Engine List

From IFWiki

This page has been archived and will no longer be updated.

For a more up-to-date list of authoring systems, see Stable authoring systems.

We would like all software have its own page with an infobox and therefore be included in the new software database. Some items on this page are not yet in the database. Some do not even have a wiki page at all. It would be good if you would add them to the database.

Engine Name Website Last Updated User Interface Scripting Language IDE Game File Format Complexity Can Self-Publish Titles Open Source
A-code (Dave Platt) https://mipmip.org/acode 2022-03-17 Parser A-code No HTML/JavaScript, Standalone (HTTP/Browser, Qt5, Console) Medium to High Yes Yes
ADL http://adl.sourceforge.net 2003-11-12 Parser ADL No ADL Medium Yes Yes
ADRIFT
Adventure Development & Runner – Interactive Fiction Toolkit
 2016-06-6 Parser None, visual Download ADRIFT Low Yes Yes
Adventure https://github.com/adrian-prantl/adventure 2015-11-28 Parser Prolog No HTML/JavaScript Medium to High Yes, under AGPL terms Yes
Adventure Book http://web.archive.org/web/20071120072512/http://www.ingold.fsnet.co.uk/adbook.htm 2007-11-20 Choice-Based None, visual Download ADV, Z-machine, Standalone Low Yes
adventure.lua https://github.com/shawndumas/adventure.lua 2013-09-26 Parser Lua No Lua Low to Medium Yes Yes
Adventuron https://adventuron.io/documentation 2020-05-20 Parser/Choice Rion (JSON-like) Web HTML/JavaScript or 8-Bit Low Yes, Non-Commercial Use Only No
AdvSys http://mirrors.ibiblio.org/interactive-fiction/articles/byte87_betz.html 1987 Parser Unnamed Lisp-like language No AdvSys Medium Yes
AGE Aetheria Game Engine https://github.com/komoku/aetheria 2017-03-11 Parser Beanshell Download Aetheria Medium to High Yes Yes
Aiee! Defunct 2004-10-19 Parser XML-esque No Java Low Yes Yes
Alan http://www.alanif.se/ 2020-09-07 Parser Alan Download Alan Low Yes Yes
AXMA Story Maker https://axma.info/en/ 2019-09-01 Hyperlink-Based Visual, JavaScript Download or Web HTML/JavaScript Low Yes, if you buy AXMA
Blink! http://bloomengine.com/blink/ ? Hyperlink-Based Unnamed Language No HTML/JavaScript Low Yes
ChoiceScript https://www.choiceofgames.com/make-your-own-games/choicescript-intro/ 2017-11-7 Choice-Based ChoiceScript Third-party Download HTML/JavaScript Low Yes, if your game is released for free or you work out a revenue-sharing model Yes, but the license is restrictive
ChooseYourStory http://chooseyourstory.com 2017 Choice-Based Visual, Unnamed Language Web N/A Low to Medium No
CLI Adventure Games http://thejackalofjavascript.com/text-based-adventure-games/ 2017-12-13 Parser JavaScript No Node.js Medium Yes
Curveship 2011-03-31 Parser Python No Python Medium to High Yes Yes
Dendry https://github.com/dendry/dendry 2015-07-12 (never finished) Hyperlink-Based Dendry No, but plugins are available for various code editors HTML/JavaScript Low to Medium Yes Yes
Dialog https://linusakesson.net/dialog/index.php 2019-01-23 Parser Dialog No Z-machine, Aa-machine Medium Yes Yes
egamebook https://github.com/filiph/egamebook 2019-01-21 Choice-Based Dart, various definition languages No HTML/JavaScript Medium to High Yes Yes
Elm Story https://elmstory.com/ 2022-04-18 Choice-Based Visual, JavaScript-esque Download JSON, PWA (HTML/JavaScript) Low Yes No
Enter the Story 2013 Choice-Based JavaScript No HTML/JavaScript Medium Yes
Erasmatron Web Archive Link 2000-05-23 Graphical, Choice-Based None, visual Download (only a demo was ever released publicly) Erasmatron High Yes, if you can obtain a version that can compile storyworlds No
Ficdown 2018-05-22 Choice-Based Markdown No EPUB or HTML/JavaScript Low Yes Yes
Flux Defunct 2015 Parser None, visual Web N/A Low No
Fungus http://fungusgames.com 2018-01-14 Graphical, Menu-Driven Visual, optional scripting via Unity Visual editor embedded in Unity Anything Unity supports Low to High Yes
