Blog posts

An example of interactive fiction built in Twine. This isn't exactly a training branching scenario, and there isn't always a clearly right answer. While I don't want to give any spoilers, this deals with some mental health topics that probably justify a content warning.

From a structure perspective, I like how the choices themselves are pretty short, but the actual dialogue is often a little longer.

I also think the layout works really effectively with a look like chat bubbles, but just having the choices at the bottom and not bothering with scrolling or fancy animation. Behind the scenes, there's clearly some scoring happening to reflect how Hana feels, how she responds, and what ending you see.

This was also interesting because you make choices for multiple characters who interact with Hana, rather than seeing it from her perspective. Again without giving spoilers, this story structure might be helpful for dealing with other sensitive topics like DEI.

I appreciate the detailed breakdowns of time estimates per task in this article. This would be a very helpful way to create a project plan, even if you've never created an ILT or elearning course before.

However, note the caveat about the hourly rate at the bottom. The calculator uses $60 or $65/hour for pricing, but that's what a vendor would pay its own employees. If you're buying from a vendor, the cost is likely much higher. (Although apparently I'm not taking nearly enough profit for myself if vendors are typically pricing at 2.5 times their cost.)