• Easy to Write, Easy to Read

    Alan code is natural and easy to write. It's close to natural language so it's also easy to read and interpret, making your authoring a breeze.

  • Easy to Play

    There are interpreters for many platforms, most supporting graphics, making it easy to supplement your story with tantalizing imagery.

  • Easy to Develop

    Alan comes with an Integrated Development Environment sporting a modern environment and tools to take your edit, compile, play cycle to seconds.

Download v2

NOTE: Alan v2 is OBSOLETE! Download Alan v3 instead!

From this page you can download documentation, the standard library, complete systems, compilers, interpreters for the currently available platforms. There is also source code and some utilities available.

NOTE! V2 is obsolete. Version 3 is in alpha state and will be released in a not to distant future. V2 will not be developed or supported further. If you are starting with Alan, you are recommended to jump directly to v3!

Don't forget to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!

The licensing for Alan v3 also applies to Alan v2. You can find the license in the Alan v3 manual.

Documentation

The Manual

The Tutorial by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Standard library

The proposed standard library is currently at version 0.3.1. Latest revision by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Compilers and Complete packages

Complete packages (including both compiler and interpreter) for different platforms. Current version is 2.8! Until all platforms have been ported you will find 2.7 versions here also.

You can also look at the Alan part of the IF Archive for various files saved for posterity!

  • Version 2.8:
    • 2.8(7) for Windows (including GLK-based interpreter port #4).
    • 2.8(3) for Sun (SunOS4/Solaris1 or Solaris2)
    • 2.8(2) for Mac (2.8.2.1, port #1 by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
    • 2.8(1) for PC (for DOS and Windows).
    • 2.8(1) for Linux (port by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
  • Older 2.7:

Runtime only

These can be used to run games produced with the Alan system.

  • V2.8
  • V2.7 games should work with 2.8 interpreters, if not This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!
  • V2.6

Source code

Here you can download the sources for the compiler, the interpreter and a large heap of regression test cases.

  • Compiler source, for 2.8(7)
  • Interpreter source, for 2.8(7)
  • 172 test cases for the compiler and interpreter. If you build your own executables running these test can make you more comfortable with the quality of what you have accomplished. Suited for version 2.8.

Utilities

  • ALex, for Win/DOS, a text extraction utility by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Can be used to extract all text from an Alan game source, e.g. to spell check.
  • XWear, an extended library for implementation of wearing, by Alan Bampbton.

Donate!

Help paying for website, certificates and modern development tools!

Amount

What They Say

"I-F languages are like vehicles ... using Alan is like driving a zippy, easy-handling little electric town car -- it's often all you need to take you where you want to go."

Lelah Conrad

Looking for v2?

Alan V2 is very obsolete. Use Alan v3 instead. But you can still visit the obsolete v2 information and downloads here.