My Name is (Not) Alice

Interactive
Fiction

July – August 2024 | Creator

ABOUT

An interactive fiction game developed in Twine where players must find and catch an ‘imposter’ by noticing clues and inconsistencies in conversations with two NPCs.

However, when players converse with NPCs, they have to be careful not to attract suspicion, or they might be suspected as the ‘imposter.’

Players’ dialogue choices create a branching narrative where players learn more about the characters and story with each playthrough. There are 7 possible endings.

My Role

I was the designer, writer and programmer for this solo development project.

Player Experience Goals

1. To entertain comedically

2. To cause discomfort – the thrill and nerves associated with catching an imposter.

DESIGN PROCESS & CHALLENGES

I developed My Name is (Not) Alice in Twine using Sugarcube v2. It was my first time working with Twine. Throughout the game’s development, I taught myself how to use ‘Twine script’ — Twine’s proprietary programming language — and CSS/HTML.

One of the major constraints with this project was scope. In the three weeks that I had to finish this project, I wanted to design a game where it felt like every choice led to a unique path while still being able to deliver on time.

Design & Writing

  • Created 140+ unique Twine Passages

  • Wrote 350+ original lines of dialogue

  • Designed a network of branching paths that lead to different endings

  • Created a cast of 5 characters (including the player character)

Programming

  • Coded a ‘suspicion’ mechanic in twine script that determines NPC suspicion as a result of player responses.
  • Used twine macros to create a skippable typewriter effect for character text, add audio to the passages and implement gated dialogue options.
  • Coded and tested a system of booleans in twine script to track player choices and gameplay events to determine conditional endings.
  • Used CSS to create a text animation for the Title Screen and Credits Screen.
  • Used CSS to create separate passage fonts and text colors for the various characters.

My Name is (Not) Alice

Available on Itch.io | Coming soon to Steam