Twine VS Inform

Compare Twine VS Inform and see what are their differences

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Twine

Twine is an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories.

Inform

Description The market is unpredictable and keeps on changing over time.

Landing page //
2021-07-31

Landing page //
2023-03-18

Twine

Website: twinery.org
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Inform

Website: inform7.com
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Twine features and specs

User-Friendly Interface
Twine offers an intuitive, drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy for beginners to create interactive and nonlinear stories without needing to write code.
Open Source
Twine is open source, which means it is free to use and can be modified by anyone. This encourages a large community of users and contributors who can share resources and improvements.
Cross-Platform Compatibility
Twine runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it accessible to a wide range of users regardless of their operating system.
Versatile Output Formats
Twine allows users to export their stories in various formats, including HTML, making it easy to share or publish works on different platforms.
Extensible with Code
While Twine is user-friendly, it also allows for more advanced customization and interactivity using CSS, JavaScript, and other web technologies.
Large Community and Resources
Twine has a large and active community, which means there are plenty of tutorials, forums, and sample projects available to help users learn and troubleshoot.

Possible disadvantages of Twine

Learning Curve for Advanced Features
While basic usage is straightforward, leveraging Twine's full potential requires learning some HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which might be a hurdle for non-programmers.
Performance Issues with Large Projects
Twine can become sluggish or difficult to manage with extremely large and complex projects, potentially affecting performance and usability.
Limited Built-In Assets
Unlike some other interactive story tools, Twine doesn't come with a built-in library of multimedia assets (images, sounds, etc.), requiring users to source or create their own.
Minimal Collaboration Features
Twine lacks robust features for real-time collaboration, making it less suitable for team-based projects compared to other tools that support multi-user environments.
Dependency on Browser for Execution
Since Twine stories are typically executed in a web browser, their performance and compatibility can be dependent on the specific browser and version being used.

Inform features and specs

Natural Language Syntax
Inform 7 allows authors to write interactive fiction using a syntax that closely resembles natural English. This makes it accessible to writers who may not have a programming background.
Integrated Development Environment
The Inform 7 IDE includes built-in testing tools, a game runner, and a documentation browser, which helps streamline the development process.
Rich Documentation
The language comes with comprehensive documentation and a large number of examples, which can significantly reduce the learning curve.
Extensibility
There are a variety of extensions available that allow authors to add new features and capabilities to their interactive fiction works without a deep dive into lower-level coding.
Community Support
Inform 7 has an active and supportive community, which can be a great resource for beginners and experienced developers alike.

Possible disadvantages of Inform

Steep Learning Curve at Advanced Levels
While the basics of Inform 7 are relatively easy to grasp, implementing more complex features can become challenging and may require a deeper understanding of the underlying architecture.
Performance Limitations
Inform 7 projects can suffer from performance issues, especially for larger and more complex games. Optimization can become a necessity in such cases.
Limited Graphics and Multimedia Support
Inform 7 is primarily designed for text-based interactive fiction, and it has limited support for graphics, audio, and other multimedia elements, which may be a drawback for some developers.
Dependency on Specific IDE
Inform 7 relies heavily on its own integrated development environment, which might not be as flexible or customizable as some developers would like.
Niche Use Case
The platform is highly specialized for creating interactive fiction, making it less suitable for other types of game development or software applications.

Analysis of Twine

Overall verdict

Twine is a highly regarded platform for creating interactive storytelling experiences, praised for its ease of use, extensibility, and supportive community. It is considered a good choice for both new and experienced creators.

Why this product is good

Twine is an open-source tool designed for creating text-based interactive stories and games. Its simplicity and flexibility make it accessible for beginners while offering advanced features for experienced developers. Twine does not require any programming knowledge, making it ideal for writers and storytellers who want to create interactive narratives. The vibrant community and numerous resources available online contribute to its strength as a tool for creative expression.

Recommended for

Storytellers and writers looking to create interactive narratives
Game designers interested in developing text-based games
Educators and students seeking to explore interactive fiction
Artists and creatives who want a platform for experimental storytelling

Analysis of Inform

Overall verdict

Inform is a powerful tool for creating interactive fiction, known for its English-like syntax and robust features.

Why this product is good

Inform, particularly Inform 7, is appreciated for its natural language approach, which makes it more accessible to writers and non-programmers. Its integrated development environment (IDE) offers extensive documentation and examples, making it easier to learn. Additionally, the community provides strong support, with numerous libraries and resources available to enhance storytelling capabilities.

