I've been meaning to pitch an article on this, but it fits pretty well here (since it isn't in your <a href="https://delicious.com/nengard/opensource">"full list of open source tools"</a>), and I haven't managed to find the time to write up anything concrete...
<a href="http://www.renpy.org">Ren'Py</a>, a open source tool for developing visual novels, is wonderful for making virtual tours, presentations, learning games, and more. Writing a basic script is super simple, and adding in basic game/programming logic (storing a variable, if statements, jumping to a different section of code) is not that hard. Writing a Ren'Py script is only a little more difficult than writing English. If you want to take it even farther, Ren'Py is built in/on Python, so Ren'Py can do <em>anything</em> Python can do.
Ren'Py is cross platform, and the SDK and games can run on Windows, Mac, and Linux (x86 & x86_64). Though, unfortunately, games makers don't always release versions of their game for all three OSes. There is also a build tool, rapt (Ren'Py Android Packaging Tool), to build Ren'Py games for Android. Rapt needs to be downloaded separately, if you want to use it.
There are <a href="http://games.renpy.org/">over 500 games</a> developed using Ren'Py. The games vary wildly in length, age appropriateness, and, admittedly, quality. However, with 500 examples to choose from, there is certainly something there that could provide that spark of imagination to create something yourself. Some of the best examples of what Ren'py is capable of are the commercial (non-free) games <a href="http://www.winterwolves.com/lorenamazonprincess.htm">Loren The Amazon Princess</a> (a fantasy RPG) and <a href="http://www.winterwolves.com/planetstronghold.htm">Planet Stronghold</a> (a sci-fi RPG), both from <a href="http://www.winterwolves.com/">Winter Wolves</a>, and <a href="http://www.matchesandmatrimony.com/">Matches and Matrimony</a> (a Jane Austen inspired relationship game) by Reflexive Entertainment. Demo/trial versions of all three games are available to download. Though many of the free games on the <a href="http://games.renpy.org/">Ren'Py Games</a> page are excellent as well.
Like I stated earlier, creating with Ren'Py isn't limited to games, so if, for example, you want to create a nice virtual tour of your library with a cartoon version of your library's mascot showing children around and teaching them how to use the library, this is an excellent tool for accomplishing that task. And <a href="http://www.renpy.org/doc/html/"> Ren'Py's documentation</a> is very good, so there no major barrier to entry on that front. If you can write, you can use Ren'Py, no really coding experience is needed. Granted, you'll make a prettier product if you happen to have some artistic skills, but it isn't a deal breaker if you aren't a <a href="http://www.gimp.org/">GIMP</a> guru. If you want to bring in a fancier feature based on programming logic, the documentation shows how to do that without being overly technical. You don't need to be an IT wizard to use Ren'Py, you just need creativity.
By the power granted to me by my usurping the opensource.com team's authority, I hereby award <a href="https://opensource.com/users/tsquar3d">tsquar3d</a> with his/her own <a href="http://imgur.com/locckV0">Certificate of Awesome</a>! It's official and super special and everything, because it is on the internet. ;-)
I've been meaning to pitch an article on this, but it fits pretty well here (since it isn't in your <a href="https://delicious.com/nengard/opensource">"full list of open source tools"</a>), and I haven't managed to find the time to write up anything concrete...
<a href="http://www.renpy.org">Ren'Py</a>, a open source tool for developing visual novels, is wonderful for making virtual tours, presentations, learning games, and more. Writing a basic script is super simple, and adding in basic game/programming logic (storing a variable, if statements, jumping to a different section of code) is not that hard. Writing a Ren'Py script is only a little more difficult than writing English. If you want to take it even farther, Ren'Py is built in/on Python, so Ren'Py can do <em>anything</em> Python can do.
Ren'Py is cross platform, and the SDK and games can run on Windows, Mac, and Linux (x86 & x86_64). Though, unfortunately, games makers don't always release versions of their game for all three OSes. There is also a build tool, rapt (Ren'Py Android Packaging Tool), to build Ren'Py games for Android. Rapt needs to be downloaded separately, if you want to use it.
There are <a href="http://games.renpy.org/">over 500 games</a> developed using Ren'Py. The games vary wildly in length, age appropriateness, and, admittedly, quality. However, with 500 examples to choose from, there is certainly something there that could provide that spark of imagination to create something yourself. Some of the best examples of what Ren'py is capable of are the commercial (non-free) games <a href="http://www.winterwolves.com/lorenamazonprincess.htm">Loren The Amazon Princess</a> (a fantasy RPG) and <a href="http://www.winterwolves.com/planetstronghold.htm">Planet Stronghold</a> (a sci-fi RPG), both from <a href="http://www.winterwolves.com/">Winter Wolves</a>, and <a href="http://www.matchesandmatrimony.com/">Matches and Matrimony</a> (a Jane Austen inspired relationship game) by Reflexive Entertainment. Demo/trial versions of all three games are available to download. Though many of the free games on the <a href="http://games.renpy.org/">Ren'Py Games</a> page are excellent as well.
Like I stated earlier, creating with Ren'Py isn't limited to games, so if, for example, you want to create a nice virtual tour of your library with a cartoon version of your library's mascot showing children around and teaching them how to use the library, this is an excellent tool for accomplishing that task. And <a href="http://www.renpy.org/doc/html/"> Ren'Py's documentation</a> is very good, so there no major barrier to entry on that front. If you can write, you can use Ren'Py, no really coding experience is needed. Granted, you'll make a prettier product if you happen to have some artistic skills, but it isn't a deal breaker if you aren't a <a href="http://www.gimp.org/">GIMP</a> guru. If you want to bring in a fancier feature based on programming logic, the documentation shows how to do that without being overly technical. You don't need to be an IT wizard to use Ren'Py, you just need creativity.