How to Make a Rezona Game Without Losing Your Mind

1. Plan Your Game First

Before you start throwing code together, figure out what kind of game you actually want to make.

Ask yourself:

What genre is it?

What does the player do?

What is the goal?

What art style do you want?

What mechanics matter most?

Even a rough idea helps a lot. Following pure whim can work, but having a loose plan keeps the project from turning into chaos later.

2. Figure Out What Sprites You Need

Once you know the basic idea, ask ChatGPT what sprites your game would require.

Examples:

Player sprite

Enemy sprites

Backgrounds

Buttons

Weapons

Items

Effects

UI icons

You can also ask ChatGPT to:

Suggest art styles

Find free sprite websites

Help organize asset lists

Generate prompts for sprite creation

3. Get or Make Your Sprites

You have a few options:

Download free sprites online

Buy sprite packs

Make them yourself

Edit existing sprites

Then upload those sprites into your Rezona project.

4. Keep Notes on Every Sprite

This part saves a ton of confusion later.

Write down:

Sprite name

What it does

Where it appears

Animations tied to it

Special effects or behaviors

Example:

ghost_enemy.png → Enemy that follows player slowly

coin_gold.png → Collectible currency item

shockwave.png → Explosion effect for attacks

This makes it easier to:

Dictate changes to Rezona

Copy and paste instructions

Avoid forgetting what assets do

5. Add Features Without Breaking Your Game

When updating your game, use prompts like:

"Keep everything the same, just add on (insert new command)."

Example:

"Keep everything the same, just add on a double jump mechanic."

This helps prevent Rezona from rewriting major systems or changing gameplay you already liked.

It basically tells the AI:

Do not replace core code

Do not alter existing mechanics

Only expand the game

This is one of the best ways to keep your game stable while still adding new features.

6. Build Slowly

Do not try to make everything at once.

Add:

Movement

Enemies

Effects

UI

Extra mechanics

Test after every major addition.

Small steps make bugs easier to fix and help you keep the fun parts intact.

Final Tip

Your first version does not need to be perfect. A lot of good indie games start messy. The important thing is keeping your project organized enough that you can continue building without destroying what already works.

The Game: Symbiotic Survival (CLICK HERE)

REZONA needs to add .exe exporting as well as HTML, JavaScript, etc. Exporting. This is a good idea just in case the site goes down. If the site is taken down, we lose all our creations. Having the ability to pull the games off the site, and edit it, even if it's just coding, or having access would be nice with comments to help us know what we're messing with.

If there is no human editing, at least exporting a .exe or .apk or file types for VR.

Tutorial: How to Make a Strong, Story-Driven Text Adventure Game

This

guide breaks down how to design a high-quality text adventure that is engaging, easy to navigate, and rich in story for the Quest text adventure software. We will not be handling Squiffy..

1. Start With the Right Mindset

Text adventure games are interactive books, not traditional games.

Focus on story first, gameplay second

Avoid making the game overly difficult through guesswork

The player should not struggle to figure out what they can do

Goal: Make the experience feel like reading a novel where the reader can interact with the world.

2. Make Navigation Clear and Easy

Players should always know:

Where they can go

Who they can talk to

What actions are available

Best Practices:

Clearly label directions:

“Go east to the living room”

“Go south to the basement”

Avoid vague directions like:

“You can go east, west, south…”

Why This Matters:

Text adventures don’t have visuals, so unclear navigation leads to confusion and frustration.

3. Use the Exit System Properly

When creating exits (like moving between rooms):

Use prefixes and suffixes to build natural sentences

Example:

Prefix: go

Direction: east

Suffix: to the living room

This will display as:

Go east to the living room

Important Rules:

Do not add extra spaces or punctuation

The system will automatically format parts of the sentence

4. Write Like a Novelist

Your game should feel like a real story.

Think of it like:

A novel

A comic

A narrative-driven series

What This Means:

Develop a plot with a beginning, middle, and end

Add lore and depth

Use descriptive writing

Example Inspiration:

Write with the depth of something like The Hunger Games or Warrior Cats—not just short, mechanical actions.

5. Make NPCs Meaningful and Interactive

Avoid empty or lifeless characters. Especially LITERALLY empty characters!

Every NPC should:

Have personality

Have dialogue

Be relevant to the story

Problem to Avoid:

A character standing next to the player with no interaction options.

It's even worse if he is a side character.

The thing is, this is actually a common problem. You’ll have other characters in a scene, and when you talk to them, they’ll just say something like, “Hey, my name is George.” Then you click again, and they repeat, “Hey, my name is George.” There’s no real dynamic to them.

