Location

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What it controls

A location describes where the story happens. The same place can change across acts by using a separate configuration for each act. The example location is Tidebound Post Office: a dark lobby in the first act and a doorway with rising water later.

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Location name

Avoid names such as “Scene 1.” Players use the location name to understand where they are.

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Per-act configuration

If the place changes later, keep the same name and update the act configuration. For example: first only the emergency lamp is on; later water crosses the threshold and wet footprints lead to the back door.

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The same location across acts

Do not create several similar locations when a place changes. Keep the same location name and rewrite its configuration per act:

• Act one: The post office has lost power; only the emergency lamp is on beside the register desk.;
• Act two: Water crosses the threshold, and a fresh trail of wet footprints leads to the back door.

The player recognizes the same place in the location menu while feeling that it has changed.

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Scene image specs and production

A scene image is one location in one act, shown as the main scene background and in location details.

• Size and scaling: horizontal 1280×720. The editor scales to that size on upload; when the ratio does not match, it enlarges to fill and trims the overflow, so keep the subject away from the edges.
• Format and size: PNG, JPEG, or WebP, under 4MB, with a source close to 1280×720.
• Frame: the complete scene for this act, showing the location’s environment, light, weather, time, and state. Do not substitute a generic image of the place.
• Cross-act consistency: a place may change light, moisture, and state across acts, but keep its recognizable structure so the player knows it is the same place.
• Exclusions: text, watermarks, logos, and extra subjects.
• Prompt: state which location and act this is, the confirmed light and environment for that act, and the 1280×720 complete scene framing.

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Check it

Confirm that every act using the location has a configuration, its description contains observable facts, the entry condition matches the previous act, and the image works as a scene background. Bind the location to the act or players will not naturally enter it.