Beginner Question - multiple storylines

[Niteowl]

First of all, let me clarify I'm an absolute beginner (although I did a little coding and I think I can figure it out over time)

Anyways.... right now I'm writing a script for a visual novels and working on game mechanics etc.
So, I will work hard on learning more coding soon, but right now my question is just regarding whether I can or cannot do certain things with Ren'py....
(and maybe how hard they are to do and what kind of resources I should look at to figure things out.....) so that I can design my game on paper before I do the coding itself.

Forgive me if I have to put things into very simple terms but I am, as stated, a beginner... (mostly a writer and at times 3D artist)

let's say I have a HOME MENU - and from that I want to have two independent stories begin......let's say A and B
I guess I could make paths for both stories.....but let's say that, as a player, I go down one path, maybe A.
Ok, eventually I go back to the main Menu and try the other story - B
If I just set the code up so the player can go back to the menu....if he clicks on A I assume A will just start from the beginning again....

Is it possible to have the game remember how far along a player has already moved in a story so that from the main menu, next time he clicks on A, he will just continue from where he left off? (I would think it is, but also, how hard is it to do?)

It might sound a little stupid but I have a lot of stuff to figure out....please help me out.

[isobellesophia]

First of all, let me clarify I'm an absolute beginner (although I did a little coding and I think I can figure it out over time)

Anyways.... right now I'm writing a script for a visual novels and working on game mechanics etc.
So, I will work hard on learning more coding soon, but right now my question is just regarding whether I can or cannot do certain things with Ren'py....
(and maybe how hard they are to do and what kind of resources I should look at to figure things out.....) so that I can design my game on paper before I do the coding itself.

Forgive me if I have to put things into very simple terms but I am, as stated, a beginner... (mostly a writer and at times 3D artist)

let's say I have a HOME MENU - and from that I want to have two independent stories begin......let's say A and B
I guess I could make paths for both stories.....but let's say that, as a player, I go down one path, maybe A.
Ok, eventually I go back to the main Menu and try the other story - B
If I just set the code up so the player can go back to the menu....if he clicks on A I assume A will just start from the beginning again....

Is it possible to have the game remember how far along a player has already moved in a story so that from the main menu, next time he clicks on A, he will just continue from where he left off? (I would think it is, but also, how hard is it to do?)

It might sound a little stupid but I have a lot of stuff to figure out....please help me out.

You can change labels, replace the Start button into a A, then another start button with B, in the main menu.

make sure that the labels are different like for example..
A label name is

Code: Select all

label A

and then B is

Code: Select all

label B

.

From screens.rpy, find the Start textbutton edit the Start button and make two of them, and change their name labels from where the story starts, that'll do work i guess.

So then when you click the Story A, it has different label aside from Story B, like you said from changing storylines.

Code: Select all

textbutton _("Story A") action Jump("storya")
textbutton _("Story B") action Jump("storyb")

Code: Select all

label storya:

....

#and

label storyb:

...

and so on.

Hope it helps you.

[Per K Grok]

----

let's say I have a HOME MENU - and from that I want to have two independent stories begin......let's say A and B
I guess I could make paths for both stories.....but let's say that, as a player, I go down one path, maybe A.
Ok, eventually I go back to the main Menu and try the other story - B
If I just set the code up so the player can go back to the menu....if he clicks on A I assume A will just start from the beginning again....

Is it possible to have the game remember how far along a player has already moved in a story so that from the main menu, next time he clicks on A, he will just continue from where he left off? (I would think it is, but also, how hard is it to do?)

----

I would do something like that, this way.

First you need a variable to hold the information on which path your player is on. Before 'label start' you set up a default value for the path.

Code: Select all

default path='A'

Under each label you use if/elif/else statements for what is happening under this label depending on which path is used.

Code: Select all

label OnTheBeach:
    if path=='A':
        --- something, something ----
        
    elif path=='B':
        --- something different, something different ----
        

To switch between the paths you need a screen. You set that up before the 'label start'.