Sometimes you click “Speak to,” and they don’t say anything at all. Here’s the thing: if you go into the verb section and click “Add,” then type in a name for a new verb (for example, type “sp”), it will automatically suggest options like “speak to,” “talk,” or “talk to.” Select one and press enter to add it. This applies if you’re using the browser version.

Click on "Text" and it will show a drop down list, click run script, click add new script, then click print and type a story.

Why does this matter? Because it allows you to talk to that character—but don’t just have them say “hi.” Give them meaningful dialogue. Let the player bond with the character, and let the player’s character bond with them as well.

This becomes even more important if you add images or photos. It feels empty when there’s an NPC with no visuals, no description, and no interaction. It’s even worse when you *do* have art for a character, but you still can’t talk to them. If this is a long-term companion who follows you everywhere, it becomes very noticeable. They’re always there, but they feel lifeless. You can’t interact with them, and there’s nothing to do with them.

This confuses players, especially if they’re familiar with the software. They assume it should be easy to add dialogue and interactions. From their perspective, it just looks like a lack of effort. They start wondering: why is this character so empty? Why are they voiceless and lifeless? Why are all the interactions so shallow?

If this character is supposed to be a side protagonist, why do they feel like an extra? If they’re the only one traveling with you, why do they have no presence? At that point, the game feels uninteresting and lacks passion.

Here’s something that can help: listen to music. Music can inspire ideas and help you develop your scenes and characters. Choose music that fits the tone of your game so it sparks ideas that match the vibe you’re going for. From personal experience, the driest moments I’ve had while making a game were when I wasn’t listening to the kind of music that inspired me.

6. Use the Ask/Tell System Effectively

Players should be able to ask characters about topics.

Improve “Unknown Topic” Responses

Instead of:

“I don’t know what that is.”

Use:

“She looks at you, confused, as if she’s never heard of that before…”

Why:

Adds immersion

Keeps the story engaging

7. Use “First Time” and “Otherwise” Scripts

This makes interactions feel dynamic.

Example:

First time:

“Tyler looks at you strangely and says she doesn’t know.”

Afterward:

“Tyler shrugs. ‘Still not sure.’”

Benefit:

Prevents repetitive dialogue and keeps interactions fresh.

8. Guide the Player With Hints

Don’t make players guess everything.

Example:

After a failed interaction, suggest options:

“You could try to {command:Ask Tyler about her age}.”

Why:

Reduces frustration

Helps players discover content

9. Always Include a Real Story Introduction

Never rely on the description tab for storytelling.

Bad:

Game starts with no explanation, no story, story should not only be in the help section or only in the description of the game. It should be the very first thing we are introduced to.

An example is when I was playing a text adventure game, I kept wondering: what am I supposed to do? What is the goal? Why am I here? I had no idea what the objective was or why I was there, even though I was playing as the main character.

Why didn’t I know what my character was doing? There was too much guesswork to figure out how to get into rooms and too much guesswork to figure out how to do anything, to the point where you really couldn’t progress.

Good:

Start with:

A narrative intro

Context for the player

Clear purpose

10. Avoid Unfinished or Empty Games

Common problem:

Games with no ending

Incomplete storylines

Solution:

Always include a clear conclusion

Even short games should feel complete

11. Enhance Immersion With Features

Add:

Images

Music

Sound effects

Why:

Sets tone and mood

Helps players visualize scenes

12. Use Popups for Extra Information

Popups let you hide optional lore or details.

Example:

Clicking a word reveals:

“She was always depressed… maybe this gives her peace.”

How to do it: {popup:Aiyana:She is so beautiful..}

Benefit:

Keeps main text clean

Adds depth for curious players

13. Make Actions Clickable (Reduce Guesswork)

Avoid forcing players to type everything.

Instead:

Provide clickable actions

Use menus and dropdowns

Result:

Easier gameplay

Less frustration

Faster progression

14. Design With Player Perspective in Mind

If the character knows the environment, the player should too.

Example:

Instead of:

“Go north.”

Use:

“Go north to the kitchen.”

Why:

helps the player's knowledge Match the character's knowledge

Makes navigation easy

15. Use Maze-Like "Go east, go west" in the rarest circumstance if you want to do so so badly (For Tension Only; it will be annoying, annoying is not fun)

The "Go east, go west" layout can be useful—but only intentionally.

Example Use:

Horror scenes with a maze-like tension

Warning:

Do not overuse this or players will quit.

