KiriKiri
Encyclopedia
is a scripting
engine
by Japan
ese developer "W.Dee". It is almost exclusively used with the KAG (KiriKiri Adventure Game System) framework
to produce visual novel
s. Usually, the package of the two components is regarded as the whole engine, and referenced with major version numbers. Thus, the current version is called KiriKiri2/KAG3. It is available under the GNU General Public License
, though commercial licenses can be acquired if somebody wishes to expand the software without disclosing the changes.
KiriKiri has been used in both dōjin
and commercial visual novels, the most well known of which are TYPE-MOON
's Fate/stay night
and Fate/hollow ataraxia
. It is often used as a more modern and expandable replacement of the older NScripter
engine.
KiriKiri stores its resources in archives with the .xp3 extension, though those archives can be concatenated with the executable for simple distribution as well. Another file format associated with KiriKiri is .tlg, a bitmap
image file format with an integrated alpha channel. The scripting language itself (called TJS) is reminiscent of the object-oriented languages derived from ECMAScript
(for example JavaScript
), and KAG implements a tag-based markup
formatting system similar to XML
. KiriKiri/KAG is expandable with plugins in both binary (.dll) or its own script format. Though the engine is open-source, it has as of yet not been ported to operating systems other than Microsoft Windows
, and more specifically Windows with Japanese language settings. To run nearly all KiriKiri-based games, it is necessary to either set the Windows locale to Japanese or to use AppLocale
in Japanese mode. It is not necessary to set the Windows locale to Japanese or to use AppLocale
in Japanese mode now if KiriKiri-based games use the Unicode character set.
Scripting language
A scripting language, script language, or extension language is a programming language that allows control of one or more applications. "Scripts" are distinct from the core code of the application, as they are usually written in a different language and are often created or at least modified by the...
engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
by Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese developer "W.Dee". It is almost exclusively used with the KAG (KiriKiri Adventure Game System) framework
Software framework
In computer programming, a software framework is an abstraction in which software providing generic functionality can be selectively changed by user code, thus providing application specific software...
to produce visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
s. Usually, the package of the two components is regarded as the whole engine, and referenced with major version numbers. Thus, the current version is called KiriKiri2/KAG3. It is available under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
, though commercial licenses can be acquired if somebody wishes to expand the software without disclosing the changes.
KiriKiri has been used in both dōjin
Dojin soft
, also sometimes called , are video games created by Japanese hobbyists or hobbyist groups , more for fun than for profit; essentially, the Japanese equivalent of independent video games. Most of them are based on pre-existing material, but some are entirely original creations...
and commercial visual novels, the most well known of which are TYPE-MOON
TYPE-MOON
is a Japanese game company, best known for their visual novels, co-founded by author Kinoko Nasu and illustrator Takashi Takeuchi. It is also known under the name for its publishing and corporate operations...
's Fate/stay night
Fate/stay night
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Type-Moon, which was originally released as an adult game for the PC. An all-ages version of Fate/stay night, titled Fate/stay night Réalta Nua, was released for the PlayStation 2 on April 19, 2007, and features the Japanese voice actors from the anime series...
and Fate/hollow ataraxia
Fate/hollow ataraxia
is a Japanese visual novel game created by TYPE-MOON in 2005 which is the sequel to its earlier visual novel Fate/stay night. The word ataraxia in the title is a Greek term for tranquility, giving the title the combined meaning of "empty tranquility".-Plot:The plot of Fate/hollow ataraxia is...
. It is often used as a more modern and expandable replacement of the older NScripter
NScripter
NScripter is a software engine that is used for the creation of visual novels, written by Naoki Takahashi. Due to its simplicity and its liberal license , it quickly became popular in Japan, and was used for a number of high-profile commercial and dōjin titles, such as HaniHani and...
engine.
KiriKiri stores its resources in archives with the .xp3 extension, though those archives can be concatenated with the executable for simple distribution as well. Another file format associated with KiriKiri is .tlg, a bitmap
Bitmap
In computer graphics, a bitmap or pixmap is a type of memory organization or image file format used to store digital images. The term bitmap comes from the computer programming terminology, meaning just a map of bits, a spatially mapped array of bits. Now, along with pixmap, it commonly refers to...
image file format with an integrated alpha channel. The scripting language itself (called TJS) is reminiscent of the object-oriented languages derived from ECMAScript
ECMAScript
ECMAScript is the scripting language standardized by Ecma International in the ECMA-262 specification and ISO/IEC 16262. The language is widely used for client-side scripting on the web, in the form of several well-known dialects such as JavaScript, JScript, and ActionScript.- History :JavaScript...
(for example JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
), and KAG implements a tag-based markup
Markup language
A markup language is a modern system for annotating a text in a way that is syntactically distinguishable from that text. The idea and terminology evolved from the "marking up" of manuscripts, i.e. the revision instructions by editors, traditionally written with a blue pencil on authors' manuscripts...
formatting system similar to XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
. KiriKiri/KAG is expandable with plugins in both binary (.dll) or its own script format. Though the engine is open-source, it has as of yet not been ported to operating systems other than Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, and more specifically Windows with Japanese language settings. To run nearly all KiriKiri-based games, it is necessary to either set the Windows locale to Japanese or to use AppLocale
AppLocale
AppLocale is a tool for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 by Microsoft. It is a launcher application that makes it possible to run non-Unicode applications in a locale of the user's choice. Since changing the locale normally requires a restart of Windows, AppLocale is especially popular with...
in Japanese mode. It is not necessary to set the Windows locale to Japanese or to use AppLocale
AppLocale
AppLocale is a tool for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 by Microsoft. It is a launcher application that makes it possible to run non-Unicode applications in a locale of the user's choice. Since changing the locale normally requires a restart of Windows, AppLocale is especially popular with...
in Japanese mode now if KiriKiri-based games use the Unicode character set.
External links
- http://kikyou.info/ - official website
- http://www.insani.org/tools/ - insani's visual novel tools, including depackagers and packagers for KiriKiri's xp3 format.
- http://www.mysteryparfait.com/ - Doujin group currently translating KiriKiri to English.