Multiplayer

Storyfall supports two multiplayer modes: vote-based and cooperative. Both let you share interactive stories with friends in real time.

Multiplayer Modes

Creating a Session

To start a multiplayer session:

1. Navigate to the story you want to play.
2. Click “Play Multiplayer”.
3. Select “Vote-Based” or “Coop” as the multiplayer mode. Coop is only available if the story’s author has enabled it.
4. A new session is created and you receive an invite code.
5. Share the invite code with your friends.

The session starts in the lobby where players gather before the game begins.

Joining a Session

To join an existing session:

1. Enter the invite code or click the invite link shared by the host.
2. You’ll be added to the session lobby.

In vote-based mode, new players can join at any time, even after the game has started. Late joiners are placed into the current scene and can begin voting immediately.

In coop mode, late joining isn’t allowed. Once the host starts the game, new players can’t join. If a coop lobby is auto-paused because everyone disconnects before the game starts, new players can still join that lobby.

The Lobby

The lobby is the gathering area before gameplay begins:

• Players join and see who else is in the session.
• The host (the player who created the session) controls when the game starts.
• Once everyone is ready, the host clicks “Start Game”.

In coop mode, each player also selects a character from the available characters in the story. If “Require Unique Characters” is enabled, the lobby enforces each character’s Max Concurrent Players limit. Set that limit to 1 when you want strict one-player-per-character selection. The lobby shows which character each player has selected. If someone disconnects before choosing a character, they do not block “Start Game”; selected characters stay reserved for disconnected players.

In-Game Chat

Every multiplayer session includes a real-time chat panel where players can communicate during gameplay. Chat is useful for:

• Discussing upcoming choices before voting.
• Debating strategy.
• Reacting to story events.
• Coordinating during longer decision points.

Session Management

Disconnects and Pauses

If every player closes the page or loses connection, Storyfall pauses the session automatically. When any participant reconnects, the session resumes to the same state it had before everyone disconnected. A lobby returns to the lobby, and a game in progress returns to play.

If a game still shows “Game Paused” after players reconnect, the host can click “Resume Game” in the paused banner. Other players see a message telling them to wait for the host. Choices stay disabled until the session resumes.

If you refresh the page or lose connection, Storyfall keeps your place and reconnects you automatically. Other players may see you listed as offline until your connection returns. If you click “Leave”, you leave the session and must use the invite link or invite code again to rejoin. In a co-op game that has already started, your character and seat are kept for you so the same invite returns you to the session.

Host Controls

The host has additional controls during the session:

• Change Voting Mode and Voting Timeout in Game Settings.
• Share the invite code or invite link.
• Click “Resume Game” if a paused game needs manual resume.
• Kick a player from the session.
• Delete the multiplayer game.
• Restart a game that’s reached an ending.

Paid Content in Multiplayer

Paid Chapters (Vote-Based)

In vote-based multiplayer, when a winning choice leads to a paid chapter, all participants must have purchased the chapter before the story can proceed. Players who haven’t purchased yet see a buy button with the chapter price, while players who already have access see a “Waiting for other players” indicator. Once every player has purchased, the story automatically continues.

Paid Characters (Cooperative)

In coop mode, if a story has paid characters, players see the price on the character selection screen in the lobby. Free characters can be selected immediately, while paid characters require a purchase first. Each player only needs to buy the character they want to play as.

Guest Support

Guest players (without a Storyfall account) can join multiplayer sessions for free stories. They receive a temporary identity for the duration of the session. Guests can also purchase paid chapters and characters via guest checkout (email collected at payment). If they want to save their progress or access their purchases across devices, they can create an account at any time.

Vote-Based Mode

In a vote-based session, everyone reads the same scenes at the same time. When a choice appears, each player casts a vote for the option they prefer. Once voting concludes, the winning choice advances the story for the entire group. The host sets the maximum number of players when creating the session.

How Voting Works

When the group reaches a scene with choices:

1. Each player sees all available choices.
2. Players vote by clicking their preferred choice.
3. A progress indicator shows how many players have voted.
4. When the voting threshold is met, the winning choice is selected.
5. The story advances to the next scene for everyone.

Only connected players count toward the vote threshold. If someone disconnects, their vote stops counting until they reconnect. When they reconnect, their previous vote counts again and may immediately advance the story if it meets the threshold. For input-choice voting, submitted text stays available as an option while the submitter is temporarily disconnected, unless that participant leaves or is kicked.

