Clue text length

I've searched the forum but couldn't find any threads that looked like they might answer this.

I'm working on a simple AE mission that's slightly high on the exposition -- it's meant to be a group RP event for my ingame friend group and explain what one of my characters has been up to lately and explaining her Incarnate powerup -- and the 300-character maximum text length of the clues is /incredibly/ frustrating.

Right now I'm away from my gaming computer (day job) but I had a thought - is it possible to get around this limit by using a regular text editor to edit the mission file and expand the clue text?

Beginning and end of mission clues can have 1000 characters. At the beginning of each mission you can dump a load of exposition, fill in the details with objective clues and then dump some more exposition in the end clue. And of course there is the contact text, another 3000 characters of that for each mission. 4000 if you count the "busy" text, which you should - put bonus information in there which can be useful or fun as a reward for actively reading all your hard work.

That's not what I asked.

I'm only doing this as a single mission and I don't see any net benefit from stretching the event out over several missions, so the longer end-of-mission clue length is irrelevant.

I suppose I could just compile the narrative as text files and end each clue with "You record the remainder of this text into Adventure Log Entry #3..."

I think the intent of the 300 byte limit is so you don't get a wall of text thrown at you mid-mission. It can be awkward sometimes though.

You can split clues among multiple objectives (each giving a <300 byte clue) if you can determine a logical way to split your big clue up a bit.

The "start of mission" clue also has a much larger text limit, though of course you get that as soon as your start the mission, which might or might not work with your concept.

You can also insert extra exposition into dialog spoken by NPCs. This can be good for clues that (in your arc) are supposed to come from interrogating or talking to people. You can stage several lines to be revealed in order by assigning them to display at different health totals. I've also seen this done for destroyable objects that are given dialog, but I (personally) don't like that because objects normally don't talk.

It's possible to add text to mob descriptions or object descriptions, but probably not advisable as few people read those.

Each of these techniques are workarounds for what it sounds like you're trying to do, but maybe some of them will fit with your story idea. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice, PW, even if it still didn't answer my original question -- the answer to which turns out to be "No; the resulting file refuses to load".

And no, I was already dividing the clue text up between glowies, but I'm not willing to send my group on a twelve-clicky scavenger hunt even if it wouldn't be an utter pain to carve the text up that badly; three research files and one diagram graphic is about as far as I'm willing to go.

The end-of-mission clue suggestion /might/ be helpful if I cut the story up into two missions. Maybe.

Your players won't read the end-of-mission clue if there isn't a second mission?

Then put the same information in the souvenir text and they can read it whenever they want, or at least until the souvenir is mysteriously deleted as they sometimes are.