Changelog

This page lists notable Visual Novel Creator changes.

Visual Novel Creator is currently in public beta, so release notes focus on changes that affect creators building, testing, or updating VNC projects.

[0.5.0-beta.11] - 2026-07-11

Changed

Text Input prompts now type out in editor Preview using the same pacing rules as the installed runtime, so you can judge the prompt before playtesting.
New Text Input nodes default to a Max Length of 24. The runtime enforces a safety maximum of 256 characters; older nodes with no authored limit retain their existing flexibility up to that maximum.
Explorer drag release now follows the visible drop indicator. If the indicator disappears before release, VNC cancels the move instead of using a stale target.
Added Sakura, Sakura Dark, and Ultra green to the persisted editor appearance choices in Settings, the View menu, and the command palette.
Dialog UI presets are now SVNE, Episode, and Custom. Older removed preset appearances load as Custom so their saved styling remains available.
Runtime World Wait nodes with a missing or incompatible target now explain the problem and let the player advance instead of leaving the story waiting forever.
Pending badge awards now survive temporary Roblox service failures and player reconnects, with retries that avoid issuing duplicate awards.

Fixed

Fixed installed runtimes failing to start while loading compiled-story validation. Updating or compiling now repairs beta.11 runtime installs that are missing the required project-version contract.
Fixed malformed or incompatible compiled story data so the live runtime reports the invalid data path and remains unavailable instead of failing later during gameplay.
Fixed manual Story Map panning so resizing docked panels does not move the view, while selected cards still reveal after initial mount and actual selection or scope changes.
Fixed Preview From Here so route audio stays aligned across choices without replaying stale one-shot commands after a saved session is restored.
Fixed plugin startup when loading authoring node definitions so the Text Input default limit no longer prevents Explorer and the editor UI from mounting.

[0.5.0-beta.10] - 2026-07-10

Fixed

Fixed the Explorer drop indicator so it clears when a dragged item leaves the active outline, without losing the last valid drop target when you release outside the panel.
Fixed packaged plugins opening the editor surface when diagnostic navigation is available.
Fixed save-slot requests so malformed, noncanonical, or out-of-range slot IDs are rejected before they can affect a player’s saved story data.
Fixed Owns GamePass and Has Roblox Premium checks so a choice remains correctly gated when a player selects an option that was previously available.

[0.5.0-beta.9] - 2026-07-09

Fixed

Fixed established Story Map cards shifting after connection and structural edits, refreshes, or inserts. Auto Layout now saves its project, chapter, or scene layout as an undoable baseline.
Fixed taps on scrollable dialog text on touch devices so they use the normal reveal-first advance behavior, while scroll gestures do not advance the story.
Fixed completed dialog text replaying or clearing while purchase prompts and other interactive waits update. Intentionally repeated dialog lines still play as new lines.

[0.5.0-beta.8] - 2026-07-09

Changed

Story Map scope controls now use the same project, chapter, and scene icons as the Explorer.
Selecting a project, chapter, or scene in the Explorer now opens its matching Story Map scope. A scope you choose manually stays selected until you select another project, chapter, or scene in the Explorer.
Panel visibility messages now use the same panel names shown throughout the editor.

Fixed

Fixed Preview From Here so it can follow branches to the selected node and preserve earlier backgrounds, parallax presentation, sprites, and audio along the route.

[0.5.0-beta.7] - 2026-07-08

Fixed

Fixed asset imports in older Studio versions so VNC can still verify Roblox asset details when the newest asset lookup is unavailable.
Fixed Award Badge in older engine versions so runtime badge awards can still use the available BadgeService award path.

[0.5.0-beta.6] - 2026-07-03

Added

Added a Troubleshooting reference for common setup, runtime install, asset, save, text filtering, purchase, badge, extension, and world interaction issues.

Changed

New Sprite Enter and Sprite Update nodes now start with Position Mode set to Auto and Auto Position set to Center, so newly staged sprites adapt to the scene before you choose a manual position.
File, Edit, and View menus now switch when you hover another top menu while a menu is open.
Reduced installed runtime size so places carry fewer VNC support files after installing or updating the runtime.
Runtime extension path constants are now available through Contracts.Paths, including the button module, server function folder, and generated Story helper paths.
Improved large-project refresh performance for scene-local node target edits, linear scene inserts, and node deletes.
Neutral status messages such as loading or ready states no longer show unrelated status icons.

