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Keycap Kevin: I just wanted to win a keyboard, now I'm programming an interactive fiction game

Kevin Hofer
7.7.2023
Translation: machine translated

Last year, the Pixel keyboard went live on Kickstarter. I bought it with the aim of putting it into play. But how?

When in 2022 the Lego-compatible Pixel keyboard goes live on Kickstarter, I know I want to try it out. As I knew in advance that I wouldn't be using the keyboard for long, I bought it with the intention of gaming it on Digitec Galaxus. At the time, I still didn't know how I was going to do it.

When the keyboard finally arrived, I still had no idea how to proceed. I've already organised several prize draws here on Digitec Galaxus, but I find that clicking on the "enter" button after reading an article isn't enough. What's more, I don't really feel like writing an article on the keyboard. The keyboard owes most of its character to the building bricks. So I want to do something creative.

First idea: stop motion

Second idea: interactive fiction

As I already have a storyboard, I don't want to waste it. In my burst of motivation, I've already bought a Lego set. I want to make the most of it. Later, my eldest son will be able to have it. That's when I came up with the idea of telling the story in pictures on a timeline. I look for a solution in my tool of choice, Flourish, but can't find anything.

Thankfully, Typeform has corresponding capabilities. It allows me to create interactive fiction, images included; just what I need. Unfortunately, I can't integrate it into our website. It's a shame!

On YouTube, I can also find a few tutorials. Visual Novel Design convinces me when he reveals the secret of programming:

Copy and Paste! Programmers just pass around bits of code like it's candy or something on Halloween.
Visual Novel Design

So all I have to do is copy and paste. As I can see from my first few attempts, it's still a bit more complex, especially as I still have to take photos and rework them in Photoshop. I gave up stop motion film because it was too much effort. And now, for the first time, I'm programming a game; all by myself. Well done! I'll tell you the rest in a future article.

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