TADS 3

File Format
Name	TADS 3
Ontology	Electronic File Formats Interactive Fiction TADS 3
Extension(s)	.t, .t3
MIME Type(s)	application/x-t3vm-image

Description

TADS 3 (Text Adventure Development System) is an Interactive Fiction development system by Michael J. Roberts. Plain text source code files are created using the TADS 3 programming language, and then compiled into a system-independent game file. Compiled game files can be played on any system that has an appropriate interpreter.

TADS 3 is the current version of TADS, and is not compatible with previous versions. See TADS for information on the older system.

Extensions

• .t: Source code file
• .t3: Compiled game file

Compilers

• TADS 3 Author's Kit (Windows, freeware, website): the official TADS 3 implementation
• FrobTADS (Unix-like, freeware, website): ports of TADS 2 and TADS 3 compilers for Unix systems (including Mac OSX)

Interpreters

• HTML TADS Interpreter (Windows, freeware, website): the official TADS 2 and TADS 3 interpreter with full multimedia support. Despite the name, it does not run on the web.
• QTads (cross-platform, open source, website): a TADS 2 and TADS 3 interpreter with full multimedia support

Other Tools

• IF Archive: TADS 3 Programming

Sample Files

Source Code

• return-to-ditch-day-src.zip: Return to Ditch Day (source code), by Michael J. Roberts
• SquareCircleSrc.zip: Square Circle (source code), by Eric Eve

Compiled Games

• Elysium.t3: The Elysium Enigma, by Eric Eve
• indigo.t3: Indigo, by Emily Short

Further Information

• TADS 3 Homepage
• TADS 3 Manuals