Beta Limitations

Visual Novel Creator is currently 0.2.0-beta.1. You can build playable stories with it, but beta means the safest workflow is to keep projects small, test the installed runtime often, and expect some authoring surfaces to change.

This page is the short version of what you should know before relying on a feature in a larger game.

What beta means

Story data is real

Projects, chapters, scenes, nodes, variables, characters, assets, preview, compile, and runtime install are active parts of the tool.

Runtime must be tested

Preview is useful, but saves, text filtering, player controls, published-place persistence, and world triggers need installed-runtime play testing.

Advanced seams may move

Runtime extensions currently support button behavior only. Treat them as a focused customization point, not a general scripting layer.

Docs should stay honest

If a feature needs a special condition, the docs should say so directly instead of implying it behaves like final release software.

Current hard limits

• Choice nodes expose up to 4 options in Properties.
• Condition nodes expose up to 4 branches in Properties.
• Runtime logs keep up to 200 entries.
• Preview path search stops after 4096 explored states.
• Runtime auto-advance stops after 128 automatic node steps to prevent runaway loops.
• Project typewriter speed is clamped from 0.5 to 2.
• Runtime BGM and SFX volumes are clamped from 0 to 1.

Runtime-only behavior

Some features can be represented in preview, but they are not fully proven until the installed runtime runs inside a place.

Feature	Beta note
Saves and settings	Local Studio runtime saves are memory-only. Published-place testing is needed for real save persistence.
Text Input	Submitted text is filtered before it enters story variables. Studio may fall back to the local value when filtering is unavailable.
Teleport Player	Only works when the instance path resolves to a Roblox part or Model. Invalid paths do not teleport the character.
World Wait	Requires a real touch target or click target in the installed runtime.
Roaming	Uses Roblox’s default character controls. Custom character controllers may need project-specific integration.
Button extensions	Only runtime menu button behavior is supported. Extensions are disabled by default.

Node maturity

No documented node kind is intentionally a dead stub. Every listed node can be inserted, checked by the project, and handled during playback.

That does not mean every node has the same maturity. Dialog, choices, variables, backgrounds, sprites, audio, effects, waits, title cards, and jumps are the core path. World and extension-adjacent nodes are beta surfaces that need closer play testing.

Do not ship from preview alone

Preview does not prove published-place saves, Roblox text filtering, real character controls, click/touch targets, or extension loading. Install the runtime and test in a place before calling a route ready.

Safer beta workflow

1. Build one short route.
2. Resolve Properties warnings on that route.
3. Preview the route from the scene start and key nodes.
4. Install or update the runtime.
5. Play test saves, settings, choices, text input, and any world nodes.
6. Only then expand the route or duplicate its pattern.

This might feel slower at first. It pays off by catching beta edge cases while they are still attached to a small scene.