Variables & Text

Variables are how the runtime remembers story state. They let a story remember things like the player’s name, a selected route, a score, or whether a badge has been earned.

This is the page to read if a field says Store In Variable and you are not sure what happens next.

Variable keys vs names

Each variable has two important labels:

Variable Key

The stable key used by nodes and text templates.

Example: playerName

Name

The human-readable label shown to you in the editor.

Example: Player Name

When you reference a variable in story text, use the Variable Key, not the display name.

Nice to meet you, {playerName}!

If playerName currently stores Bobo, the runtime shows:

Nice to meet you, Bobo!

When you rename a variable key in Properties, VNC rewrites variable templates it owns, including dialog text, Text Input prompts, title cards, character display names, and dialog cue trigger text.

VNC also updates direct variable fields it owns, such as Store In Variable, Store Selection In Variable, Set Variable targets, Condition branches, and Name From Variable.

Variable kinds

Kind	Use it for	Common nodes
Text	Names, selected option IDs, route labels, short text values.	Text Input, Choice, Dialog text, Set Variable, Condition.
Number	Scores, counters, trust values, timers, progress values.	Set Variable, Condition.
True/False	Flags such as hasBadge, metCharacter, unlockedRoute.	Set Variable, Condition, locked choice options.

The default value must match the selected kind. A True/False variable uses True or False, a Number variable uses a number, and a Text variable uses text.

Store In Variable

Store In Variable means “when this node finishes, write a value into this variable.”

Text Input

Stores the player’s typed response in a Text variable.

Choice

Stores the selected option ID in a Text variable when Store Selection In Variable is set.

Text input example

1. Create a Text variable with key playerName.
2. Add a Text Input node.
3. Set Store In Variable to playerName.
4. Add a Dialog node after it.
5. Use {playerName} in the Dialog text.

Example dialog text:

Nice to meet you, {playerName}!

The Text Input node does not automatically create a character. It only stores text. You can then reuse that text in dialog, title cards, prompts, or a character’s displayed speaker name.

Choice storage example

A Choice node can store the option the player picked.

1. Create a Text variable with key favoriteColor.
2. Add a Choice node.
3. Add options with IDs like red, green, and blue.
4. Open the Choice node’s Advanced section.
5. Set Store Selection In Variable to favoriteColor.
6. Use a Condition node later to check favoriteColor with Equals To red.

The stored value is the option ID, not the option text. This is intentional. Option text can be rewritten for players, while option IDs stay stable for conditions and saves.

Set Variable operations

Set Variable uses a different operation list depending on the selected variable kind:

Kind	Operations	Operand
Text	Set, Append	Set uses Value. Append uses Append Text.
Number	Set, Increase, Decrease	Increase and Decrease use Amount.
True/False	Set, Toggle	Toggle has no value field.

If an operation is missing or invalid for the kind, the runtime treats it as Set. That keeps old data from crashing, but you should still fix the warning or field before release.

Referencing variables in text

Use {variableKey} in supported text fields. Variable keys must start with a letter or underscore and then use letters, numbers, or underscores.

Common places include:

• Dialog text.
• Text Input prompt and placeholder.
• Choice prompt, option text, and locked text.
• Title card text.
• Character display names.

If a variable is missing or has no value, the runtime leaves the template visible. For example, {playerName} stays {playerName} if no variable value exists.

The runtime converts Text, Number, and True/False values to text when it resolves the template.

Character name from variable

Characters can use a Text variable as their runtime display name.

1. Create a Text variable, such as playerName.
2. Use a Text Input node to store the player’s typed name in that variable.
3. Select the character in the Characters tab.
4. Set Name From Variable to playerName.
5. Use that character as a Dialog speaker.

At runtime, the speaker name uses the variable value when it is not empty. If the variable is empty, the character falls back to its normal name.

Use stable keys

Choose variable keys that describe the role of the value, such as playerName, favoriteColor, or hasArchiveBadge. Avoid keys that describe one temporary scene.

Good variable habits make branching easier to read later. When keys describe story state clearly, Dialog, Choice, Condition, and Set Variable nodes all become easier to connect without guessing.