Items & Recipes
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.
Items represent everything the player can collect, use, or combine within your story. They are a key part of Talescape’s interactive system, allowing you to build inventory-based puzzles, survival mechanics, or narrative choices involving physical objects.
Recipes define how items can be combined to create new ones.
1. Items Overview
The Items section lists all items available in your story. Each item can be customized with its own appearance and behavior.
Common uses:
- Collectibles and key objects (e.g., Knife, Map, Keycard)
- Puzzle items that unlock scenes or dialogues
- Usable tools or materials for crafting
2. Creating an Item
To create a new item, open the Items panel and select Add Item. Each item includes the following fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The display name of the item shown to the player. |
| Description | Optional short text describing the item’s purpose or background. |
| Show in Inventory | Determines if the item is visible to the player. Useful for hidden or internal logic items. |
| Icon | The image shown for the item in the player’s inventory. |
| Can be inspected | Allows the player to examine the item more closely. |
You can edit or delete items at any time. Changes are automatically reflected wherever the item is used (e.g., in scenes, triggers, or crafting).
3. Inventory Behavior
All items defined in your story appear in the Inventory tab of the Debug Menu during testing.
There, you can adjust quantities or clear items to verify crafting and logic behavior.
In gameplay, inventory updates automatically when actions give, remove, or craft items.
4. Crafting Recipes
The Crafting section defines how existing items can be combined into new ones. Each recipe has a result item and one or more ingredients.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Result | The item produced when the recipe is successfully crafted. |
| Ingredients | The items required to complete the recipe. |
Example Recipe:
| Result | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Makeshift Knife | Duct Tape + Wooden Stick + Sharp Scrap Metal |
Recipes can represent simple crafting (e.g., combine two parts) or more complex multi-step creations.
If any required ingredient is missing, the recipe cannot be crafted.
5. Using Items in Stories
Items can interact with your story through actions, conditions, and triggers:
| System | Example |
|---|---|
| Actions | “Give item,” “Remove item,” or “Craft item.” |
| Conditions | Check if the player owns a specific item or a certain amount. |
| Triggers | Activate interactions when an item is used or collected. |
This allows you to build systems such as:
- Unlocking scenes only if the player has a certain item.
- Consuming ingredients after crafting a new tool.
- Displaying alternate dialogue options based on inventory content.
6. Best Practices
- Use clear and recognizable icons for items to make inventory management intuitive.
- Keep item names consistent with story tone and setting.
- Combine crafting and dialogue logic to create meaningful interactions (e.g., NPCs reacting to crafted tools).
- Avoid unnecessary items, each should serve a gameplay or narrative purpose.
Items and recipes add a tangible dimension to interactive storytelling, allowing players to influence outcomes through discovery, creativity, and resourcefulness.