Fixed

Fixed finished-story progress so Continue keeps the last playable autosave instead of restoring to an ended story screen.
Fixed Prompt Purchase outcome authoring so Purchased, Cancelled, and Already Owned appear as separate branch rows instead of linking together as one flat sequence.
Fixed Condition warnings so Owns GamePass and Has Roblox Premium branches no longer ask for a project variable.
Fixed installed-runtime World Wait presentation so Preview-only helper text is not shown during play.

Removed

Removed the separate Teleport Player node. Use Runtime Action with action teleport_player for teleport routes.

[0.5.0-beta.5] - 2026-06-29

Changed

Centered the fixed-aspect runtime viewport so resized game windows letterbox evenly instead of pinning the story screen to the top edge.
Improved published-place save persistence with storage backed by ProfileStore for stronger session locking, autosave, and shutdown-save behavior.
Improved runtime extension setup so button extensions, Run Function modules, and generated Story helpers use one consistent folder structure.
Updated remaining warning messages that still used old StoryCreator wording so they use VNC consistently.

Fixed

Fixed a Navigator panel loading issue.

[0.5.0-beta.4] - 2026-06-21

Added

Added Proximity Prompt as a World Wait trigger kind so stories can continue when a ProximityPrompt is triggered.
Added Shot Motion for Parallax Background nodes so individual story beats can push in, pull back, pan, or use custom motion without changing the reusable preset.

Changed

Improved Properties refresh behavior for project, chapter, dialog, background, overlay, sprite, choice, condition, and sprite-slot edits so warnings, Explorer rows, status counts, and Preview stay aligned after more field changes.
Improved create-and-link buttons so newly created sprites, variables, and Parallax Backgrounds attach to the exact field that requested them.
Improved insert actions from blank Explorer sections so they follow the same insert rules as context menus.
Improved undo/history capture for inserts, deletes, drops, graph rewrites, and reference cleanup so related edits are recorded more consistently.
Improved variable renames so direct variable fields and {variable} template text are updated through the same rename path.
Improved runtime installs so referenced bundled assets are copied more consistently.

Fixed

Fixed World Wait routes with unsupported trigger values so they no longer silently behave like Touch waits.
Fixed project text-scroll speed and parallax preset reference edits so Preview refreshes through the same path as other presentation edits.

[0.5.0-beta.3] - 2026-06-16

Added

Added support for Roblox’s newer Input Action system for story advance, opening the menu, and back/close commands while keeping click/tap controls available.
Added a neutral Preview badge when a running story reaches Roaming mode so it is clear why the stage is showing the 3D world.

Changed

New empty places now open to an empty project by default instead of loading the SVNE Feature Demo automatically.
Removed Nested Branch Demo from project templates so the demo list stays focused on the top-level SVNE Feature Demo.
Trimmed installed runtime contents so saved places carry fewer authoring-only files.
Improved default empty-project startup by loading demo project builders only when they are needed.
Improved StoryAssets performance for compile, insert defaults, asset dropdowns, and preload checks between asset-tree changes.
Improved node-target dropdowns so Next, choice, condition, and filtered-text target fields surface likely continuations faster.
Reduced parallax preview and runtime work for static presentations so still layers do not recompute every frame unless pan or ambient motion needs it.

Fixed

Fixed demo projects in empty places so bundled assets resolve for authoring without installing the full asset pack, and compile refreshes no longer error before the editor opens.
Fixed fallback and unknown project templates so they no longer copy demo assets into the installed runtime when they resolve to an empty project.
Fixed story edits and failed compiles so the last successfully installed runtime compile stays available for play testing until a new compile succeeds.
Fixed runtime StoryAssets preload refreshes so deleted or renamed asset instances do not stay tracked after the Assets tree refreshes.
Fixed runtime save retry behavior during player close or server shutdown so repeated DataStore failures stop at the configured attempt limit.
Fixed retried player data loads so they return the current document instead of resetting in-session progress.
Fixed project-setting warning refreshes so Run Function and sprite-slot dependent rows clear or update immediately when the related project setting changes.

