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Map screen twists
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Stooby
Stooby
Well-Connected

Jul-21-2007 10:35

I know the help file says if I have a map screen twist set off by the intro or crime scene in an SM it may take a while for it to appear. Is this true of all map scene twists? For example if I had a final question from a suspect having the effect of unlocking a map screen twist will it always appear as soon as you leave the suspect?

Replies

Stooby
Stooby
Well-Connected

Jul-23-2007 23:19

This seems a full answer and I'll keep my fingers crossed that it's how it works or my latest SM will come crashing down around our ears!

lilangel
lilangel
Sleuth About Town

Jul-24-2007 00:11

Whew... My SM was also heavily relied on timing. Now i wanna run to the city where my SM is located and test it out to see if it works...

Jojo
Jojo
Old Shoe

Jul-24-2007 14:15

An Unconscious Murder does use the Map Screens at strategic times. Just do as SS said and make it so you HAVE to unlock the map screen twist to continue, and it'll work out fine.

Sleuth Admin
Sleuth Admin
Tale Spinner

Aug-17-2007 09:58

Sorry I didn't answer this earlier:

Stooby, your original reading of the help file was correct. Map twists that are triggered by the Intro or Crime Scene may take a few visits to the map before they are triggered. In other words, they work just like twists in random mysteries.

ALL other twists are triggered immediately after whatever event causes them. So, if a map twist is caused by asking a question, the twist will fire the very next time you visit the map.

I hope that helps.


Stooby
Stooby
Well-Connected

Aug-17-2007 11:53

Thanks Ben. That was my take on it after reading the help files but I wanted to clear it up before i got any further as my next SM is very reliant on twists for the story.

Phoenix Shadow
Phoenix Shadow
Sleuth About Town

Nov-7-2007 13:59

I have a question about Twists too, please. Hopefully it will be useful to future searchers in having it in this thread!

In the SM that I am currently writing, I need the first twist to arrive after 2 particular questions have been asked (one of a witness, and one of a suspect). The questions themselves come through 2 separate strands, so either question can be reached without getting to the other. However, I don't want the twist to happen until both questions have been asked.

My question is: if I set it up so that the twist is unlocked when these questions are asked, which of the following scenarios is true:

a) The twist will only be unlocked once BOTH questions are asked.
b) The twist will be unlocked if EITHER question is asked.

I'm hoping it's a), otherwise I will need to do a bit of a rewrite!

Thanks in advance!

Secret_Squirrel
Secret_Squirrel
Safety Officer

Nov-7-2007 14:35

either. (b) and I think maybe even that you might trigger it 'twice' if both strands lead to it. Which would be even more confusing.

Phoenix Shadow
Phoenix Shadow
Sleuth About Town

Nov-7-2007 14:47

OK, thanks! I shall do a little rewriting!

lilangel
lilangel
Sleuth About Town

Nov-8-2007 15:14

Aww now I have to do some rewriting, I just saw that it would take a few times before the twist may happen after Intro and Crime Scene. I needed it to happen immediately after. How do I make a twist happen before a question is asked?

Secret_Squirrel
Secret_Squirrel
Safety Officer

Nov-8-2007 15:26

Make the crime scene trigger a twist, and then make the twist trigger the first question.

Most writers (so far) don't do this and I tend to think it's better if the first question is triggered by the crime scene (or the twist triggered by the crime scene) and not the intro.

Most writers (so far) open characters at the intro and subsequent question to those characters then too. Which means you can start the case without visiting the crime scene. and I reckon that can out things out of order somewhat.

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