How to use Pominis: from idea to playable draft

For your first Pominis project, aim to finish one playable situation. A short draft with a working choice and two reachable endings will tell you more about the idea than a large collection of unfinished scenes.

This walkthrough uses a fictional example: a night-shift archivist finds a letter that could clear a friend's name, but the archive closes at dawn. The player must choose whether to hand over the original or keep it to investigate.

1. Write a brief with a finish line

Describe the protagonist, immediate goal, pressure, tone, and the decision the player will make. Set a small scope so you can review the result. For example:

“Create a short mystery visual novel in a closed archive. The player is an archivist trying to clear a friend's name before dawn. Use two speaking characters, one location, one major choice, and two endings. Handing over the original earns help but loses control of the evidence; keeping it protects the evidence but leaves the archivist working alone. Use a restrained, illustrated style.”

2. Review the generated structure

Open the story map and follow the draft from the opening to each ending. Check whether the choice actually leads to different consequences. If the draft adds unrelated suspects or locations, simplify it before generating more assets.

• The opening tells the player what they want and why time matters.
• Both choice labels describe an action the player understands.
• Each branch leads to an ending that follows from that action.
• No scene depends on a clue that exists only on the other route.

3. Make one scene readable

Review the dialogue, speaker names, background, and character appearance together. Give each exchange one purpose: reveal the letter, challenge its meaning, or force the decision. Ask the agent for a specific revision, such as “Keep the route structure; shorten the opening dialogue and explain why the original letter matters.” Check the changes before moving on.

AI output is a draft. Continuity, visual details, and branch connections still need review. Generation time and credit use vary with the task, selected settings, and revisions; a scene count is not a price or completion-time guarantee.

4. Preview both endings

Start from the beginning and take each route. Check text readability on the screen your players will use, watch for missing visuals, and confirm that the final scene resolves the opening problem. Fix a broken choice before polishing a background.

5. Choose how to share

When the draft is ready, review the publishing settings and share the published story link. Public publishing is available on the free plan, and you can also keep a story private for your own access. Unlisted publishing and HTML export require an eligible paid creation plan. Unlisted stories stay out of public listings, and their links can be forwarded. Any membership or paid-content access requirements still apply. An HTML player file may still need an internet connection to load externally hosted media.

For the first release, ask a reader one focused question: “Could you explain what changed because of your choice?” Use their answer to decide what to revise next.