[0.5.0-beta.2] - 2026-06-12

Added

Added Preview panel selection previews for Parallax Background presets, individual layers, and Background nodes that use a parallax preset when no story preview session is active.
Added Preview panel selection cues for parallax authoring, including selected-name labels, empty or missing-layer status text, and stronger selected-layer emphasis.

Changed

Improved runtime menu performance by keeping only the selected menu page active during gameplay.

Fixed

Fixed the Properties panel empty-selection text so it lines up with the rest of the panel content.
Fixed Parallax Background layer edits, such as Transparency, so the Preview panel updates immediately without reselecting the layer.

[0.5.0-beta.1] - 2026-06-11

Added

Added Prompt Purchase nodes for Developer Product and GamePass prompts, with Purchased, Cancelled, and GamePass-only Already Owned Story Map outputs.
Added Parallax Background authoring so Background nodes can show reusable layered presets with depth, pan, ambient drift, transparency, and platform-aware Input Follow motion.
Added an Assets tab StoryAssets Media section for reusable imported image/audio media, plus Add Parallax Background from the Assets tab context menu.
Added Owns GamePass and Has Roblox Premium condition operators for condition branches and choice option availability.

Changed

Improved Preview, Story Map, and Output panel headers so controls adapt at narrow workspace widths.
Improved large-project responsiveness when warnings refresh, Story Map graphs rebuild, and Explorer searches filter large outlines.
Improved asset dropdowns, warnings, preloading, and the Assets tab so they stay aligned to installed runtime StoryAssets, with live refreshes after runtime assets are created, renamed, edited, or deleted in Studio.
Improved the status bar with compact error and warning counts, clearer status/version icons, and version text that stays readable at narrow widths.
Improved light and dark themes with clearer surface contrast and interaction states.
Renamed asset-import menu and dialog wording to Import to StoryAssets so imported media is clearly reusable StoryAssets content for fields and dropdowns.

Fixed

Fixed warning refreshes so resolved authoring warnings clear from Explorer rows and the status bar without another preview or playback action.

[0.4.0-beta.6] - 2026-06-09

Changed

Expanded Story Map scopes so you can inspect project-level chapter flow, chapter-level scene flow, and scene-level node flow from the same panel.
Improved consistency across Insert menus, Explorer rows, and Story Map cards when VNC shows node labels, icons, and tints.
Lowered the searchable Properties dropdown threshold from 12 options to 6 options, so medium-sized reference fields are easier to filter.
Improved reference cleanup when sprite assets, sprite poses, scene jump targets, variables, and branch routes are deleted, renamed, or retargeted.
Improved variable renames so text templates and dialog cue trigger text follow the renamed variable key.
Improved Text Input filtered branches so retry routes are preserved during route cleanup and remapping, while connecting the If Text Is Filtered handle in Story Map still enables the filtered-text route.

[0.4.0-beta.5] - 2026-06-08

Changed

Improved real-time warning updates across Properties and Explorer for projects, chapters, scenes, characters, branches, sprite assets, sprite poses, and parallax backgrounds.
Improved large-project responsiveness when warnings refresh, Story Map connections render, Preview hot reloads after scene-local Properties edits, and Explorer or Properties searches filter large lists.
Improved Story Map responsiveness while dragging connections and opening connection context menus in large scenes.
Made Effect and Condition dropdowns contextual so the choices shown match the selected effect target or variable type.
Polished Effect labels and automatic Effect node names with clearer labels such as Shake and Background.
Improved Marketplace asset import checks when validating asset metadata.

Fixed

Fixed sprite pose Image Asset warnings so Properties and Explorer update immediately when you choose a valid sprite pose image, without waiting for Preview diagnostics.
Fixed missing sprite default-pose selections so refreshes keep the missing value visible long enough for Properties and Explorer to explain the warning.

[0.4.0-beta.4] - 2026-06-06

Added

Added Tint and Tint Color controls for Sprite Enter, Sprite Update, and image Background nodes so scenes can reuse the same art with color-wash lighting, mood shifts, or flashback-style effects.

