Frequently Asked Questions

Basic Concepts

What is Interactive Storytelling?

Interactive storytelling is a new medium of artistic expression. It utilizes the greatest strength of the computer - interactivity - while drawing on the traditions of classic storytelling. The result is a unique experience where you play the protagonist of a virtual story. Interactive Storytelling provides all the drama and emotional complexity that one expects from a good story, and additionally invites you to influence the unfolding of the narrative according to your own thoughts and emotions.

What Is Storytronics?

Storytronics is the first and most comprehensive practical implementation of the theory of Interactive Storytelling. It is centered on artistic works called Storyworlds. Each Storyworld is a universe of possible narratives. The technology is comprised of four parts: Swat, the Storyteller, Deikto and the Engine.

What is Swat?

Swat, or Storyworld Authoring Tool, is used to create storyworlds. A person who creates a storyworld using Swat is called a storybuilder.

What is The Storyteller?

The Storyteller is the software used to play storyworlds. A person who uses the Storyteller to play a storyworld is called "player".

What is Deikto?

Deikto is a form of simplified English used by the Storyteller. All the occurrences in the storyworld are related to the player as Deikto Sentences, and the player acts in the storyworld by creating such Sentences him/herself.

What is the Engine?

The Engine is the "brain" of the Storyteller. Its job is to guide each computer- controlled Actor in formulating a proper reaction to each Sentence that occurs in the storyworld. The Engine is also used in Swat to generate "rehearsals", or test runs of the storyworld, as part of the storybuilding process.

Is it similar to Interactive Fiction or Choose-Your-Own-Adventure?

No. Those forms of entertainment, while appealing for some people, offer very little interactivity. Interactive Storytelling offers a great deal of interactivity. The number of actions you can perform in interactive storytelling is endless, and the Engine allows the computer-controlled Actors to react to your behaviors in an intelligent, emotional, believable and dramatic manner.

Is It Similar to Computer Games or MMORPG'S?

No. Computer games are about things. You collect things, you build things, you jump on things, you shoot things. Interactive Storytelling is about people. You laugh with people, you argue with people, you make love with people, you humiliate people, you conciliate people. Computer games are about winning, while Interactive Storytelling is about dramatic resolution.

Is It Like The Sims?

No. The characters in Storytronics are thinking, feeling entities who can communicate with each other and with player in a real language. They have their goals and desires, and they pursue them competently without the player's intervention. The player can only control one Actor - the Protagonist. The behaviors available to the player in Storytronics are geared towards interpersonal interaction with the other Actors, not domestic micromanagement. Lastly, the interaction in Storytronics has the tension and urgency of a drama.

How Is It Different from Literature?

Storytronics is not a kind of literature, neither is it a replacement for it. Storytronics is a new artistic medium, and as such it is very different from any other existing medium. When compared with literature, Storytronics has one key disadvantage and one key advantage. Its disadvantage is that it must communicate with the player in a relatively simple language, unsuited to artistic embellishment. Its advantage is that the player can take an active part in the story, forming a kind of emotional bond with the computer-controlled Actors which is impossible to achieve in non-interactive storytelling.

How Does a Storyworld Work?

This is a broad question that deserves a broad answer. Check out the Overview, Tutorials and Documentation for a full explanation. The short answer is, each Actor performs Sentences, and each Actor reacts to Sentences by performing more Sentences. Actors know which reaction to use for each Sentence through a set of instructions created by the storybuilder.

Creating Storyworlds

How Can I Create a Storyworld?

First you need to learn about Storytronics. This site contains many learning aids and if you have any questions you are welcome to ask them on the bulletin board. Once you understand the technology you can start storybuilding using the Swat software. This software is a work in progress, but will eventually contain everything you need to create a storyworld. You will only need to provide a few basic images to represent the different people, places and objects in your storyworld.

What Technical Skills are Required for Storybuilding?

Storytron has gone to unprecedented lengths in order to "de-techify" computing work. Our research in this area is still ongoing, but we have already managed to make Swat accessible to people with no programming knowledge. In order to start learning the technology you will only need high-school algebra skills. Of course, to master this craft will require an investment of time and effort.

Playing Storyworlds

What Does the Player See in a Storyworld?

The Storyteller is a simple and appealing interface that allows the player to interact with the storyworld's Actors. It presents two Deikto displays: one for the action just performed by the Actor with whom the player is interacting, and one where the player can construct his or her reaction. Next to the Deikto sentence is an "emoticube" - an icon showing the facial expression of the other Actor.

What Can the Player Do in a Storyworld?

Each storyworld has a list of Verbs that can be performed in that storyworld. The player may choose his or her behavior at any given time from among these Verbs. These include actions such as Ask, Tell, Kiss, Steal and many others. A storyworld may contain anything from a hundred or so Verbs to several thousand.

How Does the Player Control the Protagonist?

The player controls the protagonist by describing the actions he or she should take in Deikto. Deikto uses a simple menu-driven interface in order to construct Sentences.

Is it difficult to learn to play?

Not at all. You can jump right into a storyworld and start playing. The only thing you need to understand is Deikto, and it is such a simple language that anyone can master it after just a few minutes of playing.

How many players can play at the same time?

The current version of the technology only allows one Protagonist (i.e. human- controlled Actor) per storyworld. However, the technology is built from the ground up so that it's adaptable for multi-protagonist storyworlds. We may provide this capability in later versions.

Business Model

How Will Storyworlds be Published?

Storytron will maintain a storyworld library on our website. Storybuilders will be able to download the storybuilding software and upload their storyworlds to our library free of charge, and we will make the storyworlds available to the public. A user rating system will be used to generate feedback on storyworlds.

How Will Storytron Profit from Publishing Storyworlds?

We are currently considering two revenue models. The first is a subscription-based approach, where players are allowed access to our storyworld library for a monthly fee. The second is an ad-based approach, where access to the storyworld library is free, and the Storyteller displays text advertisements to the player.

How Will Storybuilders Profit from Their Works?

Royalties will be paid to storybuilders from the storyworld library's profits. A storybuilder's royalties will depend on the amount of use his/her storyworlds attract. We plan for the royalties to be much higher than what a creative artist can usually expect in other media. Storybuilders will also retain intellectual rights to their storyworlds.