A simple language for writing choose-your-own-adventure type games.
When building a text adventure from scratch, we needed a way to structure branching paths as a result of the player's choices.
The target game engine is Godot, and we wanted to write our script separate from the game files. The solution, was to write in a simple language designed for making choices, and use a parser to convert the script files into game assets.
A simple Python parser is almost complete. The target parser script (in GDScript) is still in the works.
Syntax highlighting is available for Sublime Text 3.
<Introduction>
You venture down into the crypts. A chill goes down your spine.
You turn around to find a skeleton!
!Combat 1!
|Combat 1|
> Hit the skeleton
[Strength > 5] !Enrage Skeleton! !Player hurt!
> Flee
!Player flees!
<Enrage Skeleton>
You throw your best punch at the skeleton and knock its head off. The skeleton scrambles to retrieve its head, before returning to face you head on; angrier than ever.
!Combat 2!!
<Player hurt>
You try to hit the skeleton, but it is too fast!
The Skeleton takes a swipe at your face. You stumble backwards.
!Combat 2!!
<Player flees>
You successfully escape the skeleton.
!END!
...
A StoryScript file contains different Sections, where each Section points to the next.
The !section! operator is used to go to the next section. For instance, !SectionA! means go to SectionA.
There are three types of sections: Text, Choice, and Image.
<> denotes a text section, and is structured like so:
<SectionName>
Text, and more text
!SectionA!
SectionName - Name of the current section
SectionA - Name of the next section
|| denotes a choice section.
Within a choice, each option is listed as follows, where [] denotes a check.
|ChoiceName|
> [CheckA] ChoiceText
[CheckB] SectionA SectionB
ChoiceName - Name of the current choice section
CheckA - an optional check to see if the player meets the requirements for displaying this choice.
CheckB - a check to see if the player succeeded in the action of the choice.
SectionA - If CheckB succeeded, then go to SectionA
SectionB - If CheckB failed, then go to SectionB
For a choice that will always succeed, the following syntax should be used:
|ChoiceName|
> [CheckA] ChoiceText
SectionA
If ChoiceText is selected, then go to SectionA
** denotes an image section.
*ImageName*
Image.png
!SectionA!