Yarn Spinner

Definition:

Yarn Spinner is a collection of open source writing tools, originally created by Secret Lab.

Background:

Yarn Spinner was originally created for Night in the Woods, but was later polished and released as an open source project. It is easy to use and provides built-in integration for use in Unity projects.

I have personally used Yarn Spinner in several prototypes, and it is a key part of my current project, including as the foundation for my Salience Engine. I have been quite happy with it, and highly recommend it for anyone looking to use branching narrative in a Unity project.

Further Reading:

Yarn Spinner has plenty of official resources for getting started and using the tools:

• Yarn Spinner Official Site
• Official Yarn Spinner Tutorial
• Yarn Editor Web App (a fully functional online editor)
• Yarn Spinner Editor on Github (includes source code, for those that are interested, as well as downloadable releases and documentation.)

If you're interested in reading what I have personally written on the topic, you may find these posts useful:

• Yarn Spinner Extras Parts 1and Part 2: A two-part series about working around a limitation in early versions of Yarn Spinner (the lack of inline expressions). This workaround is no longer needed (as of Yarn Spinner version 1.1), but it may be useful if you are using an older version.
• Yarn Command Attributes: A four-part series about Yarn Command Attributes (and their alternatives). These posts explain, in detail, what Yarn Commands are, how the built-in attributes work, and an alternative that I chose to use in my own project. It also extensively explains the reasons behind the choices I've made, focusing on the various strengths and weaknesses of each available approach.

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