Code: Select all

screen pathChoser():
    frame:
        vbox:
           textbutton 'Path A' action SetVariable("path", 'A')
           textbutton 'Path B' action SetVariable("path", 'B')

After 'label start' you show the screen, which will then be available for the player during the game (until you hide the screen)

Code: Select all

label start:
    show screen pathChoser

The change after you press one of the buttons will take place at the next if/elif statement.

This is just a basic idea on how you could do something like this. You can of course make it more sophisticated.

This idea have a number of limitation. Often when you do paths they will go of in different directions that will not be sufficient parallel to allow for the use of this idea, or at least make it difficult to work.

It might make for a fun game if you can pull it off story-wise though.

[Niteowl]

Guys, I appreciate any help....

But that's too many details, it's confusing. I"m jsut trying to understand how Renpy works...

Like for example, ok, two start buttons, but why would that work?

I'm not coding yet, just trying to understand what I can or cannot do as I plan the game and the story

[isobellesophia]

Guys, I appreciate any help....

But that's too many details, it's confusing. I"m jsut trying to understand how Renpy works...

Like for example, ok, two start buttons, but why would that work?

I'm not coding yet, just trying to understand what I can or cannot do as I plan the game and the story

Oops. Okay.
It is possible to make two storylines, because it is almost related to chapters, alot of people did that on their games, RenPy can handle that if you are making some multiple chapters. Labels for example, it can be made by many of them by chapter, and then once you done the first one, then you could access the another chapter, well, thats all i can say for them. Also the code i gave above, that's how it works and for Per K Grok.

Oops, my english, my bad.

.

[trooper6]

I’ll answer in a different way: Yes, it is possible—using a number of different approaches. But, since, by your own admission, you don’t know any Ren’py at all, I won’t provide any code...because it won’t make any sense to you yet.

Instead, I’ll say, start to learn some Ren’py basics. Make a little game that is two scenes only and takes five minutes. Something dead simple with only text and no choices. Practice with that and make sure you understand it. Then add a few choices. Then add some sprites and practice moving and placing them.

Just get to know generally how Ren’py works. Walk before you can run. Get to the point that when you ask how to make two independent stories, you can understand a little the answers people give without getting confused and overwhelmed.

[isobellesophia]

If you are really new in Renpy, learn some things in the documentation for how you will get started, (even if you know already the simple ones.)

https://www.renpy.org/doc/html/

[Niteowl]

I’ll answer in a different way: Yes, it is possible—using a number of different approaches. But, since, by your own admission, you don’t know any Ren’py at all, I won’t provide any code...because it won’t make any sense to you yet.

Instead, I’ll say, start to learn some Ren’py basics. Make a little game that is two scenes only and takes five minutes. Something dead simple with only text and no choices. Practice with that and make sure you understand it. Then add a few choices. Then add some sprites and practice moving and placing them.

Just get to know generally how Ren’py works. Walk before you can run. Get to the point that when you ask how to make two independent stories, you can understand a little the answers people give without getting confused and overwhelmed.

It's not that I don't understand it at all. I have already made the beginning of a very simple visual novel, with a screen in which you choose your character's name and move along for a few screens.....
It's true, I haven't memorized any code yet, so if you just throw lines of code at me I will be lost, but I understand how to make a simple storyline with one linear story
this happens
next
next etc (not code, just how I understand it).....
with Menus/choices the path splits etc....

What I was hoping for, when asking my question, was something like:
Yeah you can do multiple storylines with 'labels', for example (something someone mentioned in another post), you can read up on that here....+ link
or possibly a general explanation (when you can get the computer to record progress in a story using certain labels etc)

any additional input would be appreciated guys

[Kia]

it is possible and easy to branch the story and you can read about how here:
https://www.renpy.org/doc/html/quicksta ... -and-jumps

imagine the menus like a books list of chapters, and the labels like bookmarks. you can give the reader the option to jump to any point in the story, or even jump to some place in a whole another book with a different ending.
you can even jump back to a menu and give the player the chance to choose again.

now add to that the fact that the game can be saved at any point, and you can keep track of what the player did in the programming side. the possibilities become endless.

