Where to find competent and safe coding tools for IF?

Authoring
22

It will not allow me to install Fabularium, Text Fiction Interactive Fiction Interpreter or Son of Hunky Punk. They all give the same errors. Is it because my version of Android is too new?

23

In recent versions of Android, rather than a single option to allow app sideloading, the app that downloads apps needs permission to install them. If no apps are succesfully installing through F-Droid, you may need to grant that permission. If some are and some aren’t, I dunno.

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24

You mean give a specific permission to all apps across the board before any are even downloaded, like access to phone, messaging, camera, etc? Or you mean just give permission to allow an app to download? I can download other tools and games from F-Droid, just not those three mentioned. It asks if I will let it and I grant the “downloading” of the app, but it keeps failing. I put in a ticket with them, so maybe I will hear back from them, unless someone has a solution sooner. Thank you.

25

I think I see what was happening… It said the app was unsafe and did I want to continue and I would always tap the large bar I Got It or something, meaning Yes to me. But there is a tiny little link that I was missing.

But now it is asking for my phone password. What is that all about? Why would anyone give that out to them? Or is Android it self asking for it, to prove who the owner of the phone is?

Edit: Found out it’s Android asking. Regardless, even after doing all that, it still gives me an error.

26

I think I have it. You must be using Android 14 or later. Those 3 apps are compiled for Android versions before 6, and Google wants to protect us from them. I think you have to use adb to instsll them.

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27

I apologize for all the trouble, as I know this is getting long and tiring. But the only way to get it is the described method below with having to use a PC to a phone?

[Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a command line tool that can be used with F-Droid to install and manage apps on an Android device.
To use adb with F-Droid:
Install the Android SDK on your computer
Enable debugging on your phone
Download the official F-Droid.apk file
Connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable
Use adb to push the F-Droid.apk file to your phone
Use adb to install the F-Droid app]

28

You already have F-Droid installed. But to install one of those pre-6.0 apps on Android 14+, you have to download the apk on a computer and install it with adb, using a special flag that overridees the restriction. Thanks, Google!

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29

Unfortunately, that will not be happening. I appreciate all the help, though. Looks like I will be deleting F-Droid, as only a very small handful of apps even looked appealing and most of those are too out dated to use anyway. It strange, because Fabularium updated their app about three weeks ago or three months at max. But I guess they never updated anything else. Maybe they will reply and or fix from the inquiry sent. There is a desire for it. Thank you again.

30

I tried borogove io and I see the option to create games for Inform 7 and 6, Ink, etc. But when I try to create something, I get a small screen of code. I try to go to options and a tech tree, for lack of a better way to describe it, is there. I read the About page and it says to play or upload. So is all the game making coded only on borogove io or I am supposed to simply copy and paste my game into it? I thought the suggestions were giving me a place to make my games. Maybe I clicked the wrong website?

31

If you want to create games, go to https://borogove.app/

https://borogove.io/ is a site that hosts games which people have made with the app.

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32

I just went to the web app and it basically looks the same when I try to creat a game as the io did. I tried desktop mode, in case some thing was hidden. All I see in Inform 6 is-

[Constant Story “My Story”;
Constant Headline “^An Interactive Fiction^”;

Include “Parser”;
Include “VerbLib”;

Object ExampleRoom “Example Room”
with description
“This is the starting location.”,
has light;

[ Initialise;
location = ExampleRoom;
“^^^Welcome to Inform 6!^”;
];

Include “Grammar”;]

Most other engines do not even have that much text. I see a play button, an arrow pointing right and a > button basically.

I do not see anything I would constitute as a browser game engine to make games with, unless it’s coding only. Maybe I need to download something or use a PC. I appreciate all the help though.

33

The play button is to play the code. The > is where you input commands while you’re playing the game, like TAKE CLOAK. You code on the left and test on the right. Are you looking for choice-based games? You might want to take a look at Twine (twinery.org). (EDIT: you did mention you wanted MUD-like games, so I’m guessing no).

34

Yes, most IF development systems require you to write code. I think Adrift might have a graphical interface?

You could also check out Inform 7, which still requires you to write code but has code which looks more like natural English - some people find that more accessible than “traditional” programming language syntax.

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