Story Visibility and Discovery
Work in Progress
This documentation is still being expanded and refined. Features, screenshots, and descriptions may change until Talescape's public release. If something is unclear or you need help, please ask on the official Talescape Discord. We're happy to clarify or update pages as needed.
Talescape highlights stories in several ways to help Dreamers discover new content and to reward active Bards. Visibility is based on activity, quality, and community engagement. Paid placement does not influence story rankings or search results.
1. Contest Highlights
Stories that win or place in official contests are automatically featured on the start page and contest archive. Winning stories include a visible contest badge and remain permanently highlighted in search results.
2. New Releases
Recently published stories appear automatically in the “New Stories” section on the Talescape home screen and marketplace. This helps fresh releases gain early visibility without requiring manual promotion.
3. Recent Updates
When a Bard publishes a new version of an existing story, it appears in the “Recently Updated” list.
Updates are visible for a limited time and help long running projects remain discoverable.
4. Visibility Rounds
Some Bard tiers include visibility rounds, which allow creators to temporarily feature one of their stories on the Talescape front page.
When a visibility round is activated, the selected story appears in the featured section for a limited time. This allows Bards to promote new releases, major updates, or resurfacing older stories.
Visibility rounds are limited per tier and reset periodically according to the Bard’s subscription level.
Visibility rounds highlight a story temporarily but do not affect its long term ranking or recommendation placement.
5. Featured Stories
The Talescape front page includes a rotating selection of featured stories. These slots may include stories highlighted through visibility rounds, contest winners, or other platform highlights.
Featured placements rotate automatically and are time limited to ensure that multiple stories can receive exposure over time.
6. General Discovery
All public stories appear in marketplace search and category pages based on factors such as:
- Tags and Dream Type
- Popularity (downloads, ratings, or playtime)
- Release recency and completion status
Stories that are well tagged, frequently updated, and properly categorized tend to perform best in recommendations and search results.