Twine (software)
{{short description|Free and open-source tool for making interactive fiction in the form of web pages}}
{{About|an open source publishing software|3=Twine (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Twine
| logo = Twine vector logo.svg
| logo alt = The Twine logo: A blue vertical line with a green arc that diverges from it.
| screenshot =
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| developer =
| released = {{Start date and age|2009|df=yes}}
| discontinued =
| latest release version = 2.9.0{{cite web |title=Twine v2.9.0 GitHub release |website=GitHub |date=16 Jun 2024 |access-date=10 July 2024 |url=https://github.com/klembot/twinejs/releases/tag/2.9.0}}
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2024|06|16|df=yes}}
| latest preview version =
| latest preview date =
| programming language = v2.*, TypeScript
v1.*, Python{{cite web |title=tweecode/twine: twine/README.md |url=https://github.com/tweecode/twine/blob/master/README.md |website=GitHub |date=14 March 2015 |access-date=13 April 2016 }}
| operating system = Linux, macOS, Windows, Web application
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| genre = Game engine, electronic publishing tool
| license = GPL v3{{cite web |title=Twine licenses |date=20 September 2014 |url=https://twinery.org/wiki/twine_licenses |website=Twine Wiki |access-date=13 April 2016 }}
| alexa =
| website = {{URL|https://twinery.org}}
| standard =
| AsOf = 2024-07-10
}}
Twine is a free open-source tool created by Chris Klimas for making interactive fiction and hypertext fiction in the form of web pages. It is available on macOS, Windows, and Linux.{{cite web |title=Twinery: Twine Homepage |url=https://twinery.org |accessdate=23 February 2025}}
Software
Twine emphasizes the visual structure of hypertext, and does not require knowledge of a programming language as many other game development tools do.{{cite web | url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/power-to-the-people-the-text-adventures-of-twine/1100-6402665/ | first=Carolyn | last=Petit | title=Power to the People: The Text Adventures of Twine |date=12 January 2013 | publisher=GameSpot UK | accessdate=15 May 2013}} It is regarded as a tool which can be used by anyone interested in interactive fiction and experimental games.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/magazine/twine-the-video-game-technology-for-all.html|title=Twine, the Video-Game Technology for All|last=Hudson|first=Laura|date=2014-11-19|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-05-18|issn=0362-4331}}
Twine 1 generated code using twee. Its frontend was derived from TiddlyWiki, with a similar but incompatible data format.
Twine 2 is a browser-based application written in HTML5 and Javascript, also available as a standalone desktop app; it also supports CSS. It is currently in version 2.10.0, as of November 2024.
Rather than using a fixed scripting language, Twine supports the use of different "story formats". In Twine 1, these mostly affected how a story was displayed rather than how it was written, but Twine 2 story formats combine style, semantic rules and markup conventions and are described as "dialects" of the Twine language.{{cite web |title=Story Formats - Twine Cookbook |url=https://twinery.org/cookbook/introduction/story_formats.html |access-date=2021-02-22}} There are many story formats;{{cite web |title=A Catalog of Twine Story Formats |author=M. C. DeMarco |url=http://mcdemarco.net/tools/hyperfic/twine/catalog/ |access-date=2021-02-22}} they include Harlowe (the default format for Twine 2), SugarCube (based on the original format used by Twine 1), Snowman (which integrates JavaScript libraries into Twine) and Chapbook (a "second generation" format created and maintained by Twine creator Chris Klimas).{{cite web |title=Terms: Story Formats - Twine Cookbook |url=https://twinery.org/cookbook/terms/terms_storyformats.html |access-date=2021-02-22}} Twine 2 also supports "proofing formats", which are designed to output Twine content in a variety of ways to allow for on-screen proofing and error checking, as well as conversion of Twine stories into other formats.
Notable works
- Rat Chaos (2012)
- Howling Dogs (2012)
- Depression Quest (2013)
- Queers in Love at the End of the World (2013)
- The Uncle Who Works for Nintendo (2014)
- The Writer Will Do Something (2015)
- The Temple of No (2016)
- Arc Symphony (2017)
- c ya laterrrr (2017)
- You Are Jeff Bezos (2018)
Film
Twine was used by writer Charlie Brooker in developing the interactive film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/bandersnatch-black-mirror-episode-explained |title=The inside story of Bandersnatch, the weirdest Black Mirror tale yet |magazine=Wired UK |last=Reynolds |first=Matt |date=28 December 2018 |accessdate=28 December 2018}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://twinery.org/}}
- {{Official website|http://twinery.org/wiki/|Official Wiki}}
- {{cite news |title= Anna Anthropy and the Twine revolution |url= https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/apr/10/anna-anthropy-twine-revolution |last= Ellison |first= Cara |date= April 10, 2013 |newspaper= The Guardian }}
- {{cite magazine |title= Twine, the Video-Game Technology for All |last= Hudson |first= Laura |date= Nov 19, 2014 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/magazine/twine-the-video-game-technology-for-all.html |magazine= The New York Times Magazine}}
{{Video game engines}}
{{Portal bar|Free and open-source software}}
Category:Cross-platform free software
Category:Free software for Linux
Category:Free software for macOS
Category:Free software for Windows
Category:Free software programmed in Python
Category:Free software programmed in TypeScript