0 votes
by (130 points)
Hey, all! I am beginning to put together a site for a writing portfolio and was wondering if there is a possibility to incorporate Twine throughout the site. I've only looked into Twine for an hour or so, so I'm sorry if it's a 'duh' question...

Is there a way to have the person looking at my site to be greeted by Twine, make a few decisions (ie: would you like to see the writing archives or trophy room?) and move along from there?

Thank you so much for any info. :)

2 Answers

+1 vote
by (8.9k points)
Yes, this is absolutely possible with Twine.  The thing is, what you're describing is just links: this is also possible with WordPress, or Wix, or Squarespace, or Weebly – if you're just making a website with pages that people can click between, those might be better platforms to you.
by (130 points)
Thanks for the response, Charlie!

I was hoping to have the site more interactive than just links. I saw a few twine stories where clicking on an option would start a sort of whimsical transition to the next choice (and I believe I've seen comments where one can add images to twine as well?). Is it even possible to put the Twine interface onto Wordpress or squarespace?

My apologies on my lack of knowledge on combining the two. :O
by (8.9k points)

Hmm, what kind of transition do you need?

Twine can do what you want, but so far you seem to be describing making a web page, for which I guess you'd be better served by Wix et al.  :-/  You don't need to use Twine to link between pages that have pictures on them.

by (130 points)
Sorry, had to glare my internet back into submission.

I had an idea of a sort of AI 'character' greeting the person and showing them around my portfolio. IE: "<person> has woven many stories throughout her lifetime. If you are interested in her library of works, please follow me."

 

Sounds cheesy writing it out like this. :P I just thought it might be a different way to sell myself, especially since I'm pretty terrible at doing it the old-fashioned way. :\
by (130 points)
Twine seemed like something I could use to turn the portfolio into a journey instead of just <information blast> and here are some links to stories.
by (8.9k points)

Your idea doesn't sound cheesy at all, it sounds cool and original.  :-)

Quick answer: yes it can.

Long answer: What you're describing is cool, but in a technical sense you're so far just wanting words, links and graphics.  Twine can do all of those things for you, but so can dedicated website makers like Wix etc.  (By the way, I've never used Wix, I'm not on commission for them or anything.)

If you're going to learn either Twine or Wix/Wordpress/Weebly to make websites with, I would recommend Wix/Wordpress/Weebly because they can do things Twine can't do, like simply let you set up pages with lovely typography and allow you to drag and drop pictures around.

With Twine, you can set up lovely typography and place images exactly, but it's not so straightforward as Wix etc.

The benefit Twine offers is that you can easily create code for games – you'll notice most of the other questions here are about how to make health systems, and inventory systems, and clocks that simulate time passing, etc.  These are things that Wix et al just don't do, so we use Twine (I think generally because it's simpler to learn than hardcore development languages like JavaScript).

So if you don't need to make games, I would advise you that, although Twine can produce normal websites, making a normal website with Twine is a bit of an inefficient way to do it.  Wix or something would be better.

If you have an interest in making games/interactive fiction, though, Twine is awesome.

I hope my reply doesn't come across as trying to discourage you from learning and using Twine – it's really great, and if you pick it up I and the others here will be delighted to help you out.  My concern is that it seems a little like you're asking if a sword can open a wine bottle.  The answer's yes, but it actually sounds like you need a corkscrew instead.

by (130 points)
Oh, no way, I'm not discouraged at all. My portfolio is going to have Twine it in either way, since the profile is for a game design narrator position that I want to have at the ready when I throw myself into the good ol' career pond. I just wanted a 'different' style of portfolio to help gain interest and make the actual site just as interactive as what I'm trying to portray.

I just looked up Wix, and it looks like a great starting point, thank you! I liked squarespace as well, but IIRC, there is a monthly fee..

Thanks for the info, Charlie. :)
by (130 points)
Whoops, forgot to expand on using twine. Even if I choose to go the Wix route, I will need to add a section for a twine story (showing off my story/creative capabilities). Would a finished twine story be just linked from my site? Or is there a way for the viewer to simply play the story right on my sites' page?
by (8.9k points)
Ah!  Well, that puts a different spin on things.  If you're going to use Twine anyway, then yeah, you can make your whole portfolio in Twine.  What you're describing is easy to do in Twine.  :-)
by (130 points)
Oh wait! Haha, it is? Hrm... this is going to be rough to explain over the forum, but I'll try and do my best.

I will need a site host (I think...? I'm not so great on creating websites since, well... this would pretty much be my first one) in order to put twine into/onto it? Does it work that way?

If I were to put in the site address and click enter:

"Welcome, blah blah." You can enter the castle, gardens, library, etc... Was hoping to go the route of having a medieval castle be the background of all of it.

library

"You see piles of dusty books and yadda yadda..." AI says something to the affect of "Angela's works are available to read here, however we are not responsible for any ghouls, spirits, or spiteful pixie servants who may give you trouble once the clock strikes midnight."

The gardens could have plaques with achievements... a scrying room can shed light on past companies... etc... Something that lets the viewer adventure like that.

How do I make THAT possible? :O
by (130 points)
Charlie, I found this. I haven't played with it yet, but does this sound like it'd work for something I'd want (above)?

https://answers.squarespace.com/questions/53216/help-me-put-a-twine-html-onto-my-website-please.html
by (8.9k points)

That sounds like a difficult way to do it.  Here's a simpler way to publish your Twine game anywhere:

1.  Set up a (free) Google Drive account.

2.  In Google Drive, make a new folder called "My Twine game" (or whatever).  Change the folder's sharing settings to "Anyone can find and view".

3.  In Twine, Publish your story.  Your computer creates an HTML file.

4.  Upload that HTML file to the folder you made in your Google Drive.

5.  Set up a (free) WWW Drive account.  When I did this and logged in, it automatically generated a link to my HTML file.

6.  Copy the link in WWW Drive, then paste that link into your Squarespace or Wix or whatever. When the user clicks the link, they'll be transported straight to your Twine story.

by (130 points)
Woot! Sounds great. You're a lifesaver!
0 votes
by (1.1k points)
I used twine for an art portfolio :)

 

http://mazhemart.co.uk/Pa/

 

I was mostly like, eh why not, but there's not too much a difference between using it and a website, I just hosted the twine on my website as index.html which is why it loads when you go to /Pa
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