Which first? Learning Ren'Py or creating chara/concept Art?

[SnowTrain]

If one has a VN/story one wishes to tell... should one start by learning Ren'Py first or should one just outline the story, the characters, and perhaps draw some characters and some concept art?

Or are any welcome in the Ideas forum?

[MayPeX]

Personally I would start with coming up with the story. Without that how do you plan to build the VN with no image in mind.

So you have an idea, woohoo! Now we need to come up with the setting. Things like location, time period. What is happening in your world that could affect your story. Or does your story have an impact on your society. Is your story going to be on that scale? Maybe it's a more personal tale between server all characters.

What I also find important is knowing the ending before you know the beginning. How does your story end? If you know how it ends then you can create a beginning that'll lead up to the ending or endings.

Having a picture in your head is quite important in my mind, it lets you visualise how things go. It might be worth imagining yourself in your story as the protagonist. Who do you meet? What do you do? Who are you as a person?

These are a few ideas for you! I wish you the best in your quest haha.

[TrickWithAKnife]

I'd find out what is realistically possible with Ren'Py, just in case you have any technically difficult goals that may need to be adjusted.

If it's more of a traditional VN then it's probably safe to dive right in to the creative side.

[Sharm]

I think an outline should be first. If you're like me then concept art is the fun part and should be saved for rewarding yourself for doing something harder.

[Destiny]

Well, you should have a idea of your game.
You don't need to have the full sketchbook full of art yet, but you should have an idea of what you want to have.

After that, it depends.
If you are EXTREMLY weak on programming, you should at least play around with Ren'Py, to see if you can actually do it.
Try out the codes that you find here and on the Wiki, make some little games for fun to test around.
If you see, that everything can work out the way you want, then it is really your decision alone, if you start with the program or the art.

Sometimes, it is easier to first do the art, so you see the results directly when programming.
And sometimes, you need to program first to make the art fit better.
Or you need to change between them constantly, work simultanously.
Or it is a thing of motivation and if you are more in the mood for art then programming today, then you should do the art.

But there isn't really anything like a "You HAVE to so this first" ;3

[Caveat Lector]

I think, depending on what you plan to do, a few practice rounds with the Ren'Py engine might be best. If you plan on just creating a kinetic novel, it should be relatively easy to navigate around, but if you want a multi-branching VN, then take it slow. All else failing, just open up the script for "The Question" and play around with it. If nothing else it will provide you with a good model.

[noeinan]

I agree with all of the above-- have and idea so you know what you want to do for your game and then make sure that RenPy is the right program for that. (For example, you probably wouldn't make a game in RenPy if you wanted to have FPS sections, or wanted a 3D game, etc.)

Plus, in my experience, it's much easier to learn RenPy while making my game because I learn them as I need them instead of getting overwhelmed with the sheer amount of things to learn!

[Lesleigh63]

The ideas forum isn't very strict with what you post there - you can just mention your story and characters without having any artwork yet if that's what you want.

The WIP forum is stricter - you need to have started working on the game as screenshots are required (read the sticky on this forum to learn more).

When you start working on your game I recommend you have the story all worked out (beginning, middle, and end, plus your branching paths if it's a VN). I got part way into mine and got stuck as I didn't have the plot developed enough, so all the time I spent on the artwork was wasted.

[peahat]

I'd find out what is realistically possible with Ren'Py, just in case you have any technically difficult goals that may need to be adjusted.

If it's more of a traditional VN then it's probably safe to dive right in to the creative side.

I agree with this. It would probably be good to give the Ren'Py tutorial a spin before getting really attached to your idea. It will give you a sense of what you are able to do.

I mean, I wouldn't let Ren'Py limit you, either. There are a lot of things you can do that might not be explicitly outlined in the Tutorial. And you can always screw around with the python script if you wanna do some really crazy stuff (I bet there probably is a way to add a simple FPS section). But I think if you're at the stage where you don't have much of a story or anything, it can be useful to know your limits.

I don't want to limit your creative process too much, but try to finalize your character designs before you start drawing. I think this is more important to figure out first. I started working on my game without knowing how it was going to end and I finished it off fine. But it caused me a lot of grief when I decided to change the color of one character's outfit e____e

[Meneil]

Why not do both? Until you're comfortable with both your idea and the Ren'Py engine, you can just fiddle around and see how you can do whatever. I started off making a joke VN for fun, mainly just to see what I could do with Ren'Py. Meanwhile, I kept the creative going on the more serious project I wanted to do.

Edit: Also forgot to mention, I specifically played VNs designed in Ren'Py to see how others were doing stuff. It can help broaden horizons but still remain realistic for the engine.