How you work
Making a game with VN-Mikro is a short loop you repeat all day:
write → play → reload → check → … → build
The two players
| Author player | Your released game | |
|---|---|---|
| Who uses it | You | Your readers |
| Opens any project folder | Yes | No — it contains one game |
| Reload and debug keys | Yes | No |
| Build button | Yes | No |
You write and test in the author player. When the story is ready, you build your released game from it.
Write
Open your project folder in any text editor. Almost everything is in:
story/script.txt— the story itselfgame.json— your game’s name and settings- picture and sound folders
Save the file. That is all “writing” means here — there is nothing to export.
Play and reload
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| F5 | Reload the story and pictures, and keep your place (also reloads native extensions in author mode) |
| F6 | Reload only the look (theme, menus) |
| F2 | Open a different project folder |
| F12 | Open the author tools |
Edit a line, press F5, see it. You do not restart the game to test a change.
Check
F12 opens the author tools beside the game. Full tab list (Meta, Nodes jump modes, Vars, Validation, Prefs, Build): Author tools.
Run Validation before you share a build.
Build
When you are ready, the Build tab packs your game for Windows, macOS, Linux, the web or Android. You get one folder per platform to give to players. Details: Build and hand off · Author tools.
How to read these docs
- Parts 1–7 in the sidebar follow the order you build a game in. Read them top to bottom the first time.
- Reference at the bottom is for looking things up once you know what you want.
You do not need to read everything. Most games use only a small part of what is here.
Next
What is JSON — then Reusing settings — then Your first ten minutes