We're seeing a lot of people starting to mess with events, and I'd love to encourage this further.
To that end, I'm creating a quick list of tips for people looking to start out making events. These are just tips, not comprehensive, but these are often overlooked and surprisingly important.
IMAGES
- Not all images are created equal. Remember to convert them to .jpg format using GIMP or Photoshop, and keep an eye on the pixels as well, there is no reason to have a 6000 x 4000 image that will never be displayed that large. GIFs can be very useful as well, but should be used with moderation!
- Again, keep those file sizes down! After you have a jpg, make sure to run it through a handy compression site such as https://tinypng.com/
- Don't worry about the details with random images that don't involve specific characters, as long as the image feels right, go for it!
- When choosing images for specific characters, try to match the hair color, eye color, and general body shape... within limits. Annette's many images are a great example of how far you can roam.
TEXT
- The general rule of thumb for writing events is to have four lines of text with one space between each line, then a pagebreak. Ideally fresh images can be interlaced through the text for longer text-heavy events.
- Think of the implications of school rules, they have a lot of details which can be worked into dialogue. Such as the 'normal' school uniform requiring (relatively) white panties. Or the many ways the 'bondage' uniform can be expressed, even involving attitude.
- Try not to provide information in the text that the principal would have not know. So prefer "You think the girls are showing their panties intentionally." rather than "The girls are showing off their panties intentionally."
- Equally the principal is not telepathic, don't write the internal thoughts of other characters. It's better to have a character say something to show what they are thinking, or have the principal interpret their expression ("From the smile on her face, you think she is enjoying it.").
- Lastly, make sure to use color tags for spoken dialogue. You can see a lot of examples of that in existing events.
THE PRINCIPAL
- Trying to stay 'in character' for any specific character is challenging, and in a generic event is basically impossible. But the one character that exists in all events is, of course, the principal. Even worse, the principal can be of different genders, and even have different personalities. The best advice I have for writing the principal is to read a lot of what is already written.
- The principal is a corrupting influence, but not entirely a cruel one. Everything the principal does can be twisted around to appear like it is 'for the students own good' and that is a useful perspective to write from. Whether the principal themselves actually believes this can be left open to interpretation, but one can write as if they do, since that could be read as sarcastic or authentic.
- Avoid extremes, since those can be jarring to players. The principal should never be completely evil sounding, but rather always leave space for a more positive spin on things. Even things like less than consensual activities could be considered 'helping students adjust to school life' or 'advanced sexual education'.
Lastly, remember the help option in the editor, there are quite a few resources there for the aspiring event creator. And it's always good to work from existing events at the beginning, since those can often teach you a lot of tricks of the trade.
Feel free to comment below with questions, or to tell me about something I should include. I'm always happy to help people out with event creation!