Interactive Fiction - Twine Resource Megalist
This Resource Megalist is intended to centralise the resources for the IF Tumblr community to create Interactive Fiction with Twine. While most will focus on the Twine formats, other useful resources will be included.
I don’t know much about other Interactive Fiction programs or format aside from Twine. Even then, I tend to only use Sugarcube. Though this list may try to cover all Twine formats in its resources, my bias for the SugarCube format will be obvious.
If you have a resource I should include, send it to me and I’ll add it !
Official Website : Twinery (you can download Twine or use it online)
Official Discord: Twine Games, the creators of Twine and most formats, as well as Twine wizard hang out there to help.
Official Reddit: Twine Games, answers Twine related questions too.
Harlowe: Current version: 3.3.3
Repository, Documentation.
Creator: Leon Arnott
SugarCube: Current version 2.36.1
Repository, Documentation.
Creator: Thomas M. Edwards/TheMadExile/TME (Patreon) also created the Tweego Compiler (all format).
Chapbook: Current version 1.2.2
Repository, Documentation.
Creator: Chris Klimas (Patreon), who also created Twine!
Snowman: Current version 2.0.2
Repository, Documentation.
Creator: Chris Klimas, but currently maintained by Dan Cox.
Many other formats have been created for Twine, and a non-exhaustive list can be found on this page. Please note that some formats may not be complete or available anymore.
Aside from Tweego, there are also other compilers. A non exhaustive list can be found here.
The Twine website has a guide to help with the Twine interface here, as well as Cookbook to help you choose the format you may want to use. The Cookbook includes explanation and tutorials on the ways the different formats operate. There is also the old Twinery Forum where many questions were solved before it closed in 2017 and the Twine Q&A (similar fate).
Please note: Due to the Forum closure and the lack of update for the Cookbook, some examples/code may be out of date (though the logic may still be good).
If you are looking for a Forum style-community for help (or discuss Twine), you should go instead to the IntFiction Forum!
Other Guides, Tutorials and Communities
The documentation for each formats may still not be quite easy to get, as it often use very technical description. Below are some guides and tutorials with maybe easier explanations. There might be more (please let me know!).
Guides and Tutorials non-official
Note: The Twine interface changed in 2022, some aspects of these tutorial may be outdated.
The Twine Grimoires (Harlowe and SugarCube - focus on visual) by @gcbaccaris (Patreon)
Introduction to Twine (Harlowe 2.1)
Kira’s SugarCube Guide (code)
@townofcrosshollow SugarCube Beginner Tutorial & Tutorial 1.02
Guide for ChoiceScript to Sugarcube/Twee Transition by @manonamora-if
Below is a list of IF creators using Twine and having created tutorials/answered asks. Please check the creator’s FAQ before sending an ask/contacting them. There might be coders for other formats making tutorials, but I do not know of them.
@manonamora-if : I have #coding support masterlist
@idrellegames also answered a lot of Twine questions over the years (coding asks) (Patreon - Ko-Fi)
@cerberus-writes answered asks here. (Ko-Fi)
@nyehilismwriting has a coding tag. (Patreon - Ko-Fi)
@townofcrosshollow made some tutorials too.
@ramonag-if Tutorials (Patreon - Ko-Fi)
@outoftheblue-if coding/tutorials posts (Ko-Fi)
@heart-forge used to answer asks. (Ko-Fi)
Below you will find Discord servers focused on coding with Twine or Interactive Fiction where you can ask question. I am sure there are others Discords or Forums out there (especially with other languages) !
Decoding Twine Discord - run by multiple IF Creators on Tumblr.
Interact-If Discord - mainly an IF discord, but coding questions can be asked there too.
Fiction Intéractive - similarly to the one above, this one is mainly an IF community but Francophone.
Custom Macro (GitHub + Patreon/Kofi links)
There are A LOT of people who created custom macros for Twine (SugarCube especially).
Akjosch (GitHub) : Modules
Chapel (Website - GitHub - Ko-Fi): Macros.
Cycy (GitHub) Macros. Also created the T3LT extension for VSCode (syntax highlighter and macro checker-ish)
Greyelf (Forum + Forum) : Harlowe style animations + Right-Sidebar
HiEv (Patreon): Macros, Inventory System
Mike Westhad (GitHub) Macros and some StyleSheets
SjoerdHekking (GitHub - Patreon) Macros.
TME (GitHub) : Language Setting
Chapel: Audio Library, Macro API
Greyelf (Forum + Forum): CSS styles
Templates (Visual or Code)
Note: I have not tested all of these below.
100% Good Twine Sugarcube Templates by @manonamora-if (Visual, 2 templates as of now)
Sugarcube Template & Twine - Sugarcube Template by @nyehilismwriting (Visual)
twine sugarcube template by @cerberus-writes (Visual)
ChoiceScript-like SugarCube template (code for copy-pasting) by brushmen (Visual & Code)
Twine/Sugarcube 2 Template by @innerdemons-if (Visual)
Fallen London Twine Template by thesharkwrites (Visual)
Tutorial: Coding Pronouns and Verbs in Twine SugarCube by Sylveranty (Code)
Twine Template and Twine Template II by @outoftheblue-if (Visual)
Simple Visual Novel Template for Twine by Sun Labyrinth (Visual)
PC98 Layout for Twine by fia glas (Visual)
A Quick Guide to Character Pages by @gamesbyalbie (Code)
Coding Pronouns and Verbs by @sylveranty (Code)
Twine 2 (Harlowe) CSS Pack #1 by Candy✩Giants (Visual)
Custom Pronouns - Twine Tutorial by chewiethedoggo (Code)
Gender Inclusive Twine 2 Harlowe Code Tutorial by autistmouse (Code)
Harlowe Stylesheet (Github, Visual)
Twine Texting Project by shindigs (Visual & Code)
Tweego Installer from Chapel
Ready-To-Use Tweego Folder + Guide by @manonamora-if
Turning a Twine Game into a Google App
Interact-If Twine Resources Tag (you may find some of the resources above there) : #twine #twine resources #twine templates
Other Coding/IF Resources
Knowing a bit about other coding languages can help you with customising the visual or the gameplay of the project. CSS/HTML are most helpful when understanding templates or how to build/edit the visual size; JavaScript for the gameplay/animation.
W3Schools is more accessible to new users and the explications tend to be easier to understand overall. However, MDN is thought to have the superior code and will let you know more easily if a code/rule is compatible between browsers. Both websites will include explanation for JavaScript, HTML and CSS.
If you want to learn JavaScript, you may want to start on this website.
An important point that should be included is how to make your project accessible (for screen-readers, colour-blind, visual sensitive, etc…). While the way Twine/Tweego compiles the project into an HTML file already takes some of these into account (especially for screen-reader use), but the way one codes may hinder this accessibility.
ARIA-rules (used by Twine)
Firefox Accessibility Inspector
Codepen is useful to test HTML/CSS/JavaScript. There are also some cool code out there (but edits are required to work on Twine).
Pattern of CYOA Games is more of an IF Planning resource than a coding one, but is always useful to have.
Interact-If has also reblogged some resources (see the Platform Ref Tag Subsection).
Again, this list is non-exhaustive. I’ve only added what I know/have seen around the internet. If you have Twine resources not included in this post, please let me know so I can add it.
If I have forgotten Patreon/Ko-Fi links for any of the people mentioned above, please let me know ask well!