New to this world - BIG question

Discuss how to use the Ren'Py engine to create visual novels and story-based games. New releases are announced in this section.
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Orioles1019
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New to this world - BIG question

#1 Post by Orioles1019 »

Hello! So, as the title indicates, I am rather new to this part of the world. I've never made a game in my life. I actually decided I wanted to try a visual novel about 16 hours ago. I have played through many (All porn based though ;) ) and decided it was time for me to try my own. I want to begin small and my first will probably just be a few simple scenes from my life or something like that. I have indeed run into a roadblock already. How do I create characters to put into my ren'py? I see all the video tutorials showing how to get the image into ren'py, but I don't even have an image yet! The closest I could find in about 30 mins of searching is the DAZ characters look exactly like the characters I'm used to seeing when I play through a game. So, should I start out using DAZ?

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LateWhiteRabbit
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Re: New to this world - BIG question

#2 Post by LateWhiteRabbit »

Well, it is up to you. If you are not an artist yourself, and want to use 3D models, DAZ is a pretty good option, and it's free.

Do keep in mind that DAZ has a bit of learning curve on its own, and you'll need to learn quite a bit about light settings to get good renders with it.

If you want to go that route, you can render the characters from DAZ with transparent backgrounds to put into RenPy.

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Re: New to this world - BIG question

#3 Post by Morhighan »

Hello! And welcome to the wonderful world of game development and visual novel development. I think it is wise of you to want to start small, as feature-creep is a plague that happens to the best of us. Visual novels are a great way to get into game development, but there are some key differences. (There are constant debates over the issue of visual novels being categorized as games or not!)

When you start a project, I think it's important to plan things out and go from there. Planning usually involves a rough idea that is expanded upon and knowing what your role in the development of the project is. I know when I started out i want to do everything--writing, program, art, music, sound effects--you name it! This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can lead to early burn-out. But I also think it's important to study and learn the different roles in making a visual novel, because it will give you insight into the creative processes of assets if/when you team up with others for a project.

As for your question and roadblock issue. Characters in Ren'Py aren't singular entities in the program, but an amalgam of assets bound together by code. In fact, visual novels themselves are just an amalgam of various types of assets (graphics+writing+sounds) which come together and are bound by code and wrapped into a lovely package. I highly recommend going over the Quickstart on the Ren'Py website. It will help you get a grasp on what sort of assets you may need to pull any project together. But I will also go over some basics here.

If you are experimenting with making your own small projects, all you really need is a basic understanding of making a game in Ren'Py.

The most basic game that can be made in Ren'Py could rely solely on code, like this:

Code: Select all

label start:

	"Hello World."
	
	return"
If you want to define a character in a script, you can do it like this:

Code: Select all

define mc = Character('Mystery Corgi', color="#ffffff")

label start:

	mc "Hello World."
	
	return
This is the basic form of telling a story in Ren'Py. But without images, it might as well be an interactive novel rather than a visual novel.

Ren'Py uses image files for the following:
-backgrounds (images that show the setting and scenery behind the character)
-sprites (characters and objects that are portrayed separately from the background)
-Graphical User Interface (aka the GUI, which consists of the buttons and other items that allow the player to interact with the program)

There are other assets that can be used, like music, videos, sound effects, and voice acting files. But what really defines character is the code and the images associated with the code.

DAZ is 3D program, and I can understand the appeal of using premade DAZ characters. However, Ren'Py does not support 3D models, so if you are looking for art to represent your characters, you will need to look for 2D graphics. Most projects have or hire an artist to create the sprite images for each character. However, when starting out you can use placeholders. I also recommend checking out the Creative Commons section of the forums for free to use assets while you are learning.

It is important to note that you can't just get any image or character or any other asset off of the internet and use it in your projects. You need to have the rights to use the asset. There are many free creative commons assets out there and I recommend you make use of them while on your visual novel journey. Once you are ready to start publishing your projects, you may look into buying premade assets or even commissioning original assets for a more distinctive and unique final product.

I wish you luck, and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.

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Re: New to this world - BIG question

#4 Post by rayminator »

best thing to do is learn how to use renpy and how program with python codes as well

Renpy Tutorial
Python Tutorial
how to make your own characters

Orioles1019
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Re: New to this world - BIG question

#5 Post by Orioles1019 »

Thank you LateWhiteRabbit, Morhighan, & rayminator! All 3 answers gave me some insight on what I should be doing at the moment.

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