[Niteowl]

I think I didn't explain what I want to do, or figure out, very well. Here are some details
I'd like to make a game that combines a main storyline and some elements of sandbox/trainer games

to be more specific, the actual novel (but still with choices etc) would be what I called Story A in the example....and other stories, involving interacting with girls, would be more like the B story in the example
Yes, some bits of those stories might end up affecting the main plot as well, and that would have to come down to variables I guess (not too worried about that yet..... I'd like to make a good beginning first of all...) but I was looking at other ways to create various paths and options for the player.
I'm a beginner when it comes to coding/creating game mechanics, so maybe I'm just being stupid maybe, but I thought I could do something like this:

For Example -

Home Menu (when the MC is in his residence)
- Town (to go to a list of locations or map)
- World Map (same but for the fictional continent where the story begins - anyways not really used at first)
- Girls

So, I was thinking that
The MC could move around the town, and eventually events, dialogues, encounters etc will help him/her proceed with the main story....
I think this part would be easily saved automatically by Ren'py, as long as the story itself is fairly linear (with many paths and choices, of course, but eventually reconnecting etc).... because it would be part of a fairly linear series of statements....
I understand Renpy would save the last saved statement....

On the other hand, let's say the MC decides to stay home for a bit and play with some of the girls etc
clicking on the menu above would send him to a page with a list of the girls.....

From there, I know different games have different approaches
Games like Slave Lords of the Galaxy and other trainers, for example, are big on the girls stats to determine what is possible or not, adding new options to the trainer parts etc.....
That is possible, although of course I have a lot to learn a lot in terms of how to implement all that.

Harem Hotel is different...and maybe a little closer to what I'd like to do (not the same though); there are stats, and I'm sure they have some effect on the game, but it feels like every girl has its own 'linear' story.....if you meet and chat with one (or buy certain equipment) you can go to the next stage and so on. Every update often adds bits to the stories of various girls.

Anyways, they're both examples and both games are actually quite different from what I'd like to do..... (although in terms of coding there might be some similarities with Harem Hotel since saves take into account the progress made with each girl).

So, let's get back to the girls.... I was thinking it would be interesting to create stories within the larger story for them....stories affected by the choices made by the player, rather than go the 'stats' route.

Like I said, I'm probably missing something, but it seems to me like ok, we click on a girl's name the first time, some choices will pop up, the path will split etc.....
But then maybe the MC gets bored or whatever, goes to town, meets somebody, whatev .....eventually he returns home and clicks on one of the girls again.
If clicking on a girl's name is the beginning of a linear path, or the starting statement of one, then, I'm guessing, but correct me if I'm wrong, when I click on her name the link would take me to the beginning of the girl's story again, rather than to the point where the MC had decided to take a break and explore the town instead.
What I was trying to ask, is: how can I get the game to keep track of how the MC progressed in all those different paths? Preferably something not super-complex?
(or does it do it anyways? I really appreciated the long post about how Renpy works, found it very interesting, but I'm not sure how it applies to what I'm trying to do.....and again sorry, I'm a noob when it comes to coding)

hopefully you have a better idea of what I'm trying to do. Any other suggestions? (just some general idea, and if possible some links to materials you think I should familiarize myself with)

thanks again for any help guys, much appreciated

[Kia]

All of those are easily doable, but you need to learn a bit more of renpy than usual.
you need to learn working with variables, functions and screens. basically 70 percent of the documentation. if it's your first game, I would suggest starting with a simpler game or hiring a renpy programmer for it.

[Niteowl]

All of those are easily doable, but you need to learn a bit more of renpy than usual.
you need to learn working with variables, functions and screens. basically 70 percent of the documentation. if it's your first game, I would suggest starting with a simpler game or hiring a renpy programmer for it.

Hiring a programmer is not really an option at this point in time...so I guess I'll have to learn how to do it myself or give up.
I'll get started on the documentation soon and hopefully figure it out....