I built a small experiment while writing:
What if you could talk to a character before locking the scene?
Test case: StarCraft’s Jim Raynor. Write the background first, then let the character respond like an actor.
Would this help?
Reading game writers on Reddit, I kept seeing the same pain:
branching stories break when drafts, choices, quest logic, and world notes drift into separate files.
That’s the root of Flotter’s text-first bet.
Engineers handle hundreds of thousands of lines with text, search, and shortcuts — not fancy GUIs. Text is the one medium that fits in your head completely.
Writers building vast worlds need the same. The fancier the tool, the more your story takes the shape of the tool.
Branching stories slowing you down? Try Arcweave — most polished tool in the category. https://t.co/ik91QBMHBM
Different angle I'm pushing: text + shortcuts + a bit of mouse is enough for a vast world. Text fits in your head completely.
Honest question for gamers:
What's the most memorable *choice* you ever made in a game?
(not the most epic moment — the moment a decision actually weighed on you)
I'm building narrative game tools, want to learn what real "weight" feels like.
#NarrativeDesign#GameDev
Game character you'd actually grab a drink with IRL?
For me — Edér from Pillars of Eternity. Pipe lit, never in a rush, never judges. Been through everything and still says "wait for better days." I'd pull up a chair.
You?
#Gaming#PillarsOfEternity
Currently in Crimson Desert. The world is stunning, the combat actually clicks for me, story's not why I'm here.
What are you playing this week?
#Gaming#GameDev
Quick map of narrative game tools (2026):
articy:draft — heavy, IDE-style, pro teams
Twine — light, web, prototypes & IF
Ink — code-feel, branching-heavy
Yarn Spinner — Unity, dialogue-first
Your go-to? Why?
#NarrativeDesign#GameDev#IndieDev
@NeeliPrathaphr Continuity is my top priority — I'm thinking of handling localization for free through AI. Want to keep the focus on the essence of crafting narrative stories.
Flotter (in dev) — workspace for game story makers.
Wanted stories easy to write, kept together, reachable in more languages. So I'm building with one structure for world, characters, scenes, dialogue.
Stories made in it get free AI translation — request order, not real-time.
This Mixtape rating reminds me of IGN's recent Crimson Desert review. The lack of story was a bit jarring, but playing it was really fun. At least, isn't a "review" something you say after playing? Hoping user-centered review culture and outlets gain more strength.
Just finished Crimson Desert — had a blast. Worldbuilding's incredible. I kept hoping for some deeper mystical thread and pushed through to the ending. Didn't quite land for me — but the game itself is great.
Maybe Planescape next to scratch that narrative itch >_<
Reading "writing tools" complaint threads on r/gamedev, r/RPGdesign, r/Screenwriting.
Same pain everywhere: branching collapses. 30+ branches in, you can't tell what still resolves, what's broken, what you abandoned.
Building Flotter to fix this.
Flotter (in dev) — slogan:
"Let every gamer experience deeply narrative stories without language barriers."
As a kid in Korea I cracked open game files just to translate and play. That's why stories made in Flotter get free AI translation — request order, not real-time.
Pillars of Eternity. Witcher 3. BG3. Divinity. Replayed all of them.
Kept wondering what tools writers actually use.
Plenty exist — Yarn Spinner, Arcweave, Twine.
Building Flotter in this direction: text + keyboard shortcuts, branching stories faster.
How do you write yours?
Reference shelf for Flotter — the narratives I keep returning to:
— Pillars of Eternity
— Disco Elysium
— Divinity: Original Sin
— Witcher 3
— Baldur's Gate 2 & 3
— Neverwinter Nights
What's on yours?
Question for narrative designers & game writers:
What's the *one* thing in your current writing tool that makes you want to scream?
(Asking because we're building an alternative — and I want to make sure we don't recreate the same pain.)