Changed

Improved large-project responsiveness across Story Map, Explorer, Output diagnostics, and Preview hot reload, especially when working in large scenes or making display-only edits.
Reduced stored data size for large saved projects and compiled stories while still loading beta.3 plain-JSON project data.
Improved StoryAssets imports so invalid, incompatible, private, or unloadable Marketplace asset IDs fail with clear feedback instead of creating invisible assets.
Improved Install / Update Runtime for bundled StoryAssets so only assets referenced by the current project are copied into the installed runtime.
Improved dialog and color-picker popovers so they stay framed correctly as the plugin viewport resizes.

Fixed

Fixed Explorer warning and status badges so field edits and graph moves clear or update stale row decorations without waiting for another preview or outline action.

[0.4.0-beta.3] - 2026-06-05

Changed

Improved workspace layout so docked panels, resize bars, and the status bar sit flush with the plugin viewport. Resize bars now look like one-pixel dividers while keeping a wider drag target.
Improved Output panel headers at compact widths so the close action stays available and secondary Compile/Clear controls collapse before slots overlap.
Improved light and dark themes so panels, controls, stage backgrounds, and status colors separate more clearly.
Improved unavailable dropdowns and icon buttons so disabled controls look muted instead of active.
Improved number fields with side up/down step buttons, while direct typing and drag-to-adjust remain available.
Improved Properties with a compact filter bar for narrowing visible fields while matching advanced and section groups stay available.
Improved Properties dropdowns so "(none)" stays at the top of option lists, and short option lists only show search when they have at least 12 items.

Fixed

Fixed Story Map card moves and connection edits so dragging nodes, connecting handles, and disconnecting handles use the normal undo, autosave, and map refresh path.
Fixed Story Map automatic layout and context menus so disconnecting early flow keeps connected routes shaped, and Disconnect Connections is unavailable when the selected node has no visible connections.
Fixed misplaced VNC plugin bundle warnings so one misplaced VisualNovelCreatorPlugin root reports one warning instead of duplicates.
Fixed unavailable menu actions and Preview playback controls so disabled items look muted or flat instead of active or pressed.
Fixed runtime stage overlays so changing to a new color or image overlay updates the visible overlay correctly.
Fixed dialog cue effects so the Effect dropdown only shows effects supported by the selected target, sprite-only effects clear when retargeting away from sprites, and Sprite Emphasize/Deemphasize cues play correctly.

[0.4.0-beta.2] - 2026-06-04

Changed

Reduced installed runtime size by leaving authoring tools such as project editing, project checks, migration, and compile support out of runtime installs.
Play sessions now read the compiled story created by Compile Project and Install / Update Runtime, keeping editable project data out of the installed runtime.
Improved automatic node names so unlabeled nodes refresh from the fields you edit, while custom names stay custom.
Improved reused Properties fields such as Scene Starts At, filtered-text routes, sprite references, sprite pose defaults, and sprite pose size fields so empty values, reference cleanup, and preview refreshes stay consistent.

Fixed

Fixed Properties edits that could leave the panel showing the previous value after a change. Checkbox rows such as Show Chapter Index and selected item details now update visually from the current project state.
Fixed Explorer reveal scrolling so selected or newly revealed rows reliably stay in view, including when the visible Explorer order differs from the full project order.

[0.4.0-beta.1] - 2026-06-04

Added

Added searchable Properties dropdowns for large reference lists such as Next, assets, sprites, poses, variables, scenes, and chapters.
Added checkbox controls for true/false Properties fields so settings such as Interactable, Auto Emphasize, and Show Chapter Index are easier to scan.
Added editor display settings for Show node types and Show IDs.
Added Show Chapter Index on chapters so generated chapter title cards can show Chapter 1: Arrival or just Arrival without replacing the whole title-card text.

Changed

Improved large-project authoring responsiveness around inserts, selection, warning badges, Explorer rows, Properties dropdowns, Story Map layout edits, and undo history.
Improved Properties, Explorer, and Story Map warnings so matching issues show the same warning and priority.
Improved Story Map connection editing so stale or mismatched handles cannot silently edit the wrong kind of node.
Improved save/load safety for saves that point at story content that no longer exists. Outdated slots are shown as incompatible instead of being loaded.
Improved project storage writes so large saved projects replace their chunked data more safely.
Improved Properties layout with wider values, simpler boolean fields, square color swatches, better dropdown rows, and more consistent light/dark appearance.

