Frequently Asked Questions
General
- How Do I Use Story City?
- What is Story City?
- Is It Free?
- Who Creates The Stories?
- What Are The Stories Rated? Can I Do It With My Children?
- How Do You Make Money?
- What Should I Bring With Me On My Adventure?
- How Can We Work With Story City For Our Project?
- Can I Use Story City To Create My Own Stories?
- How Do I Test An Adventure To See If I Like It?
- What Stories Are Available?
- I Have Visual Or Audio Disabilities. Can I Still Do Adventures?
- What Languages Are Your Adventures In?
- I’m Wheelchair Bound. Are Your Adventures Wheelchair Accessible?
- We Like You Guys A Lot. How Can We Help Out?
Tech Questions
- How Do I Download Story City?
- What Type Of Phone Do I Need?
- What Settings Do I Need On?
- How Do I Get Started?
- How Does The Whole Choices/Choose Your Adventure Thing Work?
- How Do I Stop/End The Adventure?
- The App Won’t Show Me The Next Part Of The Story. Why?
- The App Triggered Before I Reached The Location. What Do I Do?
- The App won’t let me use the back button to go back to the previous locations content. How Do I Fix This??
- The App Wants To Know My Location. Why?
- Why Is The App Taking Up So Much Of My Battery?
- I Don’t Have GPS On My Device. Can I Still Do The Adventures?
- I Don’t Have Mobile Data On My Device. Can I Still Do The Adventures?
- I’m A Tourist & Don’t Have A Phone Plan In This Country. Can I Still Do The Adventures?
General
Check out this handy video below telling you everything, from what Story City is, to how it works.
Why go for another boring walk when you can be a pirate? Or the apprentice of a hero? Or survive a zombie apocalypse? With Story City you get to be the hero, you get to choose your adventure.
Story City is a creator of locative stories, stories told in the location YOU are standing. Each story is accessed via our GPS smartphone and table app, which only unlocks a story when you’re standing in the right place. Whether they are real-life choose your adventures, puzzle trails, indigenous myths or historical tales, our stories are written, scored & illustrated by local artists who know their city best.
So how does this work? Story City stories aren’t like your everyday stories where you are a sideliner, separate from the narrative. We want to give you stories you can see and touch, stories that allow you to interact, be a part of them, and to make choices that can change them. As you make the decisions that affect how your story ends, you also travel a unique path through the city you’re exploring. All the while you could be picking up pirate supplies, dodging zombies or finding clues to solve a mystery.
We want you to see the world differently. We want to redefine stories so that they are something you are a part of, rather than something you are told. And we want to support the local storytellers you know, to do it. This is who we are, this is our vision.
It depends! The app is 100% free, but the experiences on the app are a mix of free-to-play and pay-to-play stories and experiences. Each story overview page will tell you whether a story is free, and you can add it immediately to your library, or if a story is paid, in which case the app will redirect you to our payment processor, Stripe, to handle your purchase.
If you were after a free or low cost way to explore your city, or a place you’re visiting while doing something a bit kooky and fun, you’ve found it.
All our stories are created by local writers, artists and musicians who know their cities best. And the best part? Anyone can become a creator.
At Story City we believe it’s the local stories that really matter. It’s the local storytellers that define our culture in the here and now, that give us belonging, empathy and allow us to really see the world through a different lens. It is through stories that we open our eyes to the world and make change.
Individual creators can build on our platform, but we also regularly partner with organisations and cities to build content. In these projects we only work with local writers, artists and musicians in the towns and cities where we run our projects. We believe every city is full of stories that are worthy of a local and international audience and that there needs to be a platform for those stories to be heard. We have started to create that platform in Story City.
For partnered projects, we run an open Expressions of Interest process, inviting applications from the community to create the stories for the area. From these community applications we invite 30 artists to attend a workshop aimed at fostering creative networks and training the writers, artists and musicians in creating digital art projects. To date we have trained 500+ writers, artists and musicians from 12 cities, and have employed 120+ local writers, artists and musicians in those communities.
Find out more about our amazing creators by clicking the following links:
What Are The Stories Rated? Can I Do It With My Children?