Gamefic https://github.com/castwide/gamefic 2017-07-31 Parser Ruby No Ruby Medium Yes Yes
gist-txt https://github.com/potomak/gist-txt 2015-12-15 Hyperlink-Based Markdown No Markdown Low Yes, if you host your own copy of the interpreter Yes
Glasm https://www.npmjs.com/package/glasm ? Any Assembly language No Glulx High Yes Yes
Gruescript https://versificator.itch.io/gruescript 2022 Parser/choice hybrid Gruescript Web HTML/JavaScript Low to Medium Yes Yes
HERITAGE https://notabug.org/SylvieLorxu/HERITAGE 2015-07-4 Parser HERITAGE No HTML/JavaScript Low to Medium Yes
Hoot http://ratfactor.com/misc/hoot/hoot.html 2013 Hyperlink-Based Hootscript Web HTML/JavaScript Low Yes
Hugo http://www.generalcoffee.com/hugo/gethugo.html 2006-01-10 Parser Hugo No Hugo Medium Yes Yes
Icicle Engine http://icicle-engine.org/ ? FPS-Style Unknown Visual editors Icicle Low to Medium Yes
Infinite Story http://infinite-story.com/ 2012-06-19 Choice-Based None, visual Web N/A Low No
Inform 2015-12-24 Parser Inform Download Z-machine, Glulx Low to Medium Yes Yes (Inform 6)
Ink 2018-10-4 Hyperlink-Based Ink Yes JSON (runtimes exist for JavaScript and Unity) Low Yes Yes
InkleWriter http://www.inklestudios.com/inklewriter/ ? Choice-Based None, visual Web HTML, JSON, PDF, or Word Low Yes, once you've paid to have your story converted
InquisitorIF https://github.com/Orihaus/InquisitorIF 2017-01-4 Hyperlink-Based Inquisitor No HTML/JavaScript Medium Yes Yes
INSTEAD http://instead.syscall.ru/index.html 2018-02-10 Graphical, Hyperlink-Based, Menu-Driven, and/or Parser Lua No INSTEAD Medium Yes
IFML
Interactive Fiction Markup Language
 http://sourceforge.net/projects/ifml 2002 (unlikely to work on modern versions of Java) Parser IFML (XML-esque) No Java Low Yes Yes
Interactive Story https://www.interactive-story.com/is/ 2015-12-24 Menu-Based None, visual Web N/A Low No
JACL http://code.google.com/p/jacl/ 2014-11-17 Parser JACL No HTML/JavaScript Medium Yes Yes
Materialistic Interactive Fiction Engine Defunct 2015-03-11 Parser Common Lisp No MIFE Game Low to Medium Yes
NgPAWS 2018-01-20 Parser Visual, JavaScript Download HTML/Javascript Low Yes Yes
nScripter and ONScripter
  • 2018-02-23 (nScripter)
  • 2019-10-22 (ONScripter)
 Graphical, Choice-Based nScripter No nScripter Medium Yes Yes (ONScripter)
Project PD http://projectpd.blogspot.com/?m=0 2012-03-19 Graphical, Menu-Driven None, visual Download PD Low Yes
PunyInform 2021-11-15 Parser Inform No Z-machine Medium Yes Yes
PyF https://code.google.com/p/pyf/ 2009-12-3 Parser Python, XML No Python Medium Yes Yes
Python Adventure Writing System https://github.com/Moonbase59/PAWS 2016-11-18 Parser Python No Python Medium to High Yes Yes
Python Universe Builder http://py-universe.sourceforge.net/ 2013-03-22 Parser Python No Python Medium Yes Yes
QUEST 3/4/QuestNet 2009 Parser ASL Download Quest Low to Medium Yes
QUEST 5 2018-02-22 Parser Visual or QUEST Download Quest, can be converted to HTML/JavaScript Low Yes Yes
QuestJS (aka Quest 6) https://github.com/ThePix/QuestJS/wiki 2022-09-07 Parser Javascript In Progress JavaScript Medium Yes Yes
QuestML http://questml.com/ 2007-09 Choice-Based QuestML Optional download HTML/JavaScript Low Yes
QSP
Quest Soft Player
 2010-06-06 Choice-Based Custom
  • QGen
  • TXT2GAM
 QSP Medium Yes Yes
Ramus https://notimetoplay.org/engines/ramus/ 2020-04-10 Hyperlink-Based JavaScript No HTML/JavaScript Medium Yes
RAGS
Rapid Adventure Game Creation System
 http://ragsgame.com 2015-01-21 Graphical, Menu-Driven None, visual Download RAGS Low Yes
Ren'Py 2019-10-17 Graphical, Choice-Based Python No Python Medium to High Yes Yes
Sadako https://github.com/Tayruh/sadako/ 2020-05-12 Hyperlink and/or Choice Sadako Script, JavaScript No HTML/JavaScript Low to Medium Yes Yes
