Playing a Game Story

Playing a Game Story

Game Mode lets a story remember values, items, and earlier decisions while you read. Those saved values can change the chapter text, update displays, and decide which continuation choices are available.

Stories that use this feature carry a Game mode badge and can be found from Browse → Game Mode.

Start the game

Open the story's first chapter, select Game state in the story details, and choose Start Game. On a phone, the first chapter may also show a separate Start Game prompt.

Starting activates the story's initial values and the first chapter's changes. From then on, CHYOA keeps you on the current saved path and applies each chapter's conditions and changes as you move forward.

You can browse a Game Mode story without starting, but its saved values and protected paths are not active. Start the game when you want the experience the author designed.

Read the Game state panel

The Game state panel can contain:

• Variables, such as health, money, reputation, or a selected route;
• an inventory, which may use a story-specific title and icon;
• Reset Game and End Game controls.

Authors decide which values readers can see. Secret values may still affect text and choices without appearing in the panel.

When a chapter or interaction changes visible values, the page can show the change immediately. Continuation choices refresh as well, so a newly earned item or changed value may open a path without reloading the page.

Follow conditional choices

A continuation can require a particular value, item, or earlier decision. Depending on the story setting, a choice that you cannot currently use is either:

• shown in a disabled state; or
• omitted until its condition is met.

If a direct link or Story Map entry would bypass the current game path, CHYOA returns you to the game's current chapter.

Use interactive chapter elements

A game story may contain several reader controls:

• Roll chooses a random result. Some rolls also change a saved value.
• Reveal uncovers hidden text. A reveal may also record a result in the game.
• A locked reveal asks for an answer before showing its content.
• Action buttons perform a choice such as buying an item, changing a statistic, or recording a decision.
• Stats and meters display important values in a compact form.
• Polls collect reader votes; they are separate from your saved game state.

Some rolls or actions may be usable only once. Reveals can be opened and closed again; when a reveal changes game state, opening it again does not repeat that change. Controls may also be disabled until their condition is met. The author controls those rules, so pay attention to the button's state and any message shown after you choose it.

Go Back in an active game

Choose Back below the chapter choices to return to a recent saved game step. This also restores the values from that step, so paths can close or reopen.

Game history is limited to recent steps. Rolls, reveals, actions, and automatic links can create saved steps as well as chapter changes, so Back may not reach every earlier chapter. Use Reset Game when you want a completely fresh path.

Reset, end, or resume

• Reset Game clears the current progress and begins again with the story's initial state.
• Start Over also resets an active game and returns to the first chapter.
• End Game turns Game Mode off without clearing the saved progress. Starting the game again resumes that saved path.

Reset is permanent for that game. Use Back instead when you only want to reconsider a recent decision.

Signed-in and guest games

You can try a public Game Mode story while signed out. Guest progress belongs to the current browser session and may not remain available later.

When you play while signed in, the current game is associated with your account so you can resume it on a later visit. Each story keeps its own separate game.

If the game seems stuck

1. Confirm that Game state shows an active game rather than Start Game.
2. Check visible variables and inventory for a missing requirement.
3. Try another available branch or use Back to restore a recent state.
4. Use Reset Game if you want to discard the current path and begin again.
5. If a control consistently produces an error, leave a clear comment for the author or report a technical problem through Site Feedback.