inklewriter porting to kindle

Authoring Choice-based IF
1

Question about exporting an inklewriter story to kindle format. The page about this topic says:

“If your story has loops and you want to convert, you’ll need to add extra markers that track what the player has done, and turns off options that have already been used.”

I was wondering if the following setup in a story I’m writing meets the above criteria, or if I am not understanding the criteria. Please excuse the use of “::,” “[[]],” etc. Just trying to denote the inklewriter format in a fairly straightforward way.

Simplified Setup:

:: Passage1

You walk to the library with your child.

  • Option 1: You then go inside. >>Link to Passage2
  • Option 2: You then go to the playground. >>Link to Passage3

:: Passage2 - Go Inside [[Flag: Inside]]

Your child finds a book and you check it out for her.

  • [[If NOT Flag: Playground]] Then you go to the playground. >>Link to Passage3
  • [[If Flag: Playground]] You walk back home together. >>Link to Passage4

:: Passage3 - Go to the Playground

Your child plays for a while.

    • [[If NOT Flag: Inside]] Then you go inside the library. >>Link to Passage2
  • [[If Flag: Inside]] You walk back home together. >>Link to Passage4

:: Passage4 - Back Home

You both read for a while.

So, you go to a location and then you can go to one of two sub-locations. From each sub-location you can go to the other if you haven’t been to it yet and then afterwards you can also go to a separate, new location (“Back Home”).

I think this meets the criteria of tracking what the player has done and turning off options, but just wanted to make sure?

2

From what I understand, you need to limit the number of recursions in the story. You cannot allow an infinite loop with a hub area. It looks like you’ve done that by preventing the player from choosing an option twice. That should work.

It sounds like the compiler Inkle uses for Kindle literally creates every possible playthrough of your story separately, which is why you can’t give it a loop. You just have to design your story as a forward-moving progression like a classic CYOA. If you double back, you have to find a reason to not let the player double back infinitely.