Story Preview
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.
The Story Preview feature allows you to test your story directly inside the editor, just as Dreamers will experience it. You can preview your entire story or focus on specific parts to test interactions, logic, and presentation before release.
1. What You Can Preview
Talescape lets you start a preview from different levels of your story:
| Preview Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Story | Runs the story from the beginning, including all chapters and scenes in sequence. |
| Chapter | Starts the preview from a specific chapter. Useful for testing transitions, achievements, and pacing. |
| Scene | Runs only the selected scene. Ideal for checking layout, dialogue, and events in isolation. |
| Dialogue | Tests a single dialogue tree on its own. The preview ends automatically once the dialogue finishes. |
Each mode uses your story’s current data (scenes, variables, inventory, and items) as they exist in the editor.
2. Using the Debug Menu
During preview, you can open the Debug Menu to:
- View logs of story actions and conditions.
- Modify variables and inventory for testing.
- Simulate different story states instantly.
The Debug Menu does not affect your actual story data and resets automatically when you exit preview. See the Debug Menu article for detailed controls.
3. Exiting Preview
Use the Pause Menu to exit preview at any time. When you stop the preview, you are automatically redirected to the editor view of the scene you were last in, not the one you started from. This makes it easy to fix or adjust the part of the story you were just testing.
4. Tips for Effective Testing
- Test each scene and dialogue individually before doing a full story run.
- Verify that all transitions work as expected and no scenes are skipped or repeated.
- Use variables and inventory editing in the Debug Menu to jump to later story states.
- After major edits, always re-run a short chapter preview to confirm nothing broke.
The Story Preview lets you experience your creation exactly as players will; helping you polish flow, logic, and atmosphere before your story ever reaches the marketplace.