Hello. I have a question for you all. I’m going to start writing some IFs, but I’m not sure which language to use. Considering I have no experience in making them, I’m not sure what is best to use.
I downloaded something called AGT, but I would like to know if this and other possible items are good, and easy to use.
Thank you for your time
Most games nowadays are written using Inform 6, Inform 7 or TADS 3. Inform 6 and TADS 3 resemble “traditional” programming languages and with Inform 7 you’re using full English sentences. The choice is usually between Inform 7 and TADS 3, not only because they are the most widely used and extensively documented languages but if and when you need help there are lot of people who can help you. If you choose some minor language, you’re often on your own just because it’s hard to find anyone proficient enough to be able to help.
I haven’t tried AGT but it is very old and now probably an unsupported system. I don’t remember seeing any new games released using it during the last few years. Nothing stops you from trying it, though.
Here are some links that might be useful:
Inform 6 and 7
TADS 3
Cloak of Darkness - a game that’s been implemented in many different systems so you can compare how the code looks like
Discussions about choosing an authoring system
Thank you for the help!
And if you do not take to programming you could alway look at ADRIFT which is a popular alternative.
You’ve probably coded half a game by now, but I’d like to add my $.02 worth anyway. For you and anyone else reading this thread and thinking about which system to choose.
Inform 7 and TADS 3 are both fine choices, and I think Adrift is good too, but in a quite different way. However, they’re not the only valid options.
If you happen to like Inform 6, there is no good reason why you shouldn’t use it. There are still a lot of people around who know it well and will happily answer questions about it. The documentation is rich, and the Inform Beginner’s Guide is an excellent way to get started.
Also, you should check out HUGO. It’s actively maintained by the very friendly Kent Tessman. A number of good games have been developed using HUGO, and there’s source code available for some of them. Look at Cloak of Darkness. If the HUGO code makes sense to you, give it a whirl. It’s quite capable when it comes to graphics and sound too, in case you’ll want to add such things to your games.
Good luck with your authoring no matter which system you go for.
/Fredrik