Create Your First Story

The first story should prove the loop, not the whole game. You want to see one line of text, make one choice, and confirm both branches run. Everything else gets easier once that loop is real.

Finish the loop first

A tiny playable story is more useful than a large unfinished plan. Once you can preview one branch, adding polish becomes much easier.

What you will make

One project

A story with a clear title and one starting chapter.

One scene

A scene with a start node, dialog, and a branch.

One choice

Two options that lead to different dialog nodes.

Build the first pass

1. Open Visual Novel Creator.
2. Choose File > New Empty Project.
3. Select the story row in the Explorer.
4. Set a clear Title in Properties.
5. Select the starting chapter.
6. Add a scene from the context menu or Insert menu.
7. Insert a Dialog node.
8. Set the dialog speaker and text in Properties.
9. Set the scene’s Scene Starts At field to the dialog node.
10. Preview the story and confirm the text appears.
11. Insert a Choice node after the dialog.
12. Add two choice rows.
13. Connect each option to a different dialog node.
14. Preview again and choose both paths.

The important fields are Scene Starts At on the scene and Next on each node or option. A scene can contain many nodes, but the runtime only follows connected flow.

Warnings are guidance

If a field is missing required setup, Properties shows a warning. Treat warnings as authoring guidance: they explain why a node may not run correctly yet.

If something does not appear

• Check that the scene has a Scene Starts At node.
• Check that the dialog node is connected to the path you are previewing.
• Check Properties for warnings on the selected scene or node.
• Check that every Choice option has a Next target.
• If you changed runtime settings, compile and install the runtime again before testing in-game.

What to try next

• Add a background node before the first dialog.
• Add a sprite enter node and point it at an explicit sprite asset.
• Add a string variable named playerName, then use {playerName} in a later Dialog node.
• Open the Story Map to inspect the branch visually.
• Install the runtime once the scene previews correctly.

At this point, you have a story path the editor can check and the runtime can play. That is the foundation every larger route builds on.

Before expanding into world interaction or extensions, check Node Status and the individual node reference pages so you know which nodes need installed-runtime testing.