16. Learn the Tools and Experiment

Take time to:

Read documentation

Test features

Experiment with scripts

Example:

Use text processor features like:

{once:} for first-time text

{notfirst:} for repeated visits

17. Add Advanced Features (Optional)

If you want to go further:

Embed HTML

Add external content

Include animations or web elements

18. Understand Your Audience

Players come for:

Story

Immersion

Interaction

They do not come for:

Confusion

Guesswork

Empty gameplay

Final Advice

Don’t rush your game

Don’t leave it unfinished

Treat it like a real creative project

This is for people who do jit out of passion. If you approach text adventures like serious storytelling, your game will stand out immediately.

If there’s one thing I find cliché, it’s contrived drama. It’s not that I dislike conflict, it absolutely has a place and often makes stories more engaging. But I’m also fine with stories that are low-conflict or even conflict-light.

Sometimes I just want something happy-go-lucky. Like certain children’s stories, I enjoy narratives where the drama is minimal and nothing feels overly heavy. I’m looking for a relaxing experience.

Part of that is intentional. I consume a lot of real-world negativity, horror, and heavy content, so sometimes I just want something that feels uplifting or lighthearted instead.

That said, I’m not saying stories shouldn’t have drama. People enjoy it, and it can be important. I just sometimes prefer sitting down with a visually beautiful, artistic film that’s interesting without being emotionally exhausting.

For that kind of story to work, though, it still needs strong fundamentals. A good plot, strong art style, and ideally a fantastical or imaginative setting. Fantasy or supernatural elements can be just as engaging as high-stakes drama when they’re done well.

Even then, some level of conflict is still necessary. It just doesn’t need to be constant or extreme.

What I don’t like is soap opera conflict. That’s the kind that feels recycled or forced, where it seems like the story is generating tension just for the sake of it. It often comes across as the writer running out of ideas rather than building something meaningful.

A lot of those conflicts feel predictable, like cheating plots or repetitive relationship breakdowns. I’m not saying they’re always bad, but they can feel shallow when they aren’t tied to the actual world or themes of the story.

What I prefer is conflict that grows naturally from the setting. In sci-fi or fantasy, for example, the strongest tension often comes from world-building itself, not relationship drama. A character breaking a law and being forced to deal with the consequences is more interesting to me than recycled interpersonal drama.

Even character mistakes can be a good source of conflict, especially when the story focuses on accountability and consequences instead of manufactured tension.

The issue I have is when conflict feels unnecessary or out of place, especially in stories that already have rich worlds to draw from. It can feel like the writer defaulted to relationship drama instead of using the setting they built.

I also don’t like when abusive relationships are used as romantic conflict and then resolved without properly addressing what happened. When stories downplay or ignore serious harm and still frame the relationship as love, it can feel very off.

It’s not just about realism, it’s about tone and responsibility. If a story presents something harmful, it should acknowledge it clearly rather than brushing past it or turning it into romance without reflection.

Otherwise, it can create the impression that the story doesn’t really take its own subject matter seriously, especially when serious issues are involved and then not treated as such.

At that point, it stops feeling like meaningful drama and starts feeling like contrived shock value.

What I’m really getting at is that I prefer conflict that feels earned and connected to the world or themes, not recycled relationship tropes or forced emotional chaos.

Things like illegal cloning, moral dilemmas, or systemic consequences feel more engaging because they naturally come from the story itself. That kind of drama feels intentional rather than inserted.

It’s not that contrived drama should never exist. It just doesn’t add much for me when it feels disconnected from the story’s core ideas.

And when it comes to abusive relationship tropes specifically, it often feels like the entire narrative could have gone in a different direction with stronger, more meaningful conflict that doesn’t rely on normalizing or sidelining harm.

In general, I just prefer stories where the conflict feels like it belongs there, not something added because the writer felt they needed “something dramatic.”

If there's one thing that I kind of find cliché, it's contrived drama. It's not that I don't like it. It makes the story interesting, and there should be some conflict, some drama, but at the same time, I am actually chill with a story that doesn't have conflict.

Sometimes I'm looking for happy-go-lucky. For example, you know how you'll have a children's story? I like a situation where I can watch a story where the conflict and the drama just aren't so extreme. This is more what I would call me liking a relaxing experience.

I don't want to see tragedy today, I want to see something fun. Now, the reason is actually because I watch so much negativity. I watch negative real stuff, I watch horrors and such, and at some point I'm like, "you know what? I want to fill my spirit with something happy and go lucky."

