Tutorial: How to Make a Strong, Story-Driven Text Adventure Game
- Cutie Pie T.T.V.
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Tutorial: How to Make a Strong, Story-Driven Text Adventure Game
This guide breaks down how to design a high-quality text adventure that is engaging, easy to navigate, and rich in story for the Quest text adventure software. We will not be handling Squiffy..
1. Start With the Right Mindset
Text adventure games are interactive books, not traditional games.
Focus on story first, gameplay second
Avoid making the game overly difficult through guesswork
The player should not struggle to figure out what they can do
Goal: Make the experience feel like reading a novel where the reader can interact with the world.
2. Make Navigation Clear and Easy
Players should always know:
Where they can go
Who they can talk to
What actions are available
Best Practices:
Clearly label directions:
“Go east to the living room”
“Go south to the basement”
Avoid vague directions like:
“You can go east, west, south…”
Why This Matters:
Text adventures don’t have visuals, so unclear navigation leads to confusion and frustration.
3. Use the Exit System Properly
When creating exits (like moving between rooms):
Use prefixes and suffixes to build natural sentences
Example:
Prefix: go
Direction: east
Suffix: to the living room
This will display as:
Go east to the living room
Important Rules:
Do not add extra spaces or punctuation
The system will automatically format parts of the sentence
4. Write Like a Novelist
Your game should feel like a real story.
Think of it like:
A novel
A comic
A narrative-driven series
What This Means:
Develop a plot with a beginning, middle, and end
Add lore and depth
Use descriptive writing
Example Inspiration:
Write with the depth of something like The Hunger Games or Warrior Cats—not just short, mechanical actions.
5. Make NPCs Meaningful and Interactive
Avoid empty or lifeless characters. Especially LITERALLY empty characters!
Every NPC should:
Have personality
Have dialogue
Be relevant to the story
Problem to Avoid:
A character standing next to the player with no interaction options.
It's even worse if he is a side character.
The thing is, this is actually a common problem. You’ll have other characters in a scene, and when you talk to them, they’ll just say something like, “Hey, my name is George.” Then you click again, and they repeat, “Hey, my name is George.” There’s no real dynamic to them.
Sometimes you click “Speak to,” and they don’t say anything at all. Here’s the thing: if you go into the verb section and click “Add,” then type in a name for a new verb (for example, type “sp”), it will automatically suggest options like “speak to,” “talk,” or “talk to.” Select one and press enter to add it. This applies if you’re using the browser version.
Click on "Text" and it will show a drop down list, click run script, click add new script, then click print and type a story.
Why does this matter? Because it allows you to talk to that character—but don’t just have them say “hi.” Give them meaningful dialogue. Let the player bond with the character, and let the player’s character bond with them as well.
This becomes even more important if you add images or photos. It feels empty when there’s an NPC with no visuals, no description, and no interaction. It’s even worse when you *do* have art for a character, but you still can’t talk to them. If this is a long-term companion who follows you everywhere, it becomes very noticeable. They’re always there, but they feel lifeless. You can’t interact with them, and there’s nothing to do with them.
This confuses players, especially if they’re familiar with the software. They assume it should be easy to add dialogue and interactions. From their perspective, it just looks like a lack of effort. They start wondering: why is this character so empty? Why are they voiceless and lifeless? Why are all the interactions so shallow?
If this character is supposed to be a side protagonist, why do they feel like an extra? If they’re the only one traveling with you, why do they have no presence? At that point, the game feels uninteresting and lacks passion.
Here’s something that can help: listen to music. Music can inspire ideas and help you develop your scenes and characters. Choose music that fits the tone of your game so it sparks ideas that match the vibe you’re going for. From personal experience, the driest moments I’ve had while making a game were when I wasn’t listening to the kind of music that inspired me.
6. Use the Ask/Tell System Effectively
Players should be able to ask characters about topics.
Improve “Unknown Topic” Responses
Instead of:
“I don’t know what that is.”
Use:
“She looks at you, confused, as if she’s never heard of that before…”
Why:
Adds immersion
Keeps the story engaging
7. Use “First Time” and “Otherwise” Scripts
This makes interactions feel dynamic.
Example:
First time:
“Tyler looks at you strangely and says she doesn’t know.”
Afterward:
“Tyler shrugs. ‘Still not sure.’”
Benefit:
Prevents repetitive dialogue and keeps interactions fresh.
8. Guide the Player With Hints
Don’t make players guess everything.
Example:
After a failed interaction, suggest options:
“You could try to {command:Ask Tyler about her age}.”
Why:
Reduces frustration
Helps players discover content
9. Always Include a Real Story Introduction
Never rely on the description tab for storytelling.
Bad:
Game starts with no explanation, no story, story should not only be in the help section or only in the description of the game. It should be the very first thing we are introduced to.
An example is when I was playing a text adventure game, I kept wondering: what am I supposed to do? What is the goal? Why am I here? I had no idea what the objective was or why I was there, even though I was playing as the main character.
Why didn’t I know what my character was doing? There was too much guesswork to figure out how to get into rooms and too much guesswork to figure out how to do anything, to the point where you really couldn’t progress.
Good:
Start with:
A narrative intro
Context for the player
Clear purpose
10. Avoid Unfinished or Empty Games
Common problem:
Games with no ending
Incomplete storylines
Solution:
Always include a clear conclusion
Even short games should feel complete
11. Enhance Immersion With Features
Add:
Images
Music
Sound effects
Why:
Sets tone and mood
Helps players visualize scenes
12. Use Popups for Extra Information
Popups let you hide optional lore or details.
Example:
Clicking a word reveals:
“She was always depressed… maybe this gives her peace.”
How to do it:
{popup:Aiyana:She is so beautiful..}Benefit:
Keeps main text clean
Adds depth for curious players
13. Make Actions Clickable (Reduce Guesswork)
Avoid forcing players to type everything.
Instead:
Provide clickable actions
Use menus and dropdowns
Result:
Easier gameplay
Less frustration
Faster progression
14. Design With Player Perspective in Mind
If the character knows the environment, the player should too.
Example:
Instead of:
“Go north.”
Use:
“Go north to the kitchen.”
Why:
helps the player's knowledge Match the character's knowledge
Makes navigation easy
15. Use Maze-Like "Go east, go west" in the rarest circumstance if you want to do so so badly (For Tension Only; it will be annoying, annoying is not fun)
The "Go east, go west" layout can be useful—but only intentionally.
Example Use:
Horror scenes with a maze-like tension
Warning:
Do not overuse this or players will quit.
16. Learn the Tools and Experiment
Take time to:
Test features
Example:
Use text processor features like:
{once:} for first-time text
{notfirst:} for repeated visits
17. Add Advanced Features (Optional)
If you want to go further:
Embed HTML
Add external content
Include animations or web elements
18. Understand Your Audience
Players come for:
Story
Immersion
Interaction
They do not come for:
Confusion
Guesswork
Empty gameplay
Final Advice
Don’t rush your game
Don’t leave it unfinished
Treat it like a real creative project
If you approach text adventures like serious storytelling, your game will stand out immediately.
Comments