Free Form Settings Reference

This reference describes the controls that define a Free Form Stage and its place in the game flow.

Undo and Redo restore structural edits to the Stage graph.
Zoom out, the percentage indicator, Fit, and Zoom in change only the editor canvas view.
Add Stage creates a new process Stage. It does not connect the Stage automatically.

Canvas zoom does not change the saved game, the client scale, or the size of the Stage settings inspector.

Stage Identity And Pages

Stage settings opens when a Stage node is selected. The top row contains the editable Stage name and Page controls.

the Page selector chooses the Page currently being edited,
Pencil opens the selected Page,
Remove Page removes the selected Page after confirmation,
plus adds a Page.

Stage names are author-facing labels and formula references should use the stable definition identity maintained by the editor. Rename rather than recreate a Stage when its role remains the same.

Completion Settings

Time limit is an optional formula in seconds. When the limit expires, the Stage completes through its automatic-response path. Empty means that the Stage has no authored time limit.

Required confirmations is an optional formula for the number of accepted participant responses required before completion. The value is evaluated in the current Stage context.

A visible Page, a Choice, and required confirmations are separate concerns. A Stage can perform process work without a visible Page, and a Page alone does not define the completion rule.

Routes

Each route contains a Next Stage and a Condition or weight formula. Rows are evaluated in their displayed order.

With boolean formulas, the first true route is selected.
With numeric formulas, the non-negative values act as relative weights.
Boolean and numeric routing must not be mixed in one Stage.
A Stage without a route is terminal.

Use the arrow controls to change route priority. Trash removes a route. A route may use automatic_response() to distinguish timeout-driven completion from an explicit response.

Variable Outputs

Variable outputs are evaluated after the Stage completes and before routing enters the next Stage. Each row contains:

the target Variable,
the output formula,
Immediate,
ordering and removal controls.

Rows are evaluated in their displayed order. With Immediate enabled, the result is written to the working state immediately, so later rows in the same output list can read it. Without Immediate, the result remains pending until the output list has been evaluated; later rows see the value from before this Stage transition.

Use Immediate only when an intentional calculation chain depends on row order. For independent outputs, delayed publication is easier to reason about and avoids accidental dependencies.

Entry, Process, And Terminal Stages

The graph distinguishes structural roles:

the entry Stage is the starting point of the flow,
process Stages continue through one or more routes,
terminal Stages have no outgoing route.

Instructions, Results, and Moderator belong to Game presentation. They use the same Page and Audience model but are lifecycle presentation Stages rather than ordinary nodes in the process flow.

Layout And Gameplay

Layout is optimized for graph structure and opens a movable Stage settings inspector. Gameplay presents the same canonical Stages as sequential collapsible panels. Changes in either view affect the same definition.

Use Layout to inspect connectivity and route order. Use Gameplay to compare detailed settings across many Stages without moving around the graph.

Validation Checklist

The intended entry Stage is defined.
Every nonterminal Stage has at least one valid route.
Route formulas use one result type per Stage.
Every route target still exists.
Required confirmations and time limits are appropriate for the Audience.
Output Variables exist and formulas return compatible values.
Immediate outputs are ordered intentionally.
Terminal paths reach the intended Results behavior.