A trust meter

A number that rises and falls with the reader's choices, and a fork that reads it. This is the simplest way to make a character feel like they have an opinion of the reader.

Try it#

Try it

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The dock

Ola the ferryman is mending a net on the dock. The far bank is a long way off, and the water is running fast. You need to get across before dark.

A.Offer to hold the net while he worksB.Tell him you are in a hurryC.Hold up your coin and say nothing

What the story remembers right now▾

• trust0

The map#

How it is built#

One value#

Add a number value called trust that starts at 0.

Two scenes, three options each#

In "The dock" the three choices change trust differently.

• "Offer to hold the net while he works" has the effect Add 2 to trust.
• "Tell him you are in a hurry" has Subtract 1 from trust.
• "Hold up your coin and say nothing" changes nothing.

In "The net" the choices are worth +1, −2 and 0. Different amounts make the choices feel like a spectrum, not three copies of the same thing.

A fork with two rules and an Otherwise#

The fork, titled "How much does Ola trust you?", has these rules, checked from the top.

1. If trust is at least 3, send to the good ending.
2. If trust is at least 1, send to the neutral ending.
3. Otherwise, send to the bad ending.

The order matters. A trust of 3 is also "at least 1", so the more demanding rule has to come first. If the rules were the other way round, nobody could ever reach the best ending.

Why it works#

• The reader never sees a number. They see Ola's manner change. The value is only there so the story can remember.
• Only one combination of choices, holding the net and telling the truth, gets the best ending. The rest of the outcomes are spread across the other two. You can see that in the fork's rules. Change the thresholds and you change how hard the best ending is to earn.
• Nothing had to be duplicated. There are two scenes, one fork and three endings, and all the variety comes from a single number.

Things to try#

• Add a third scene before the fork, with another way to gain or lose trust. The best possible score goes up, so you can add a fourth ending for a trust of 5 or more.
• Make Ola say something different in "The net" once trust is 2 or more, using a Shown-only-if paragraph.
• Add an achievement for reaching the best ending. See Achievements.

Make your own copy#

Next#

For collecting things instead of feelings, read Inventory.