Our stories range from G to M15+ so they are able to be enjoyed by families, teenagers, AND adults. We put these ratings on all of our stories so you can make informed decisions about which is most appropriate for you.
You can find these ratings by selecting a story on the map or in the search bar.
The introduction page will give you a blurb on the story and it’s rating, below the blurb.
As a creator platform we make a small commission off of every pay-to-play story sold, with the majority of the sale going to the creator who made it.
For free-to-adventurer stories we work with Government (local & state), tourism, organisations and businesses to fund the creation of each story. Through this funding and sponsorship we are able to pay ourselves and our artists for the creation of the work, and allow the stories to be available for free for you to enjoy for up to 2 years from publication.
If you are a business and interested in sponsoring the creation of a story, or you’re an organisation who wishes to activate stories from a specific group in your community, get in touch with us below:
What Should I Bring With Me On My Adventure?
We recommend that you bring the following on your adventure:
- Friends: It’s a little lonesome if you have no-one to argue over your choices. If you don’t have friends, commiserations.
- Your smartphone/tablet loaded with Story City: You can’t do an adventure without it!
- When Hot: Sun Protection – hat, sunscreen, weather appropriate clothing.
- When Cold: A warm jacket and shoes, umbrella for any rain etc.
- Water.
- Your headphones or a speaker: for the best sound quality.
- A portable power pack: Using GPS and audio drains your battery much quicker than normal. A portable power pack will allow you to, a) keep using your phone for the rest of the day, and b) do another adventure!
- Common sense: Don’t look at your phone when walking, it’s an accident waiting to happen. Always cross the road at a set of traffic lights, and whatever you do don’t stand in the middle of a road when doing a story! By using the app you agree to our terms and conditions.
How Can We Work With Story City For Our Project?
We love collaborating with a variety of organisations and creatives, from arts, to tourism, to education, to community development. If you’d like to have a chat with us about collaborating on a project, then drop us a line using the information on the Contact Us page.
If you’re a individual creator who would like to be considered for future projects, then Become a Creator & say YES to signing up to our creator newsletter. In this newsletter we let you know about the opportunities that are available as they come up. It’s the best way to keep in touch with us.
Or join us on our weekly Twitch Creator brainstorming session!
Can I Use Story City To Create My Own Stories?
Yes!
How Do I Test An Adventure To See If I Like It?
There are several ways you can test an adventure. First, you can tap on an adventure on the map in the Explore tap or via Search to see the blurb for the story. This will give you the vibe for a particular story.
Or, for free-to-play stories you can turn on Spoiler Mode to view the first few chapters from the comfort of your own home. Just check on this short 1min video below.
You can find out what stories are available in your area by going to the Explore tab of the Story City app.
No stories in your city?
I Have Visual Or Audio Disabilities. Can I Still Do Adventures?
We hope so! Each story is provided either as text, or audio narration. If you’re problem is vision, you may want a companion to come with you on your adventure to aid in getting you between locations, as we provide direction via a map, and only briefly in the audio.
What Languages Are Your Adventures In?
Currently at the moment our adventures are only in English, however we do provide the stories as both text and audio in the hope it will make things easier for English as a Second Language peoples.
We hope sometime in the future that we will be able to provide the stories in multiple languages. If you’re willing to fund this accessibility, then please, we’d love to hear from you! Contact Us.
I’m Wheelchair Bound. Are Your Adventures Wheelchair Accessible?
Unfortunately we cannot guarantee to stories are wheelchair accessible as stories are made by independent creators across the world. We do advise creators in our resources to note in their descriptions if stories are wheelchair accessible and hope to add a feature in the future where creators can mark that.
The overview pages of each of the stories do show the locations for all stories on a single map, we hope that this might help give at least a small indication of the terrain if accessibility is not flagged in the description.
You will find that most stories in downtown areas are fully accessible though. But if for some reason you get to a location and find it’s not accessible, or would take a prohibitively long time to find an accessible route, you can turn on spoiler mode using the video demonstration below. This will allow you to access this content without having to navigate inaccessible pathways physically to that spot.
We Like You Guys A Lot. How Can We Help Out?