Fixed

Fixed modal dropdown popovers so closing a modal also closes dropdown content.
Fixed Story Map disconnect behavior so disconnecting a card does not accidentally switch the viewed scene or rewrite the scene start.
Fixed warning badge ordering so nodes with multiple warnings show a stable first warning.
Fixed Explorer reveal behavior so inserted or pasted nodes only scroll into view when the new row would otherwise be outside the viewport.

[0.3.0-beta.6] - 2026-06-02

Changed

Improved large-project authoring responsiveness by removing an extra full-project copy during edits.
Reduced unnecessary route-order rebuilding when scenes already have a valid node order.

Fixed

Fixed Preview at Node so nodes behind choices, conditions, or disconnected branches can start directly instead of freezing while trying to prove a route from the scene start.

[0.3.0-beta.5] - 2026-06-01

Added

Added an Advance timing option for animated background, overlay, and sprite transitions so creators can choose whether the story waits for the transition to finish or continues immediately.

Changed

Updated the SVNE Feature Demo overlay timing so curtains and black-cover moments use immediate advancement like the original SVNE demo.

Fixed

Fixed faded overlay sequences so an overlay can fully cover or reveal the screen before later nodes run.
Fixed preview stepping backward through an overlay clear so authored fade-outs do not snap away instantly.
Fixed covered sprite exits so sprites hidden behind a full-screen overlay do not briefly reveal during a background swap.
Fixed Create Sprite from missing-sprite Properties fields so dependency create buttons work consistently.

[0.3.0-beta.4] - 2026-06-01

Added

Added sprite pose size controls, original image dimensions, and horizontal flip defaults, plus Sprite Enter and Change Sprite orientation overrides.

[0.3.0-beta.3] - 2026-05-31

Added

Added an Edit menu with Undo and Redo commands for Visual Novel Creator edits.

Changed

Undo and Redo now follow Studio Undo/Redo availability, so disabled actions stay unavailable until Studio has an edit to undo or redo.
Undoing or redoing a Visual Novel Creator edit reloads the editor from the reverted project state so Explorer, Properties, Preview, and saved project data stay aligned.
Loading another project or creating a new project now starts a fresh Visual Novel Creator undo/redo history so old project edits cannot be applied to the new project.

Fixed

Fixed Undo after creating a new project so it cannot jump back into the previous demo or project.
Fixed stale undo history recordings after plugin reloads so unfinished recordings are canceled before new edits are recorded.

[0.3.0-beta.2] - 2026-05-30

Fixed

Fixed Install / Update Runtime restoring bundled or stale StoryAssets after creators deleted them from the installed runtime, while demo projects still hydrate their bundled assets when created.

[0.3.0-beta.1] - 2026-05-28

Added

Added Runtime Action for one-shot player and world effects during roaming, starting with teleport_player and kill_player.
Added Award Badge for route milestones such as endings, chapter clears, and secret-route rewards.
Added Run Function for trusted server code at a specific story point.
Added a Filtered Text setting on Text Input nodes so tagged submissions can continue normally or route to a dedicated retry or recovery path.
Added generated Story helpers for Run Function modules, including variable helpers based on your project variables.

Changed

Runtime Action became the supported teleport authoring path.
Extension modules created by VNC start smaller and are easier to customize safely.

[0.2.0-beta.2] - 2026-05-13

Changed

Improved dialog text playback for longer or styled lines by preparing reveal frames before the typewriter animation starts.
Improved runtime playback cleanup for story audio, effects, sprite animations, title cards, and overlays during longer play sessions.
Improved Story Map responsiveness while panning around scenes and drawing connections between nodes.
Improved menu and command cleanup so repeated plugin sessions are less likely to leave stale actions behind.

Fixed

Fixed rich-text dialog reveal so scroll sounds follow the exact visible character being revealed.
Fixed temporary story sounds and completed animations so they clean up reliably after playback ends.
Fixed duplicate runtime setup so installed runtime handlers are not connected twice after a second initialization.