Now, I'm not saying don't add drama or anything like that. People want to see that. I'm just saying that there are times where I'll just be chill with cuddling up to a very beautiful, artistic film that's just interesting.

Now, the only thing is that with these kinds of stories, you do have to have not only a great story and an interesting plot and art style, but the plot has to be fantastical, fantasy, something that is just as interesting as drama but doesn't require drama to be interesting, such as a very beautiful art style and an interesting, fantastical, supernatural-type plot, because that's still very interesting.

Things like that will be interesting to someone who is interested in that type of thing. But at the same time, you still need some level of conflict, you know what I'm saying.

But if there's any type of conflict that I find cliché, it's soap opera conflict. Soap opera conflict is when you can't really find conflict. To be fair here, your story is really interesting the way it is. It's got fantasy, it's got all that, but at the same time, you can't think of conflict for it. And this becomes especially an issue when you have a situation where everything is normal.

For example, let's say I have sci-fi. The thing is, what makes those stories really interesting, sci-fi, fantasy, etc., is the conflict, really the fight scenes. But it's like, let's say you have a story or something like that. At the same time, I'm going to be straight, when everything is normal, it's boring.

When it's fantastical, you can look at a scene with no fighting, no conflict, no arguments, and you're fine. You can look at a couple of scenes, and even though there's slight conflict, no one is fighting and no one is arguing. Everyone is chill, because it just feels comfortable to watch. Sometimes, in some scenes, you don't have to have constant conflict. You can let people relax. You basically need a balance.

But at the same time, it's not that I don't like soap opera conflict, I don't like cliché conflict. The conflict feels like, oh, you couldn't think of anything, and there's nothing wrong with this. But at the same time, I would prefer story-based conflict, not soap opera conflict. Soap opera conflict is like, my lover cheated on me. Oh no, he's got another woman pregnant. And again, I don't have anything against this, but I would like story-driven conflict. And soap opera conflict, especially when it's abusive lover-type conflict, in my opinion, there are cases where you just don't need it. There's enough conflict in your story. You can actually grab the conflict from world-building. Let's say there's a law that if your character breaks it, they're in serious trouble. This law may have a good reason for being in place. Your character doesn't have to be a perfect person, but you can still have your character go on the run and show their reaction to that conflict.

Let's say your character did something wrong, and you realize they did something wrong. A good conflict is having them acknowledge that they've done something wrong. Low-key, I would prefer in-world conflict better, especially when it feels contrived. Sometimes I've seen stories where the girl is sold to this abuser and she is repetitively abused by him, and then they end up together and ignore all the abuse that happened. That is annoying to read because it just feels so offensive. And it feels like the story already has conflict everywhere, so why did it have to come from her partner? It can feel like it's being romanticized or ignored. Really, it's not that it's being romanticized or ignored, it's that no one is contesting this relationship. No one is saying, girl, he's abusive, you need to leave him. Especially when it's told from the point of view of a victim with Stockholm syndrome and the abuser, it can come off as though you don't care about the abuse in your story.

It makes people think that, especially if you have an unaccounted-for rape that is not portrayed as such. Especially if it's erotica, then people will think, "so did you just write rape erotica?" That's offensive to a lot of people. Basically, it's contrived drama. Low-key, you don't need the "he cheated on her, she cheated on him" repetitive issues. It would be fine without that. It's just that it's more interesting with drama, but I feel like story-driven, world-building-type drama works better, like your character deciding to clone someone even though it's heavily illegal. Now they're on the run. Or your character did something that not everyone is going to like. That kind of drama has to make sense. I don't like contrived drama, but you can still add it if you want to. No one is going to know, no one's going to mind.

It's just that sometimes, especially when the conflict is an abusive relationship, like when the story has an unaccounted-for abusive relationship that looks like it was a BDSM story, it's like all this drama could have come from outside of the love interest. Like, "oh yay, she changed her abuser and now they're happy, and now they're going to ignore the several years of trauma he put her through."

Low-key, they become the family where the kid asks, "Hey Grandma, how did you meet Grandpa?" and the grandma says, "Well, your grandfather bought me, branded me, and beat me, but after showing him a lot of love and effort, and potentially some Stockholm syndrome, I got him to like me."

Or, "He met me when I was 17 and I was sold to him, but we got pregnant so I stayed with him, and we fell in love."

Low-key, why do fictional characters have to be that? Why can't the drama come from outside? Why can't it be that someone saves her from that? Why can't we at least acknowledge the problems in this relationship? Why do they have to end up together in the end? It's just so offensive to some women in particular. Got dang!