I’ve recently been looking at Choice Script and other simple programming languages for making multiple-choice games. I was wondering if there is any advantage for using Choice Script over other methods of making multiple-choice games. I’ve been in particularly looking at twine as it is very user friendly and easy to use. I understand that using Choice Script would allow you to post your game on the choice of games website, and in doing so, making your game more accessible and easy to find. Unfortunately that’s all that I was able to find. Is there anything that I’ve missed or is their anything that you could share? What is the advantage of using Choice Script?
In all the game scripting that I have tried, ChoiceScript is by far the easiest and friendliest for people like me who are visually (ahem) challenged lols. But that is just my opinion and I don’t think the programs for any of the interactive fiction programs was ever intended to be used by the blind or visually challenged. Which is an unintended bonus for the makers of ChoiceScript that they were able to create a program that anyone can technically dabble with ease.
ChoiceScript also has a very active forum unlike some others that I have tried and even if there are some ugh say weird to downright what the heck topics it is monitored so nothing really gets out of hand. Oh and the moderators are very active and easy to ask questions if you’re lost or something. You can post questions about codes that you’re having trouble with and most of the members are willing to give you a hand. Games that are completed can be passed to be a new hosted game so that is also a good thing. That’s all I can thing about the advantages.
If you want to try other programming languages for making multiple-choice games then here are some that I’ve tried; all the programs are simple and easy to use, I am familiar with using the programs, but I still prefer the ChoiceScript over them all.
Quest – Ah, yes, Quest. You don’t need to download anything for this because you can create and play your game using Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and other browsers that you can think of. This is one of those click and play types which is good (but not me, because I got lost and some text readers has problems reading Quest. Not sure why, but that happened to me.) The documentation is so basic that it feels bland, but on the good side you can mess with it to make it more of your own game book. Oh and you can make any of your games into a mobile app for free.
TADS – I liked this a lot, but the community for this is kinda in the silent mode at times which is frustrating. On the plus side TADS has a feature for the visually impaired users that they can use with the program enabling them to use TADS without any problems. (I liked that really like a lot.) However, this is really suitable for programmers and people who know the strict rules of syntax.
Twine – the thing about Twine is that it has a graphical/visual interface so you can see what you’re doing. (Un-useful for someone like me hahaha.) It also produces HTML-based stories which will require javascript. It has very limited support for basic programming, so you’ll be on your own unless you have some knowledge on javascript because you can add your own HTML and stylesheets to make your game uniquely you. If you have no clue what I just wrote then leave those features alone for you’ll be editing some web pages and I also am not that familiar with it.
The other two I have not tried, but you can try them if you’d like to compare them with all the other programs. Inform 7 and ADRIFT
With all of that I think whatever we prefer to use as a program to create multiple-choice games will come down to what you’re going to be comfortable using. I just liked ChoiceScript better so if you like something else then that is very good for you. 
@Chris_Conley has shared something very informative about Inform 7. So for any of you who would like to try it you can read the post here. And decide if you still want to try it. 
5 Likes
You could try Inkle’s story writing tools and if you pay them a small fee, they’ll turn it into an ebook for Kindle, as an example. The downside is I’m not too fond of the way the ebooks look and I don’t think it’d be as easy to manage variables etc. as it is with choicescript.
What it is great for though is the ‘story map’ it provides, so you can see how the different story paths link up and it is ‘very easy’ to use. Plus you can let people read your story for free by providing a link if you’ve no interest in selling your work.
1 Like
Wait?! So there are other programs to try? Sweet! This good links to try with make games.
I would say Inform 7 is not particularly suited to choice-based games. It’s designed for making parser games, and it’s great for that (if you can learn its specific syntax and fairly different programming conceptual style compared to other languages). It’s amazing for its fast prototyping and how quickly you can iterate on an idea, and the language design and documentation encourages a clean, legible coding style.
But it’s less ideal for other types of projects, including other types of IF. The farther you move from the basic assumptions of the engine–a player-character maneuvering through discrete spaces, physically manipulating objects–the clunkier it gets, or at least you won’t be able to use most of the language’s useful shorthand. And a verbose source in I7 can get very, very long.
That’s not to say it’s impossible; extensions exist to help with writing partially or wholly choice-based IF. But it’s very much an advanced use of the language, and I wouldn’t see the point of learning Inform 7 purely to make something so different from its intended purpose.
Then again, people have made Tetris in the previous version of the language, so the power is there if you really want to try…
1 Like
@Chris_Conley I never tried it like I stated on my post, but I only included it since Inform 7 is one of the top hits when you ask Master Google for programs when (I was still searching for some programs myself) you want to make a multiple-choice games / choice-based games / interactive games or other terms you want to call it. Still, it’s nice of you to share some insight about the program Inform 7. When other people want to try it at least you’ve shared something about it.
1 Like
Some others for the record: Choose Your Story (includes an inventory system but has a younger community, AXMA Storymaker (very solid, “enclosed” Russian Twinealike), Squiffy (from the maker of Quest, does high-level text manipulation) and Storynexus (no longer maintained by Failbetter games, but used to make stories like Fallen London.)