-- Onlinegamebooks.com --

        

FAQ - Book Creation Area
Subscription
  • Book Creation Area: The registration is free and includes the creation of amateur adventure gamebooks.
  • The author accepts the TOUs of www.onlinegamebooks.com.
  • Privacy has top priority. Data of registration (first-, lastname, E-Mail) and all other included data will not be shown or given to a third person.


Book Creation Area
  MyData: First view after your login
    Here you can save and change your data (first- and lastname, user password).

  MyBooks: There are 2 possible views (either you are logged in as an author (standard), or as an co-author)
   
  • 1st possibility (author): There are all added books listet. Here you can create a new book add a book or delete an old one delete book. If you click on the name of a book, you will change to the edit mode. There are shown: title, author, number of added stations, language and status (online or offline).
   
  • 2nd possibility (co-author): You will get directly into the edit mode of the book (1 Start), of which you got the rights for editing.
    Edit mode
      In the edit mode you will see a navigation panel on the top (1 Start, 2 Layout, 3 Overview, 4 Details und 5 Test). The name of the book is listed on the right.

Note: There is no need to complete a book to be able to play it. A player, who gets to an unwritten station, is able to return to the last station to save the game there (if the player has defined a password). The player can load the game at anytime he wants to and try to continue...
      1 Start
        Here you can edit book title, author, genre, language, limited numbers of weapons and items, currency and

Status: if the status is on-line, it can be played by others (standard: offline).

Demo: The game is shown as a DEMO version in the book overview.

Start-Section-ID: The player will be redirected to this station number, when he/she starts the adventure.

Digit number of all dices: Here you can choose a digit between 0 or 1 and 9. This will be the digit number of all dices in your adventure.

Inital values: There are standard values like combat skill which can be used for the properties of the adventurer. All values are optional. If you play an adventure, where you e.g. never change your strength points (fighting situations), then this value can be 0. The same applies to all other values. Additional you are able to create your own character stats and you can force the player to roll a die for their character points at the beginning of the adventure.

Initial items:
Items must be assigned to a certain type: Normal, Weapon, Food/Potion or even a Discipline.
Normal: CP, STP,.. affect the initial values of the player (Armor/Shield)
Weapon: CP: Additional combat points during a fight. STP: Damage
Food/Potion: CP, STP, F,.. affect the actual values of the player (Meal)
Initial values will not be exceeded.
Discipline: CP, STP,.. affect the initial values. Disciplines are listed in the inventory but cannot be deleted by the player himself.

Gaming time: Specification in minutes. Will be shown in the detail window.

Show sections: X of ? sections. ? stands for your input value. If you want to use this possibility, it will be shown at the games overview page as: Number (Sum of all already inscribed sections) of ? (your value) sections on-line
or show all included sections: In this case, all inscribed sections will be shown at the games overview page. And X of ? sections will be ignored (not displayed).

Annotations: This entry (Infos to the game, foretaste etc.) will be shown at the detail window (games overview page) and entirely acts as additional info, to which the reader shall get attentive.

Interal notes: This can be used by the author to save sheets of paper and is only visibly to the author in the BCA.

This book is the next serial book of: If the author wants the player to take with the character of a previous book, the author can choose one of his books in the selection menue. The text (End of adventure: Reason) must be equal to the text of the positive (or negative) ending of the previous book.
Why not only one definitive ending in a book? Does a book contains more than one ending, the author is able to create more different sequels of this book.
Finally the author decides, if the reader must have finished the book correctly and in the right way. If you do not check this box, everyone is able to play the book. Readers, who have read the previous book, will be asked to take with their old character properties or not.

      2 Layout
        There is also a way to change the background design of your book. The author can choose some layouts which should fit to his genre (menue, background and border).

By default there is a head picture for all, who have not created a special JPEG or GIF to their book. The height and width of the picture must have certain values (BxH:500x60/72dpi/<50kb), to reduce the risk of high loading time and distortion.

Attention!: If you upload a new head picture, the previous one will be irreversibly deleted. For this reason it is advisable, as long as you do not have a duplicate, to save the picture before (right click - save as). This does not concern to the write-protected default picture of onlinegamebooks.com.

      3 Overview
        At the overview you are able to enquire all sections of your book. Here you can delete delete section, edit edit section and create add a new section sections.

The page lists: the individual section number (sorted), a short part of the text, if a picture has been added, the number of choices and their section number and small icons, which reveal additional events of the section. If you click on the section number, the text or the File Icon Station editieren, you will get to the Detail View (4.1 Details) (edit mode of a section).

Choice (numbers): The section has been already added and saved when the digits are colored black. You can click them to edit this section. If the number is colored in red, the section has not been added and will be automatically created, when your click it.

