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Introduction

Welcome to the RichCast User Guide. This guide is designed to help explain the features of RichCast, and provide examples on how to use them. Our Community Managers are on hand in our Discord Server if you need further help.

Terminology

Action Bar is the row of Action Tiles across the top of the page in the Editor. Creators use these by clicking and dragging them out onto the page.

Action Tiles are the building blocks of RichCast, such as Speak, Choice and Logic.

Actor is the generic term given to each of the characters within an Title.

Library/Browser is the opening screen showing shelves containing all the titles.

Cover is the main picture that denotes the title/project. Size = 1024x1024.

Creator is someone that writes/creates a RichCast Project.

Flowchart is the collection of Action Tiles and Links.

Index is the first page in a project - it shows the structure of the project. This page can’t be deleted.

Keywords are the word(s) RichCast will listen for in the Choice Tile.

Keyword Groups are words that will also be accepted (synonyms.)

Eg. “OK” & “Okay” would be in the “Yes” group.

Link is a route from one Action Tile to another.

Page is a view into part of a project - where you see a flowchart of Action Tiles and Links.

Profile can be accessed by the clickable icon in the top right of the Library and has options within, such as screen resolution, microphone settings and calibration, and release notes.
Project is an individual project that a Creator makes.

RichCast Editor is the tool for making a Project showing the Pages with Flowcharts.

RichCast Player is the app for playing back a Title.

RichCoins (RC$) is the Virtual currency of RichCast.

Shelf (Shelves) are a group of Projects/Titles (showing Covers) - like a bookshelf.

Title / Experience is the output of a Project.

Title Card is the title’s Cover picture with information below it that sits on a Shelf on the Library screen.

Title Details is the Screen with a large picture of the title with all the details of that title.

Toolbar is the column of buttons on the left-hand side of the Editor.

User (or Player) is a person that uses the RichCast Player to play through a RichCast Title.

Voice is the AI Voice that can be assigned to an Actor so that written text can be narrated.

Shortcut Keys

Shortcut keys

Undo

Redo

Delete Tile/Link

Cut

Copy

Paste

Actors

Test

Settings

Recentre

Group

Windowed Mode

Ctrl + Z

Ctrl + Y

Delete

Ctrl + X

Ctrl + C

Ctrl + V

Ctrl + A

Ctrl + T

Ctrl + S

Ctrl + R

L Shift + Mouse /R Mouse Button

ALT + Enter.

Tutorials

We have created a set of tutorials in-app. Creators can access these on the top shelf under "Your Projects." We strongly suggest copying them to "My Projects" using the duplicate button, and then choose Edit and play them in the test mode. This allows creators to follow along with the tutorial on the preview phone window, whilst looking at it moving through the flow diagram, with the ability to stop and restart.

We also have created some video tutorials - see the YouTube playlist here.

Getting Set up

Upon opening the app for the first time, a login screen will appear. Sign up, and you'll be taken to the Library (main menu). The account button at the top right of the Library allows you to change your microphone and screen resolution settings, check the release notes and build number, see the EULA and Privacy Policy and access the Creator Area with the "Your Projects" button.

PC Microphone issue

Occasionally, creators can have trouble with voice detection. There are a number of ways to fix this.

First, by clicking the account button and doing a mic calibration test. If that fails, creators can boost their microphone through Windows by pressing the Windows Key, going to Sound Settings and ensuring they have the correct microphone active. They can then test it, making sure that when they talk at a reasonable level, that the Microphone test bar goes up towards the end.

Some microphones will also have another microphone boost option. This can be found by right-clicking on your audio icon in the icon tray, then sounds, recording, right-clicking on your microphone and selecting properties. Be wary that boosting your microphone this way can cause white noise/static in other applications, so use this as a last resort, or change it back when not using RichCast.

Some applications ‘steal’ the priority of the microphone. Got a video conference app open, but not on a call? The mic may still be connected.

Player Interface

Library Interface

When Loading RichCast up, Players and Creators will be greeted with the Catalogue (Main Menu). This will have multiple different shelves - such as Recommended Titles, and Continue a previously played Title. Underneath are shelves based on what genre of RichCast's the Player has downloaded. This is currently still in development.

To load up a RichCast, the Player can click on the RichCast, and then click play on the bottom right of the following screen.

Creators can access the Creation Area by clicking the Account button at the top right, and then "Your Projects." This will show two new shelves - Tutorials, and My Projects.

