Wireframe

Wireframe: Evert Wendell

My project will have three main components featured on a dashboard: introductory essay (where the argument is made), a timeline to supplement the text, and a Twine story that will bring the trade to life.

The first will be a brief introductory essay regarding the trade of alcohol and furs between traders and Native Americans in early America, specifically looking at Albany, New York. I’m still unsure of an argument but I’m working on it.

The second part will be a time line that traces major changes like laws that influenced the trade of alcohol, reasoning for the cost fluctuation, and the life of Evert Wendell (who lies at the heart of the project). The timeline will span further than Wendell’s trade book dates to give the reader more background (mid-1600s to mid-1700s). I would like to have short paragraphs written to explain the relevance of each major event. In addition, these events will be reflected in the essay portion.

Finally, the project will have an interactive Twine story. Readers will be able to “live” the life of a person who traded with Evert Wendell. They will choose from three different people, all selected from Wendell’s trade books. The twine story will begin as the person begins the trip to Albany. This section will include maps that detail the trek a person might have to take, travel times, and surprise decisions that the trader has to make. They will reach Albany with a certain amount of pelts (based off locations and numbers reflected in the data) which will determine what they buy. I have not figured out the logistics of this part but I want it to remain interesting, fun, and a big part of the story. Unlike the previous sections, this part will deal mainly with Wendell’s trade books as well as its translation. The “game” will end with a short bit about what the person may have done with whatever they bought. I see the twine story looking somewhat like the Oregon Trail game. Probably with less dysentery though.

The Beginning of Twine

One Comment

  • Maeve Kane

    I’m super stoked about the Twine game.

    My main question is: does this all need to be in a dashboard? It sounds like it might get crowded, and it sounds like you want the viewer to expert one thing after another, rather than see all the pieces together at once. You’ll need to make each of the pieces separately to start with, so you can play around with them in different layouts before committing.