The denotation of the icons:
Gaining CP,STP,..The player gains character points
Losing CP,STP,..The player loses character points
Gaining goldGaining gold (book currency)
Losing goldLosing gold
Gaining itemsGaining items
Losing itemsLosing items
Dice situationThe player has to roll a die
Section already visitedThe player has visited this section
Gaining experienceGaining experience
Text inputThe player has to input a special word
Necessary itemsCertain items are necessary here
Fighting situationFighting situation
End of the adventureEnd of the adventure

The navigation panel in the overview:

add a new section: Add a new section

View: x Sections from DB-Index y: this means, that you can view x sections from y on (database index).

Jump to section: This section number and all other sections, which link to this number, will be shown.

Show all: To jump to the standard view again.

Sections: ?: Sum of all inserted sections of this book.

Find free section numbers: If you press this button, the program looks for free or unlinked section numbers in this book. And it shows you the highest number of your section numbers, so that you know which number can be used next.

Wordsearch: With this option you can find all sections which includes your enquiry. This option is dedicated to find misspellings (mistakes revealed by readers). The input field accepts up to 10 digits.

Symbols (see above: the denotation of the icons): You can click at a symbol to get a list of all affected sections.

The navigation panel can be used at the top or at the bottom of the page. If there are less than 10 sections listed, the bottom panel will be hidden.

      4 Details
        In the details view appears one more navigation panel (yellow) on the top: 4.1 Text/Choice, 4.2 Character/Items, 4.3 Dice, 4.4 Extras, 4.5 Picture und 4.6 Fight.

On the right side of the panel, you can switch to another section and you can add a new one Neue Station einfügen.

        4.1 Text/Choice End of the adventure
          This is the first view, when you edit a section.

Here you can give this section a certain section number. Linked by means, that these numbers are linked to this section. If you change the section number, all other sections, which are linked with this section, are affected and will be updated automatically by the program. Hereby a lot of details will be considered: Choices, dice results, visited sections, linked sections with text inputs, necessary items and the extensive fighting simulation, which exhibits a lot of possible section links.

Attention!: If you create a section (1) with 2 possible choices/ways (e.g. 2 and 3) and you add a new section (automatically 2), then you have to pay attention if you want to write section 3 first. If you change the section number 2 into 3, the link of section 1 to section 2 will be changed to 3. This means, that in both possible ways at section 1, the reader gets linked to section 3. To avoid this case, add a new section again (this will be automatically number 3) - section 2 is empty but it is saved in the database as section 2 - and continue work. You can switch to section 2 in the navigation panel anytime.

After you determine the section number, you are able to add the most important thing of a gamebook: Story/Text of this section and as many Choices as you like. You have to submit (eg. press Enter) for each added choice and number, so that you can add a new choice possibility (a new empty line will appear).

End of the adventureAt the bottom of this view, you can decide, if this section is the/an end of your adventure. This possibility also concerns the positive end of an adventure. If you fill in a reason all other functions of this section are deactivated and the player will be asked for restart.

        4.2 Character/Items Gaining CP,STP,.. Losing CP,STP,.. Gaining gold Losing gold Gaining items Losing items
          At this view you can manipulate all values of the character. You can decide, if the character gains or loses gold (or rather the currency you have added), and/or items.

The limit of available items means how many items the character is able to pic up at this section (it also means that the player has to add as many items). Value 0 means that the character is able to pic up every item he/she wants (no limit).

Trading - The player is able to buy all entried items of this section. It is also possible to sell his/her own items.

Items have a certain type: normal, weapon, food/drink or even a discipline.
Normal: CP & STP affects the initial value of the character (Armor/Shield)
Weapon: CP: Added CP points during a fight. STP: Damage
Food/Drink: CP, STP & F affects the current CP, STP & F points of the character (provision)
Discipline: CP & STP affects the initial value of the character

The number of an items shall be used for provisions only.

The value of an item is only significant if the trading checkbox is active. This means that you are trading items with a merchant. In this case you can sell or buy items for this value.

        4.3 Comparison
          Here you are able to compare a player's property (strength, skill, luck,...) with a certain number.

Depending on how the result will be (greater/equal than or less than the specified number by the author), you decide whether the player recieves bonus points or takes damage and/or must continue at a certain section.
        4.4 Dice Dice situation
          In this view you are able to force the player for throwing one or more dice. Is this function active, the choices for the next sections will only appear after the dice (thus you can also deduct strength points (negative result) while the player can't switch to another section).



There are 2 possibilites to throw a dieDice situation:

1) Roll for the property of the player (skill, strength).
The result will be compared with the current player values. The author decides whether the player takes damage or continues at another section.

