," and find the "Rotation" setting. Alternatively, you can hover your mouse near the corner of the table until the rotation handle appears, then click and drag to rotate it to your desired angle. While this method rotates the entire table, individual cells or text within the table can be rotated by adjusting the text direction in the "Table properties" menu.

3. Can I turn a Google slide vertical?

Yes, you can turn a Google Slides presentation vertical by changing the slide dimensions. To do this, go to "File" > "Page setup." In the dialog box, select "Custom" and enter your desired width and height (for a vertical slide, the height should be greater than the width). For example, you might set it to 8.5 inches wide by 11 inches high. After applying the changes, your slides will be oriented vertically.

4. How to do a flow chart in Google Slides?

To create a flowchart in Google Slides, open a new or existing presentation. Go to the “Insert” menu, select “Shape,” and choose shapes like rectangles or circles for your flowchart steps. Drag them onto the slide and arrange as needed. Use “Line” from the “Insert” menu to connect the shapes with arrows. To add text, double-click inside each shape. Customize colors and styles using the toolbar options. Once finished, you can group the shapes for easy movement by selecting them, right-clicking, and choosing “Group.” Save your presentation to maintain your flowchart.

5. Does Google Slides have infographics?

Google Slides does not have built-in infographics as a separate feature, but users can create infographics using its shapes, charts, and design tools. Additionally, there are various templates available in the Google Slides template gallery and third-party websites that offer infographic designs compatible with Google Slides. Users can also import images and graphics from external sources to enhance their presentations.