Pacing
Check dialog order, title-card timing, waits, choices, and the feel of a scene.
Preview & Output
Preview is the fast feedback loop. Output is the place to look when that loop cannot continue.
Together, they help you catch missing connections, missing assets, invalid variables, and unreachable paths before you test the installed runtime.
Preview also helps while you are editing presentation. When no story preview session is active, selecting a presentation-bearing node shows its own settled appearance in the Preview panel. The preview uses the node’s direct assets, style references, and authored fields, but it does not replay earlier nodes or carry presentation forward from the story graph. These selection previews update as you edit in Properties.
The same stopped-preview inspection works for Parallax Background presets and layers, Sprite assets and poses, and Style Presets. A selected parallax layer is emphasized so you can see what you are editing; validation warnings remain in Properties and Output instead of covering the preview.
Node selection previews are static. Transitions, title-card timing, parallax motion, dialog cue effects, branches, waits, audio, purchases, badges, runtime extensions, and other gameplay side effects do not run. Use Preview From Here when you need the selected node with actual story context and playback. Starting story preview always takes precedence over the current selection preview.
When a running preview reaches Roaming, the Preview panel shows a neutral badge so you can tell the story has handed the view to the 3D world.
What preview is for
Section titled “What preview is for”Presentation
Check backgrounds, parallax layers, overlays, sprites, effects, audio changes, portraits, and scroll sounds.
Branches
Try each choice path and condition path before the route becomes large.
Quick fixes
Use Properties warnings and Output messages to repair the current path.
Start preview
Section titled “Start preview”- Resolve required Properties warnings on the scene or route you want to test.
- Compile the project.
- Choose Preview > Start Preview.
- Use Step Forward to advance manually.
- Use the autoplay control when you want automatic preview playback.
You can also start from a selected node with Preview From Here. This is useful when a scene is long and you only need to test a late branch.
Preview From Here first tries to follow a reachable route from the scene start to the selected node, including choice and condition branches. It replays that route so backgrounds, parallax presentation, sprites, audio, variables, and other earlier story state carry into the selected node.
Preview starts where the story first waits at or after the selected node. A node that waits, such as a Dialog, Choice, or Open Runtime Page, starts on that node; an Open Runtime Page shows its page wait, and advancing dismisses it. A node that the story passes through automatically, such as a Background or a Condition, starts at the next node that waits. A selected Condition uses the branch the story would take with the variables at that point. If the selected node is reachable only through a Text Input’s If Text Is Filtered route, Preview simulates a filtered submission to get there and says so in the status bar. The simulation does not call Roblox text filtering and, like a real filtered submission, does not write the variable. When the ordinary route also reaches the node, Preview uses the ordinary route.
If the selected node sits inside a Condition branch that the scene’s starting variable values would not choose, Preview still reconstructs the setup before that branch and reports that it did so. If no route from the scene start reaches the selected node, for example because the node is disconnected, Preview reports an error instead of starting with incomplete setup. Check the node’s incoming connections, then try again.
Preview the full route when you need to confirm the exact choices or conditions a player will encounter. Preview From Here chooses a route that reaches the selected node; it does not replace testing every alternate branch.
Preview controls
Section titled “Preview controls”| Control | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Start Preview | Start from the selected preview start scene. |
| Preview From Here | Start from a selected node in the current scene. |
| Set as Preview Start | Make a scene or chapter the default preview start. |
| Step Backward | Rewind one preview action. |
| Step Forward | Advance or redo one preview action. |
| Play / Pause | Toggle automatic preview playback. |
| Preview Render Size | Switch between 720p and 1080p logical preview sizes. |
The Preview toolbar also has a sound control after the playback buttons. It mutes or unmutes editor Preview audio without stopping playback, and its tooltip reads Mute preview or Unmute preview. Muting affects only what you hear in the editor; it does not change project audio settings or the installed runtime’s volume.
The Preview menu and context menus name actions for the current state: Start Preview / Stop Preview, Play Autoplay / Pause Autoplay, and Mute Preview / Unmute Preview. Pausing autoplay keeps the preview session open; use Stop Preview to end it. Ending a story or stopping Preview clears autoplay. A static selection preview still offers Start Preview.
Save, compile, and hot reload
Section titled “Save, compile, and hot reload”Save Project stores your editable project. Compile Project validates that source and publishes the playable story. Editing a runtime-facing field can also hot reload an active Preview so you can review the change without manually rebuilding the preview path each time.
Check Output when a change does not appear. A refused runtime installation or failed compile does not publish a new playable story. Resolve the reported problem and compile again before using the result in a play session. If you undo or redo an edit, review the restored state and recompile when needed; an earlier compiled result is not proof that the restored source is ready.
Editor hot reload does not update a Studio play session already in progress. After compiling, stop and restart play mode to test the newly published story.
What Output tells you
Section titled “What Output tells you”Output reports the last compile and recent authoring actions. Explorer and Story Map warning badges update from your current edits, so they can differ from an older compile report. Compile again when you need an updated report for the route you will test.
Output reports missing required links, missing assets, unsupported field values, and story structure problems found during compile.
Each line names the affected item the way Explorer shows it, such as Harbor › Set Gold, followed by the problem. Click the line to select that item.
The muted code at the end of the line, such as UNKNOWN_VARIABLE, identifies the problem when you search or ask for help.
Output and the status bar report actions such as asset imports, project saves, runtime installs, preview start changes, and compact error/warning counts.
Warnings are not decoration. They tell you which field is likely to stop a route from behaving the way you expect.
Preview limits
Section titled “Preview limits”Preview can simulate many story choices, timers, text input, sprite activation, and world triggers. It cannot prove everything that happens in a Roblox play session.
Use the project’s Preview Platform Conditions for deterministic Badge, GamePass, and Premium branches while authoring. Missing overrides warn and use false. Use Testing Runtime for authoritative live ownership, saves, settings, text filtering, purchase prompts, player movement, teleport destinations, click triggers, touch triggers, ProximityPrompt triggers, and custom runtime behavior.
When preview and Output agree, you have a good authoring signal. When the installed runtime also behaves correctly, you have a route you can build on.