In the following thread
groups.google.com/group/rec.arts … b7f5b65b1#
Stuart Moore brought up the existence of a swell-looking cross between CYOA, text adventure and point and click - sort of like SUDS - The Next Generation. I just thought I’d post it here to increase awareness, as I find it a very nice tool - at least from the player’s point of view. Have no idea what it’s like to author for it.
I would have probably tried it if the webpage for it wasn’t all in Russian (and no, Google doesn’t translate very well).
Well, there’s always this - instead.pinebrush.com/wiki/en/doku.php?id=doc-en.
And it seems that every game file can be opened in a regular text editor, so that, as the documentation says, the best documentation is opening up games at looking at their innards.
Hello from Russia! 
Here is curent links for project:
instead.syscall.ru – in Russian only
instead.syscall.ru/wiki/en/start – English wiki
instead.syscall.ru/forum – forum with English part
instead.googlecode.com – engine itself (for Linux, Windows, MacOS X (x86), Windows Mobile, Android, S60 3rd and 5th, Haiku and Maemo)
instead-games.googlecode.com – games.
Currently there are three games in Englsh:
Screenshots:
instead.syscall.ru/screenshots
And it is not CYA engine, it is adventure engine. You may play english or spainish tutorial to see what type of games it was made for.
We are always glad to help with code and docs. Here, or in our forum, or in jabber conference: instead@conference.jabber.ru.
Hello again!
Currently our site instead.syscall.ru is multilingual resource.
So, you can read about engine: instead.syscall.ru/about/
Here is the documentation: instead.syscall.ru/doc/
Games: instead.syscall.ru/games/
Screenshots: instead.syscall.ru/screenshots/
Code: github.com/instead-hub/instead
Hi all! INSTEAD 3.1.0 is out. Bug fixes, new features and… The new html5 port INSTEAD-EM (emscripten build) is available as the official new port of INSTEAD! You can run any game from our repository here: instead-games.ru/em.php
Also good news for Debian and Ubunto users! Sam Protsenko have pushed INSTEAD 3.1.2 into the Debian! Currently it is in unstable (sid) branch of distro, but sooner or later it will get into testing and stable branches! Good work Sam!
Full list of available platforms and players are here: instead.syscall.ru/download/
The main feature of Instead v.3 is NEW lua stack, named STEAD3. Unfortunately, the documentation is currently in Russian only. We are looking for volunteers to make English translation.
Other features:
core now is separated lib (rewritten C part);
new pixels module;
sound system imporovements;
Docs of new stack stead3: github.com/instead-hub/instead/ … /stead3.md
One old new: the member of Instead-community @technix released tool for online testing of ideas and for learning Instead-basics. Name is: instead-playground. This wonderful online tool avalible here: technix.github.io/instead-playground/
Very old new, but it is interesting. Instead game multiple themes support. Put on in themes/ (directory in game)
The game on English avalible. Name is “Crash Dive!”
“Classic adventure that pits you in a race against time. As the sole survivor of a terrible act of naval sabotage, you must find a way to keep your ship out of the hands of the enemy.
This game was originally created for the 8-bit atari platform and published in 1984”
instead-games.ru/game.php?ID=228
New amazing game in the instead-games.ru/ repo.
Name is “КНОПКА” (“THE BUTTON”)
The good story about space, electronics and adventures.
instead-games.ru/game.php?ID=271
Sci-fi horror “ALIEN PARK” contain contain puzzles 12 terrifying monsters and 3 different endings.
instead-games.ru/game.php?ID=223
New little sci-fi game on the inetead-games.ru repo:
“The Library”.
The library is a whole planet reserved for books. But two hundred years ago something strange happened on it and now nobody flies on it.
instead-games.ru/game.php?ID=283
Examples, for demonsrtation " letter by letter typewrite output " to stead2 and stead3 stacks, avalible on Instead forum:
youtu.be/JWqh3_S8RMs
instead.syscall.ru/talk/index.php/550
Another episode from the adventures of the brave captain Kirkunov, the prudent Morse senior officer and the self-sacrificing crew of the BSS “Сonstellation”.
After the accident in hyperspace, the “constellation” combat spacecraft appears in the vicinity of the black hole. Before Morse’s senior assistant there is a difficult task to mobilize the crew in the face of imminent death.
This is a classic insted-quest. Achivments inside!
instead-games.ru/game.php?ID=130
Wow, great!!! Instead run on the buttons phone!
youtu.be/lbKUTUfeSEM
Open game repository and download the game:
youtu.be/1QNUPycfVGQ
Upd. The “Capsule” game: instead-games.ru/game.php?ID=265
on the buttons phone:
youtu.be/mmnLGey3LaU
Use mouse to play instead-games on buttons phone:
youtu.be/udyRwaKHmk8
New video - letsplay instead-tutorial game on English:
youtu.be/XMv2Ky0c9ic
Happy New Year! Gift avalible on GitHub!
This is beta of instead 3.2
Change list:
theme.restore() fix;
SailfishOS port;
walkback() in stdlib;
snapshots module fixes;
gamefile with main3.lua fix;
segfault in std.readdir fix;
noinv/nolife modules fix (‘step’ mod_call error);
math.round added;
forever loop bug fix (unpaired {});
xact booleans parameters fix;
chnage_pl with string argument fix;
always = true fix in dialog phrase;
documentation;
code cleanups;
winrt patches;
For Linux / Unix, you can simply build a version of git
Win binaries instead.syscall.ru/downloads/ins … 2-beta.zip
Good news:
The game engine “Instead” in four games is used in the KRIL competition!
We are waiting for the links for playing the games.
kril.ifiction.ru/
Good news! A beta version of the instead-ng player for android is available:
nlbproject.com/dist/instead-ng-3.2.0-beta.apk
Wow! Links for KRIL-2017 games awalible!
kril.ifiction.ru/2017/12/24/igryi-kril-2017/