Twine, Inform 7, TADS, Quest, ADRIFT – not like there’s a lack of IF authoring tools, and yet, something about ink makes it stand out. Maybe it’s the syntax? Or perhaps the fact that it powers amazing interactive experiences like 80 Days? Whatever the reason, however impressive as a language, its one downside was the lack of an editor. Fortunately, with the release of inky, that problem has pretty much been dealt with.
So let’s see… syntax highlighting? Check. Multi-file project support? Check. Issue/error browser? Of course, because nobody’s perfect, and the ability to spot problems quickly is vital in any project. Oh, and JSON export, in case you wanna fancy it up with Unity integration. You know, give your interactive tale some visual elements or maybe take it even further. The sky’s truly the limit.
One thing I don’t recall seeing in any of the competitors is a “play as you write” feature, which enables you to easily test specific sections, no matter where you muck about in the code. Something I suspect is going to be extremely useful for larger projects, although probably not entirely without purpose for those of smaller scope either.
That said, do note that Inky is currently in alpha, “relatively untested”, and as such, unlikely to be void of bugs. Whether you let that stop ya, waiting until it improves, or not, well, that’s entirely up to you. Personally, I can’t wait to get started, potential crashes and other oddities included. Why? If-then-else…
ink and Inky (GitHub)