Salet https://salet.su/ 2017-02-11 Choice-Based Javascript No HTML/JavaScript Low to High Yes Yes
ScottKit https://github.com/MikeTaylor/scottkit 2017-11-16 Parser Unnamed Language No Scott Adams Low to Medium Yes Yes
Smash http://www.rinkworks.com/smash/ 2007-09-27 Parser Smash Yes Smash Low Yes
Squiffy 2017-11-22 Hyperlink-Based Markdown, JavaScript Download or web HTML/JavaScript Low Yes Yes
Story Explorer https://robsprojects.co.uk/apps/storyexplorer/ 2014-08-2 Hyperlink-Based None, visual Web N/A Low No
StoryNexus http://www.storynexus.com/s 2013-12-8 Choice-Based None, visual Web N/A Low to Medium No
StoryStylus https://storystylus.com ? Graphical, Menu-Driven None, visual Silverlight, web Flash Low to Medium No, costs $20/month to use authoring system No
Storyteller http://storytellerjs.blogspot.com.au 2014-04-28 Hyperlink-Based JavaScript No HTML/JavaScript Low to Medium Yes
Storytron 2018-12-1 Graphical, Choice-Based None, visual Download Storytron High Yes Yes
SUDS https://web.archive.org/web/20150103040350/http://sudslore.org:80/ 2007-10-20 Parser, Optional Menu None, visual Download SUDS Low Yes
ThinBASIC Adventure Builder (TAB) http://tab.thinbasic.com/ 2020-04-11 Parser Basic Download TAB Low No
TADS
Text Adventure Development System
 2013-05-16 Parser TADS Download TADS, HTML/JavaScript (TADS 3) Medium to High Yes
Tale https://github.com/irmen/Tale 2018-01-20 Parser Python No Python Medium to High Yes Yes
TAME https://tame-if.com/home.php 2019-09-30 Parser TAMEscript None HTML/JavaScript Medium Yes Yes
TAVERN http://zzo38computer.org/fossil/tavern.ui/ 2017-08-7 Parser Forth-like No TAVERN (based on Hamster) High Yes
Text Adventure Engine https://github.com/ManzDev/text-adventure-engine 2014-03-19 Parser JSON No PHP Low Yes Yes
Textallion 2019-11-23 Hyperlink-Based txt2tags No HTML/JavaScript Medium Yes Yes
TextAdventure.js https://github.com/TheBroox/TextAdventure.js 2017-11-17 Parser JavaScript No Node.js Low Yes Yes
Texture 2017-05-5 Hyperlink-Based None, visual Web HTML/JavaScript Low Yes Yes (Reader only)
Tinsel https://github.com/lazerwalker/tinsel 2015-12-18 Choice-Based Ruby No Ruby Medium Yes Yes
Toothrot https://github.com/toothrot-if/toothrot 2018-08-24 Choice-Based or Hyperlink-Based Markdown-like language, JavaScript Download HTML/JavaScript Low to Medium Yes Yes
Twine http://twinery.org/ 2018-01-30 Hyperlink-Based Visual, JavaScript Download or web (2.0) HTML/JavaScript Low to Medium Yes Yes
Tworld (Seltani's engine) https://github.com/erkyrath/tworld 2015-12-6 Hyperlink-Based Visual, Python Built-in Python Medium to High Yes, if you run your own server Yes
Undum https://github.com/idmillington/undum 2018-10-11 Hyperlink-Based JavaScript No HTML/JavaScript Medium to High Yes Yes
Varytale Defunct 2012 Hyperlink-Based Visual, JavaScript-esque Web N/A Low No No
Visionary https://web.archive.org/web/20160428141653/http://www.therealeasterbunny.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/visionary.htm 2011-12-17 Parser None, visual Download Scott Adams Low Yes
Wander Renga In Blue Blog Post 2015-04-25 Parser Unnamed Language No Wander Low Yes
Wibble Quest http://orta.io/WibbleQuest/ 2012-01-17 Parser Objective-C No, XCode project included iOS Medium to High Yes
Windrift https://github.com/lizadaly/windrift 2018-12-20 Hyperlink-Based JavaScript No HTML/JavaScript Medium Yes Yes
WinPAW http://www.winpaw.com/ 2006-08-12 Parser Unnamed Language Yes PAW Low to Medium Yes No
XVAN https://www.xvan.nl/ 2018-03-28 Parser XVAN No XVAN Medium Yes Yes
Yarnspin https://mattiasgustavsson.itch.io/yarnspin 2018-03-3 Choice-Based Unnamed Language Download Yarnspin (text file) Low Yes
ZILF http://zilf.io/ 2019-08-11 Parser ZIL and MDL (vaguely Lisp-like) VS Code extension Z-machine Medium to High Yes Yes
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