We’re excited you guys like what we do! If you’re keen to give us a leg up so that we can spread the word about the app, below would be a great help:
- Rate us and give us a review on the Apple or Android App stores. This is the best way for people to gain confidence in the app, is via your testimonials! To rate on Android click here. and to rate on Apple click here.
- If you have a blog, whether it be a tech one or your own personal one, write about your experiences with our stories and app and post it on your site. Don’t forget to send us the link so we can share it with others via our social media!
- Like our Facebook page and comment and share any posts that come your way (and you think are great).
- Introduce us to people you know within organisations and government. The best way to get a project off the ground in another city is to introduce us to the right people!
- If you run a business and are keen for some local visibility, why not sponsor one of our current stories, or the creation of a new one? This allows us to train and mentor more artists, and get more local stories into the world. Contact us here.
Tech Problems
How Do I Download Story City?
You can download Story City from the Google Play or Apple iOS stores below:
What Type Of Phone/Device Do I Need?
Our app works on most Android and Apple smart phones and tablet devices.
Android: For those with Androids, it should work if you have the 5.0 Operating system or higher. The Google Play store will tell you if the app is supported on your device.
Apple: You need iOS 8.0 or higher for the app to work on your Apple product. The good news is that iPhones as low as the iPhone 4s can be upgraded to iOS 8.0. The Apple App store will tell you if the app is supported on your device.
When you first install the app, you are asked to confirm location settings, we recommend that you select the ‘Always allow’ option on your device. This will give you the best experience by notifying you when you have reached a new location, even if your phone screen is turned off to save power. It makes sure the Explore tab opens the stories closest to you, and that the start location of the stories you go to play will properly unlock when you arrive at that location.
We do not use your location for anything other than delivering you your content, and we do not store that location after you have left it.
If your battery is running low, Apple iPhone/iPad will ask if you want to turn background GPS off to conserve battery. If you want the app to continue working do not allow your device to turn it off. Unfortunately we don’t have any control over these automatic Apple pop-ups, but we highly recommend you bring a battery pack to help keep your battery levels up so that this message does not keep popping up for you.
If you are only planning to armchair travel and use Story City in Spoiler Mode only from the comfort of your own home then you can safely deny location access and still be able to experience stories in spoiler mode.
You can download Story City from the Google Play or Apple iOS stores below:
Before you open the app, make sure your GPS is turned on, in the highest accuracy mode (‘Always allow’) and your internet data is on.
Open the app and browse the stories near you! You can either browse the stories in the map of the Explore tab by tapping on the pins, via the featured stories carousel which shows the ten stories closest to you, or via the Search tab where you can search for a specific stories directly.
The overview page will tell which tells you the rating, distance for the experience, genre, and will give a short description as well as reviews and a map showing all locations that appear in the story (though you may not visit all of them if the story is a choose your adventure!).
Once you’ve decided on your adventure, add it to your library if free, or pay for it if it is a paid story (which will automatically add it to your library). Then use the Navigate to Start Chapter button to navigate to the start location. Once there the button will switch to ‘Start Story’ then you’re off to the races!
How Does The Whole Choices/Choose Your Adventure Thing Work?
While not every story on the app is a choose your adventure, this is how it works for the ones that are!
The map button shows you the location of the current story segment and the locations of your next choices. Make sure you are standing in the correct start location, otherwise the app will not show you the next locations in your adventure. And besides, you want to get the full experience by making sure you’re standing in the right spot!
Once the story in this section is finished, you must make your choice! Use the map as a guide to walk to your location. Turn the screen off as you’re walking to help conserve your battery. Once you’re at the right location turn your screen back on and the app will register you’re in the right spot, opening the next part of your adventure with a buzz.
Sometimes the next part of the adventure triggers before you reach your location. Just use the map to continue walking to the right spot before continuing your adventure.
Keep going until you reach ‘The End’!
How Do I Stop/End The Adventure?
To end the adventure at your final location (or if you want to end an adventure part way through) just press the ‘End story’ button at the button of the page at the end of your story. Once you press this button your adventure will close down and let you rate the story, or restart the experience with different choices. Or do a different adventure all together.