Recommended for

Writers interested in interactive fiction or narrative-driven games.
Educators looking to incorporate storytelling in teaching.
Hobbyists and developers exploring game design using natural language.
Anyone interested in experimenting with text-based game development.

Twine videos

+ Add

Interactive Storytelling - Intro to Twine

Inform videos

+ Add

IS THIS WORTH IT?! 87 INFORM HAALAND PLAYER REVIEW! FIFA 21 Ultimate Team

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Twine and Inform)

Inform

Visual Novel Engine

83 83%

Visual Novel Engine

17% 17

Law Enforcement And Public Safety

0 0%

Law Enforcement And Public Safety

100% 100

IDE

100 100%

IDE

0% 0

Project Management

70 70%

Project Management

30% 30

User comments

Share your experience with using Twine and Inform. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Twine and Inform

If you’re looking for freelancers, Twine is a good place to start – it’s a marketplace with more than half a million freelance members! Twine helps businesses to link up with experts in all sorts of fields. It’s used and trusted by big companies and fresh startups alike. And with its easy-to-use platform and tons of talented professionals, Twine makes finding top-notch...

Source: www.twine.net

UPWORK ALTERNATIVES: THE 10 BEST PLATFORMS FOR FINDING FREELANCERS

This portfolio serves as a visual representation of their capabilities, helping freelancers attract clients and demonstrate their creative abilities effectively. Freelancers can leverage Twine to connect with clients, collaborate on projects, and demonstrate their creative skills and expertise.

Source: medium.com

Trending 10 BEST Video Game Design & Development Software 2021

Twine is an open-source program that allows you to create non-linear and highly interactive text-based games. This intuitive, free Game Making Software requires no coding experience. If you have the proficiency, you can include JavaScript, CSS, Images, Conditional logic, and Variables.

Source: www.softwaretestinghelp.com

Inform Reviews

We have no reviews of Inform yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Twine should be more popular than Inform. It has been mentiond 282 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Twine mentions (282)

Ask HN: What are you working on? (April 2025)
Some sort of escape room backbone software that links together all of the hardware according to a script is such a neat idea. It would be so cool to have something like Twine [0] to build out the story graphically, where input/output is via cues to staff/hardware rather than just text on screen. An old boss of mine used to run home-haunts for halloween. (a walk-through haunted house experience scaffolded-up in his... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
The Myst Graph: A New Perspective on Myst
> I hoped for an entre genre to form around literary hypertext with diegetic narrative Twine and other interactive fiction engines provide this to some degree, though I think Cyan’s visual aesthetic is also intrinsic to the feel of the games. https://twinery.org. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
Building a narrative game with Next.js and AI
Once all dialogs were ready, I needed a nodal system to organize dialogs for each scene. Instead of directly crafting a huge JSON object, I relied on a visual tool called Twine. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
Make Rock, Paper, Scissor game with Ink "Game Engine"
Recently I discovered Ink narrative language by INKLE that you has the Inky editor and it is an alternative to Twine. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
Ask HN: Platform for 11 year old to create video games?
* Adventure Game Studio (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/) * Twine (https://twinery.org/) And these have more visual ways of programming which could let them express their ideas with less friction * Dreams (Playstation). - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago

Inform mentions (39)

Share a niche programming language you have tinkered with before
Inform 7 is a domain-specific language for creating parser-based works of interactive fiction (i.e. old-school "text adventure games"). It does the heavy lifting of parsing and maintaining the consistency of the world model for the programmer. Source: almost 3 years ago
How does programming language syntax affect screen readers?
Inform 7 takes this to the extreme, allowing code such as "A distance is a kind of value. 5 miles specifies a distance.". Source: almost 3 years ago
Does anyone have examples of "dead" game genres?
Pure parser-based games have become niche, but they are still out there and, like others mentioned, have continued to evolve (see Inform 7). You no longer have to "guess the verb". Source: almost 3 years ago
Ask HN: How to keep my daughter busy while tickling her curiosity
How will you earn its trust? http://inform7.com. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
Gaiman: Programming language for text-based games in browser
Neat. Have you ever seen Inform? http://inform7.com/ Might offer some inspiration on future features. It's a pretty cool language that's been around for a long time and has the same use case. Source: almost 3 years ago