Voting Modes

The host configures the voting mode when creating the session:

Majority (>50%)

The choice with more than half the votes wins. This is the default mode and keeps the story moving quickly.

Unanimous (100%)

All players must agree on the same choice. This mode encourages discussion and consensus but can take longer.

Timeout

The host can configure an optional voting timeout - a time limit for each vote. If the timeout expires before all players have voted, the choice with the most votes at that point wins. If no one has voted, the timeout continues waiting until at least one vote is cast.

Input Choice Voting

When the story has an input choice (where players type text), the voting process has two phases:

Phase 1: Submission

All players see the text input field and type their own response. Each player submits independently. Submissions are hidden until everyone has submitted.

Phase 2: Voting

Once all submissions are in, they’re revealed as votable options. Each option shows the submitter’s name and their text. Players vote for their preferred submission using the same voting rules as regular choices.

Cooperative Mode

In cooperative mode, each player picks a character and plays through the story independently while sharing certain state with the group. If Require Unique Characters is enabled, each character can be selected up to its Max Concurrent Players limit.

Requirements

Before a story can be played in coop mode, the author needs to set up a few things:

• Characters: The story must have at least one character defined. Each player will select one as their character. If Require Unique Characters is enabled, define enough characters or increase each character’s Max Concurrent Players limit for the group you expect. See Characters for details on creating characters.
• Coop Enabled: The author must turn on “Enable Coop Mode” in Story Settings.

Without enabling coop, the coop option won’t appear when creating a multiplayer session. Without characters, players won’t have anyone to choose in the lobby.

Shared vs. Personal State

Coop mode distinguishes between shared (party) and personal state. Authors control this when building their story.

Party State (Shared)

Variables, NPCs, and factions marked as “Party” are shared across all players:

• When any player triggers an effect on a shared variable, the change is visible to everyone.
• All players see the same value for shared state.
• Changes are synchronized in real time via live updates.

Use cases: Group resources (party gold, shared quest progress), world state (whether a door is unlocked, whether a boss is defeated), shared NPC relationships.

Personal State

Variables, NPCs, and factions that aren’t marked as “Party” are personal to each player’s character:

• Each player has their own copy of the value.
• Changes only affect that player’s character.
• Other players don’t see personal state changes.

Use cases: Individual stats (health, mana), personal inventory, character-specific relationships, individual quest flags.

Sync Points

Sync points are special scenes where all players must arrive before anyone can continue. Authors place these at key moments in the story to bring the party back together.

How Sync Points Work

1. The author marks a scene as a sync point in the editor.
2. When a player reaches that scene, they see a waiting screen.
3. The waiting screen shows a list of who has arrived.
4. Once all players have reached the sync point, everyone is released to continue playing.
5. Players receive a notification when the last person arrives.

Player Visibility

When two players are on the same scene, their character avatars appear on screen so you can see who else is there. Authors can configure player visibility in the coop settings:

• None: Players can’t see each other’s progress.
• Scene Name: Players see which scene others are on.
• Full: Players see other characters’ avatars on shared scenes.

Author Tools

Vote-Based Settings

• Voting Mode: Choose between majority or unanimous voting.
• Voting Timeout: Set a time limit for each vote.

Coop Settings

• Enable Coop Mode: Toggle that makes coop mode available for your story.
• Require Unique Characters: When enabled, each character can be selected up to its Max Concurrent Players limit. Set that limit to 1 for strict uniqueness.
• Player Visibility: Choose what players see of each other (None, Scene Name, or Full).
• Party Variable checkbox: Mark a variable as shared across all players. Uncheck to keep it personal to each character.
• Party NPC checkbox: Mark an NPC relationship as shared. When shared, all players see the same NPC sentiment value and changes affect everyone.
• Party Faction checkbox: Mark a faction relationship as shared. Works the same way as party NPCs.
• Sync Point toggle: Found in the scene toolbar. When enabled, all players must arrive at this scene before anyone can continue.

Next Steps

• Characters - Create the characters players will choose from.
• Input Choices - Understand how text input works in voting sessions.
• Variables & Conditions - Set up shared and personal state for your story.
• Playing Stories - General guide to the reading experience.
• Publishing Your Story - Share your multiplayer-ready story.