If you merely want to pause your experience to check out a location or maybe grab a bite to eat, you can safely close the app as it will automatically hold your place in that adventure. When it comes time to start your adventure again, just go to your Library tab and you will see your in progress adventures on the top of the page. Just click on the story you wish to continue, go back to that last location, and away you go!
The App Won’t Show Me The Next Part Of The Story. Why?
Please note that the next section of the story will not load unless you have gone to the start location, and the app has registered you’re in the correct start location. You then have to walk to your next choice in the story before the app will then open up the next story segment.
Sometimes in the big cities, skyscrappers will also interfere with the GPS signal, not putting you in the right location, or showing as some place different. Unfortunately this comes down how good the GPS hardware is in your phone, and the wifi network around you, we can’t do anything in the app to improve this. If you find that you cannot get your GPS to locate you properly in the app, you can complete your adventure with the GPS turned off by turning on Spoiler Mode. Just follow the instructions below:
You can continue to follow the map in the app until you GPS is in an area with more accurate signal where you can turn Spoiler mode off again and continue as you normally would.
The App Triggered Before I Reached The Location. What Do I Do?
We set our locations with a wide net so that people who have phones with poor GPS hardware can still trigger the location. This means that those of us with phones with good GPS may have the app trigger a location early on our phone. Don’t panic! Continue to walk, following the map at the bottom of the app until you find yourself standing at the orange dot that indicates the correct location.
The App won’t let me use the back button to go back to the previous locations content. How Do I Fix This??
The app was designed so you you cannot go back to a previous choice by pressing the back button or walking back to your previous location. It’s mainly due to coding reasons which we won’t dive into here, but also because when you make your choice in the adventures, we want it to be as real as possible, you can’t take it back!
But no, seriously, I want to go back. How do I do it?
Okay, there is a work around.
First you need to end your story, if you are at an end location using the ‘End Story’ button at the bottom of the page, or by exiting the story using the back button and in the Triple dot menu in the upper right corner of the story overview page and selecting ‘Reset story’.
Walk back to the previous location you want to restart from. Then turn on Spoiler Mode:
Tap though the map and end of chapter options until you are back at the location you wished to return to. Turn off Spoiler Mode using the menu in the upper right corner of the app and then continue to the different choice you wish you had made!
And yes, you can totally use this method to check out stories from the comfort of your own home! It’s not the immersive experience you get running through the streets following the story, but it’s still pretty fun!
The App Wants To Know My Location. Why?
The way the app works is it uses the GPS on your phone to determine if you’re in the right spot before opening the story segment for that location. Because you are walking from location to location we access your GPS in the background so that you can turn your phone screen off to conserve your battery. It’s not until the GPS indicates you are standing in the right area that the next segment will trigger.
We’re not the FBI or law enforcement, we don’t keep records of your location at all, the app just uses your location to make sure it opens the right piece of the puzzle at the right time!
Why Is The App Taking Up So Much Of My Battery?
The app needs to access and run your GPS during your adventure to make sure you are in the right place before it gives you the next piece of the story (and the right piece of the story!). Just like when you use the GPS for map applications on your phone, this takes up a lot of battery power. We recommend that you bring a battery pack with you on your adventure to avoid running out of power during your adventures, and during the rest of your day! Or at the very least, a car charger so you can change on the way home…
I Don’t Have GPS On My Device. Can I Still Do The Adventures?
You most certainly can! But you do still need access to mobile data or some sort of wifi. Then you can do adventures from the comfort of your own home using spoiler mode below. Unfortunately we don’t have the ability for you to pre-download adventures on wifi before you head out on them, we hope to have that in the future soon!
I Don’t Have Mobile Data On My Device. Can I Still Do The Adventures?
You’ve come from overseas, or maybe you’re running low on data.
Unfortunately Story City doesn’t have the capabilities at the moment for you to pre-download a story on WiFi before you go on your adventure. We hope to implement this soon. So sign up to our adventure newsletter to hear when we do!
I’m A Tourist & Don’t Have A Phone Plan In This Country. Can I Still Do The Adventures?
Unfortunately Story City doesn’t have the capabilities at the moment for you to pre-download a story on WiFi before you go on your adventure. We hope to implement this soon. So sign up to our adventure newsletter to hear when we do!
Got More Questions?
If you’re still having trouble: