vnhtml

A basic scripting language for visual novels, which compiles to a single HTML file.

Made as an esoteric entry to JS13kGames.

Syntax

The scripting language is designed to be human-readable and resemble a form of stage script.

Generally, there is one statement per line:

Where a statement is a group of another, indentation is used to define structure in a manner similar to Python. As such, tabs and spaces cannot be mixed in the same file.

Use a backtick (`) to start a line comment. Everything following on the same line will be ignored following a backtick.

Lines and emotes

See Art for details on how these map to files.

Jeff is amazed
James: This is a line of dialog.

Jeff and Greeta are bored
James and Jeff: This is another line of dialog, but spoken in unison.

Jeff Greeta and Fred are bewildered
James Jeff and Jess: This is another line of dialog, but spoken in unison by three people.

James (contemplative): So this is the same as an emote, then a line?

James and Jeff (agreeing): Uh-huh.

James Jeff and Jess (flat): Sure looks that way.

Jeff leaves

Greeta and Fred leave

James Jess and Bart leave

Backgrounds

See Art for details on how this maps to a file.

office in background

Flags

Flags are global multiple-choice values which can be set and checked throughout the script.

set window locked

if window locked
  James: This will be shown as "window" was set to "locked".
  James: You can put multiple statements in here by indenting multiple lines.
else if window closed
  James: This won't be shown.
else
  James: Nor will this.

set window closed

if window locked
  James: This won't be shown.
else if window closed
  James: This will be shown as "window" has been changed to "closed".
else
  James: This won't be shown.

set window opened

if window locked
  James: This won't be shown.
else if window closed
  James: Nor will this.
else
  James: This will be shown as none of the above statements are true.

if window locked
  James: This won't be shown.
else if window closed
  James: Nor will this.

James: Note that if no statement matches, the block is skipped.

Menus

Menus are shown as multiple-choice lists.

menu This is the title for your menu.
  Label for the first option.
    James: Good choice.
  Label for the second option.
    James: I could take it or leave it.
  Label for the third option.
    James: Definitely should have taken the first option.

Labels

James: This example script uses a label to loop back.

label loop

James: This is the first line of the looped dialog.
James: This is the second line of the looped dialog.

menu Go around again?
  Yes!  Again, again!
    go to loop
  No
    James: Thank goodness, I was getting dizzy.

Include

menu Go on a lengthy sidequest?
  Yes, even if it's so long it belongs in its own script
    include lengthySidequest.vnh
  No
    James: That's alright!

Art

All artwork is held locally to the script, as SVG files.

SVG's "viewbox" functionality is used to expand artwork to fit in the center of the screen, as large as possible without cropping or changing the aspect ratio.

This means that areas outside the "canvas" may be visible with unusually tall or wide monitors.

Characters

A folder must exist in the same directory as the main script called /characters/{name}/{emote}. Inside it must be the following files:

base.svg

Neither speaking nor blinking.

speaking.svg

Layered on top while speaking.

blinking.svg

Layered on top while blinking.

For example:

Jeff is angry

Would load:

• /characters/Jeff/angry/base.svg
• /characters/Jeff/angry/speaking.svg
• /characters/Jeff/angry/blinking.svg

Backgrounds

A folder must exist in the same directory as the main script called backgrounds. Inside it must be a file for every used background.

For example:

office in background

Would load:

• /backgrounds/office.svg

Technical details on file name matching

All files will be search for case insensitively, regardless of your operating system.

Slashes will be converted to the native format.