A simple document format which reads like a stage play and plays like a visual novel.
Mr. Example enters rapidly.
Mr. Example (excitedly):
This how you deliver a line!
~ The Start ~
Mr. Example:
And this is a menu:
> Option A leads to Section A.
> Option B leads to Section B.
~ Section A ~
Mr. Example is ponderous.
Mr. Example:
You've entered Section A.
Jump to The Start.
~ Section B ~
Mr. Example exits meekly.
Mr. Example:
You've entered Section B.
Mr. Example enters jubilantly.
Jump to The Start.
The language is designed to be implementation-independent, able to be embedded in other environments (such as existing game engines), so there is not a single "interpreter" tool like most visual novel engines.
A specification for the language itself can be found here.
Extensions to add syntax highlighting, error checking, etc. to existing IDEs.
A parser will take a plain text document and transform it into a list of instructions, but not execute it. Most error checks are possible at this stage.
An interpreter will take a previously parsed document and step through it one "prompt" at a time (e.g. a line or menu). Some error checks (e.g. infinite loops) cannot be performed prior to this stage.
A mapper will take a previously parsed document and generate a full list of every possible state the game can be in. This can be useful in that it can produce an exhaustive list of every reachable character, emote, background, etc.
The test suites are standardized across all platforms to ensure that they remain consistent with one another.
Although this project is currently primarily attributed to siliconspecter, earlier versions were actually created by a number of developers.
Some of said developers did not want it to be publicly known that they had contributed, so the project was originally published as though it was the work of a single developer.
The project since stalled and siliconspecter took over as maintainer in 2024. By request of the original developers, their account is now the "single contributor".