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Getting Started
This page covers the basics: what you need to make a game on Dorian, high-level best practices for concepting your first game, and then a guided walkthrough with links out to more detail of how to make your first episode. Return to this page as a quick reference and as links out elsewhere. Let’s make your game now!
What do I need to get started?
Dorian is a no-code platform that lets you launch a game in hours, not years. All you need to get started is:
A hook for your game. Eight words or less that describe the stakes & plot!
1-3 character portraits at 2810 × 4000px with a handful of expressions each, and a cover illustration.
This is all the art you need– you can use Dorian’s library of backgrounds!
For more information & examples of character art & hooks, look here!
A short episode script! What kicks off your story? How will you introduce the characters? Let’s learn more together now!
Best Practices in Game Design to Get Promoted
You can make any game you want on Dorian! If you’re aiming for in-app promotion, follow these best practices. Often, games on Dorian have three distinct, iconic love interests and a single sentence hook, where the romance is the solution for the plot, like "romance slasher villains to save your life." Think about popular romance tropes and make your characters irresistible and your world clear and easy to understand!
A transparent self-insert main character rather than a specific protagonist character.
Episodes are 3k–5k words and playable in under 7 minutes.
Start with dialogue and lean more often on dialogue than narration--players are most interested in your characters!
Have a choice at least every 15 taps to maintain player interactivity!
Introduce a short term goal in the first 30 taps, at least one love interest by tap 50, and the idea of a premium choice and affection points by the midpoint!
By the midpoint: show a premium choice and affection points.
Premium choices: 1–2 in episode one, 3–5 in later episodes.
Always end on a juicy cliffhanger
End by asking fans to bookmark the game and follow you for updates, and letting your fans know when the next episode comes out!
👉 Do you have a hook and three love interests? Perfect—let’s make your first episode.
Create your accounts
Editor Account: Go to home.dorian.live → Sign Up in top right → Access the editor to CREATE games.
App Account: Download Dorian from the App Store → Sign Up with the same email you used for your editor account → PLAY games + reply to comments on yours.
2. Understand Engine Basics
Create a new game by opening the editor (editor.live.4dorian.net) and hitting “Create Story.”
Inside the editor:
Node Map (center): the building blocks of your game.
Emulator (right): playtest as you go.
To start creating a scene, simply open a “node” and start entering text, adding in Dialogue, Narration, and Choices! More about Node basics here!
Premium choices are how you earn on Dorian. Premium choices should be thrilling, heart-fluttering moments! Learn more about writing great premiums here, and about designing for monetization here.
3. Upload your Assets
Click into each link to learn more!
Characters - Create character art at 2810 × 4000 px, PNG, transparent background.
Backgrounds - Use Dorian’s extensive background library, or create your own at 2810 × 4000 px, JPG.
Cover - Create at 2810 x 4000 px, jpg.
Memory Bank - Memories are variables you use to track player actions, like a pronoun system, tracking affection with characters, and remembering choices your players made.
4. Polish with Advanced Features
You’ve made a game! Now to make it shine, add:
Text Importer - Write your script in Google Sheets/Excel, then import directly into the editor. Example scripts here.
Episode Goals – Read the last section on this page to add Episode Goals to the end of your episode, so players know how they stand with your LIs at the end of an episode!
Achievements – Reward fans for engagement.