The top shelf hosts the Tutorials we at Panivox have created. Creators may wish to watch them, or duplicate the project to their projects by clicking on the Tutorial, and then the copy button.

The My Projects shelf is where Creators can find any projects they have created or copied, and can make a new project with the New Project button on the left. Name your project (can be changed later) and click submit to enter the RichCast Editor.

To re-open a project, return to "Your Projects", click on the project on the "My Projects" shelf, and edit.

Editor Interface

This section covers the buttons in the Editor and a brief description of what they do.

Top: Action Bar. To use, drag the Tiles out from the bar.

Speak: This tile adds narration and text to a Title.
Choice: This tile looks for Keywords that a Player speaks. Input words for RichCast to listen for.
Audio: This tile allows Audio files to be added.
Visuals: This tile allows Images, GIFs and Videos to be added.
Logic: This tile allows variables to be added, checked and used through If and Else statements.
Page: This tile allows a new “Page” to be added—a fresh workspace. Double click to enter.
Interface: Add some UI to your Title such as Health, Ammo, Keys collected etc.
Junction: Junctions are blank tiles, used for organisation, that allow multiple links to be connected to them.
Comment: Provides a sticky note that comments can be written on. Great for organisation.

Left: Tools Menu

Group: Click and drag across the page to group tiles together. This allows movement of multiple tiles. Groups become permanent when pinned and named. Multiple colours can be chosen.
Recentre: Moves the camera to a highlighted tile, or START tile.
Undo: Undo the previous action.
Redo: Redo the previous action.
Delete: Removes the selected tile/link. DEL Key can also be used.
Cut: Cuts the selected tiles/link.
Copy: Copies a selected tile (can copy multiple by grouping.)
Paste: Pastes a selected tile (can paste multiple by grouping.)
Script Editor - Allows easy finding and editing of Speak Tiles using filters. Also allows script to be exported for Voice Acting.
Page Manager - Provides an overview of all pages. Can move page order by hold clicking to alter page bar order.
Manage: Allows access to the Keyword Group and Variable Editors, Actors, Media, Analytics Users button to add collaborators.
Test: This feature allows the Title to be tested from the start, or a highlighted tile in the Editor using a mobile screen and debug console.
Settings: This feature has multiple options, including renaming the project, adding tags and descriptions, copyright information and a cover image.
Quit: Returns you to the main menu.

Editor Interface

Basic RichCast Loop

This section provides a step-by-step tutorial on a basic RichCast loop.

Drag a Speak Tile into the workspace and double click to open. A title can be added at the top, and an actor can be selected via the dropdown to the right. In the middle, text can be added to be spoken by the actor, and notes can be added at the bottom. Voice Acting can be added using the file import - this will stop the text to speech from playing. Usng the microphone activates speech-to-text. The Tile can then be previewed using the playback options.

For this example, “Hi” has been added to the dialogue box.

Clicking the cross in the top right will exit the Speak Tile.

Drag out a link from the outer edge of the Start Tile to the Speak Tile. Every tile must be connected with a link for it to run. Multiple links can both enter and exit a tile. Tiles can be moved around by dragging the middle of the tile.

Choice Tiles allow players to interact with the RichCast. Once a Choice Tile has been dragged out, it will open. The tile can be named at the top, and Keywords can be added beneath.

Keywords are words that the Creator wants the system to listen out for. For example, we want the player to say Hi back, so let's add as many synonyms of Hi as possible, for example hey, hello and hiya. Keywords need to be on separate lines. The system will listen for an exact match, going down the list until it finds one. If it doesn’t find one, it will ask the player to repeat what they said.

“Anything” and “Nothing” can be used in a separate Choice Tile. These will activate after the system has looked at every other option. These can be selected using the dropdown where it says Keywords.

Creators may wish to create a Keyword Group to speed up creation (i.e if a character is known by multiple names). This can be done using the button at the bottom of a Choice Tile and clicking the following plus. Name your group, and add the keywords in the box on the right. Click the plus to exit. There are some groups already made, such as Yes and No. Keyword Groups are underlined in the Choice Tile when active.

Clicking the cross will exit out of the Choice Tile. The tile needs to be linked to the prior Speak Tile to activate. For this example, we also want a response for if the user says Goodbye, which can be done using another Choice Tile.

This is the core RichCast loop for a RichCast. You can see this, and more, in action by watching this video.

Basic RichCast Loop