2) or roll a random number:
Hereby, the author must ensure to enter all possible results and its section allocation.
Examples:
With a 6 digit die you can enter: : 1-2 -> NR x, 3 -> NR y and 4-6 -> NR z
Rolling with two dice: 1-2 -> NR x, 3-4 -> NR y, 5-10 -> NR z and 11-12 -> NR x

        4.5 Extras Already been at a particular section? Gaining experience Text entry Required Items
          There are some extra features for the author:

Already been at a particular section?Already been at a particular section?:

Here you can specify any section. If the player was here before, the author can navigate him to another section or damage the player.
Example 1: Did the player already visit a certain room and killed an opponent there, the author can avoid a double fight and assign the player a different section.
Example 2: If the player has eaten something wrong in a certain room, the author can use this function to pull his strength points.

Experience pointsGaining experience: The author can give the player additional experience points.

Text entryText entry:

If the player has to guess a certain phrase or number, the author can write this word into the provided text box (Required digit/text:) and assign a new section number (NR). Furthermore, the author is able to assign the player to another section number (Wrong input:), when the player entered a wrong phrase. If the box (Wrong input) is empty, the player has an unlimited number of attempts to guess the phrase or number. In this case, it is necessary to make one or more alternative choices in 4.1 Text/Choices available.

Required ItemsRequired Items:

This feature allows the author to query for a specific item or ability. Therefore you have to add the required item into the first text box, the associated text into the second and the corresponding section number into the third. This choice will be shown among all other choices of the section, if the player possesses to the required item or has the required ability. This function can be used for unlimited items or abilites.

        4.6 Picture
          You are able to add an image for each sections. You can use every picture that you ever have uploaded to the server twice. No matter for what game book. The author has an own directory where all this images are stored. Furthermore, it is shown, where which picture is in use.
Attention!: If you delete an image in the thumbnail gallery, the picture is also removed from each section (also across other game books)!
Note!: Pictures with umlauts or special characters (except "_") cannot be displayed!

        4.7 Combat Fight
          The final phase of a fight means, if a fight (lasting over several sections or not) finally ends. This checkbox should always be activated after a combat, otherwise cached combat values could be used/appear in a next combat situation. If this checkbox is not checked, you are able to protract a fight over several sections. To continue this fight, you should lead the reader back to this section.

Opponents: there is no limit of opponents. After that you can choose how many opponents shall attack the player. If the value is 0, all opponents will attack. A number more than 0 means that the player will be attacked by this amount. The opponents will be chosen randomly then.

Player is victorious: Here you have to enter the section number when a player wins the fight.

Player gets killed (optional): Here you can add a section number when a player gets killed during a fight. If left blank, a standard text will be shown.

Player earns for this combat: The author can decide whether the player earns or loses character points after the combat.

Player fights unarmed: This value is substracted from the diced fighting points (Standard = 0).

Player hurts opponent (standard / unarmed): This value applies to all weapons that cause no damage, and for unarmed combat.

Opponent hurts player (optional): Injury which caused to the player.

Before the fight begins, opponent loses: The opponent can lose some skill or strength points here, before the combat begins

Opponent attacks player x times per turn (CR): Standard is 1x per turn. For each attack, the player needs to throw the dice

Escape

Player may escape after (CR): From this combat turn on, the player is able to escape the fight. No value means no escape possibility

Penalty for escaping: The amount of strength points, if the player decides to escape this fight

On successful escape, go to section: the player will go on reading on this section

Additional penalties to the player

Damage per combat round: The player can lose addional skill or strength points per combat round

Only up to (CR): The player only loses those additional skill or strength points until he reaches this combat round. If the value is 0, the player loses the amount until the end of fight

Mass fight: If there are more than one opponent, the player can lose additional strength points until there is only one opponent left

Extra dice: The player has to roll an extra die per combat round. The author can choose either the player loses skill/strength points or has to go to another section. In the next setting the author can choose how many turns the player has to roll the die. If the value is set to 0, the player has to roll until the end of the fight.

Player has its x. wound: The player has to go to a new section, if he/she gets hurt x times (x times losing a combat round)

Opponent reduced to ST x: The player has to go to a new section, if he/she has only x strength points left

Combat rounds (CR)

After x CR: The player has to follow to a new section after x combat rounds

Won combat rounds: In this case, every input field needs a value
The author can move the player to another section if either the player or the opponent wins x combat turns

Special weapons: The author can add special fighting points/damage to certain weapons only for this fight

      5 Testing
        Under this link, you can test your game without having to put it online. The test accounts are also stored in the player database (game statitics). At the booklist under "Played" you are able to delete the players or test games again.
Data Backup
 
  • All data is backed up weekly.
  • Older backup files are overwritten by current backups.
  • A completeness of data, due to externally applied causes such as server crash, hacker attack etc. is not guaranteed.