[SOLVED] How best to implement a game loop and still have buttons etc.

[VideoGameVet]

So I need to have a game loop. In this case, the game is about traveling so the loop would be cover a journey over several days. The game has to tell the user their progress and if any events happen (random) let them know about it. The user needs to be able to stop traveling to engage in activities as they wish.

Ideally, I'd have a map, with a symbol moving along the path and also display the status of the player and trip (miles/km to destination and other stats).

I'm familiar with doing this "back in the day" with 'C', but I am a noob in Ren'Py, so I'm just looking for the best way to do it in Ren'Py.

Perhaps the 'timer' function with jump implementing the loop in a screen?

I want to be able to use Ren'Py's text display stuff for events etc., so I'd rather not just do a pure Python solution.

Thank you.

[Per K Grok]

So I need to have a game loop. In this case, the game is about traveling so the loop would be cover a journey over several days. The game has to tell the user their progress and if any events happen (random) let them know about it. The user needs to be able to stop traveling to engage in activities as they wish.

Ideally, I'd have a map, with a symbol moving along the path and also display the status of the player and trip (miles/km to destination and other stats).

I'm familiar with doing this "back in the day" with 'C', but I am a noob in Ren'Py, so I'm just looking for the best way to do it in Ren'Py.

Perhaps the 'timer' function with jump implementing the loop in a screen?

I want to be able to use Ren'Py's text display stuff for events etc., so I'd rather not just do a pure Python solution.

Thank you.

I don't claim to to know the best way of doing this or that. With that in mind,

You can use a timer on repeat in a screen to add to a variable. You could the use the value of that variable to decide how far the ship has travelled and such.

A simple code for a counter like that could be.

Code: Select all

default nomb=0

screen update():
    text str(nomb)
    timer 0.2 repeat True action SetVariable("nomb", nomb+1)

label start:
    show screen update
    $ renpy.pause(hard=True)

Something I sometimes do is to add a loop in the script. Something like this.

Code: Select all

label looper:
    $ renpy.pause(delay=0.2, hard=True)
 
    -----  do some stuff -----

    jump looper

But what I think you really want to look into when going outside the regular renpy box, so to speak, is Creator-defined displayables.
https://www.renpy.org/doc/html/udd.html

Maybe not for this task, but if I read you correctly, sooner or later you will want to go there.

[VideoGameVet]

Thank you for that. Nice simple approach.

I ended up with this solution, thanks to some help ...

Code: Select all

init python:
    def increment_distance():
        # make sure the value is saved
        store.distance += 1
        renpy.notify("Distance {}".format(distance))
        if (distance == 15):
            renpy.call("arrived")
        # here is where we will check for random events, eventually

screen travel_menu():
    frame:
        xalign 0.4 ypos 30
        hbox:
            spacing 50
            vbox:
                spacing 15
                textbutton "Travel" action [Notify("Traveling"),SetVariable("traveling",True)]
                textbutton "Talk to People" action [Notify("Talking"),Return()]
            vbox:
                spacing 15
                textbutton "Shop" action Notify("Shopping")
                textbutton "Rest" action SetVariable("traveling",False)

    if traveling:
        timer 1.0 action Function(increment_distance) repeat True