Is it correct to use DSE for affection points?

[roankun]

I'm trying to make a normal visual novel, not a Dating Sim.

Anyway, it's like this. When MC (main character) talks to someone, you can sometimes make choices about what to talk about or who to talk with. I want each and every choice to affect how much affection points those people have for MC.

BTW, affection points is a system I have where the person with the most affection points will end up with MC. But I'm not sure I can use DSE... It's got a lot of these... stuff that I can't understand.

I haven't studied python extensively yet (my only experience is with renpy), so please explain in a manner I can understand and ask question about. ^^

[Chansel]

Well, perhaps it's easier to just use a variable for something like that.
Here's a small example:

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init:
    $ characterA_affection = 0  #This sets the affection points for Character A to a default of 0 

label start:
"You just picked an option which increases your affection points with Character A!"
$ characterA_affection += 5   # This adds 5 points to character A's affection
"You picked the wrong option!"
$ characterA_affection -= 5    # This subtracts 5 points from character A's affection

So, basically you create a variable in your init block and set it to whatever you want the player to start with. Then, during your game, you can increase and decrease that value whenever you like.
Small hint though, make the variable's name shorter Since you're probably going to use it quite often.
Hope this helps

[Aleema]

PYTHONPYTHONGPYTNDSEPYTHONDSEDSEPOINTSPYTHON.
Oh, I'm sorry. You don't know Python? Let me try a different way to explain it then ...

All you need to do is record points in a variable. Initialize all your variables in an init block, like this:

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init:
    k_love = 0
    l_love = 0

When you do something that the K character likes, say:

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$ k_love += 1

And if they don't like it:

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$ k_love -= 1

Where 1 can be any number of points. At the end, you would just compare the points for all characters, and whoever has the most, wins! I mean, you go out with them.

This will only be a problem if you need there to be a maximum and minimum amount of points for the characters. Otherwise, go crazy, kid!

p.s.: "-=" and "+=" are the short way to say "the same variable plus/minus whatever is after this" (meaning "k_love += 1" is "k_love = k_love+ 1").

Edit: CHANSEL! THUNDER STEALER! >=[
Just kidding.

[Chansel]

Haha, lolz XD I posted, what, 2 seconds before you.
Mwahahaa
Your explanation is better though...

[Taroku]

If I understand your question right, all you need are some simple variables:

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Label meeting:
    
    g "Hello."

    menu:
        "Say 'Hello'":
            girl_1 += 5

            g "Wanna walk together?"

        "Say nothing":
            girl_1 -= 1

            g "You could at least say hello..."

    if girl_1 >= 5:
        g "How about we visit a café?"
        [Your code]

    else:
        g "You're such a pain..."
        [Your code]

...Something like that. I recommend you practice this, as it can help you tremendously in the future.


Before post Edit: Whaaaa?! You guys beat me to it!

After post Edit: Though you should definitely do what they said, and write it in 'init' first.

[number473]

Where 1 can be any number of points.

T^T

The code is, of course, correct, but the explanation above makes Mathematics cry ;_;

[Aleema]

T^T

The code is, of course, correct, but the explanation above makes Mathematics cry ;_;

T^T Random troll posts make me cry.

[number473]

Yeah, I know it was irrelavant, but you'd answered the question already so I didn't have anything useful to add.

[Showsni]

Um, if you initialise it in the init block, it'll reset it to that value every time you run the programme, won't it? Which would be a bad thing. Instead, initialise it after the start label. Like:

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label start:
    $ Alovepoints = 0
    $ Blovepoints = 0

    e "Hello! You've started a new game!"

[Jake]

Um, if you initialise it in the init block, it'll reset it to that value every time you run the programme, won't it?

I don't think it's quite so simple. IIRC, any variable which is assigned to directly after the start of the game will be saved, so:

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init:
  loveLovePoints = 0

start:
  loveLovePoints = 5

  "Dialogue"

- if you save at 'Dialogue' and reload, loveLovePoints should be 5.

The problem comes when assigning to attributes of classes, in particular, because you're not actually assigning to the variable itself, and the variable has the same literal data - the same reference to the same class instance - at the time of save as it does in the init block. So you have trouble with things like lists:

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init:
  loveList = ['kittens', 'apples']
start:
  $ loveList.append('shirley')

  "Dialogue"

I think that the problem you'd see is that because loveList was assigned to only in the init block, it doesn't get saved if all you've done is called methods on it since then, so saving and reloading at 'Dialogue', you'd get a loveList that just had kittens and apples in.




Of course, just because you can probably get away with assigning to your points variables in the init block and modifying them in script doesn't mean you necessarily should - ultimately you're right, it's safest to set up all your game-state stuff just after the 'start' label, just to be on the safe side!

[Sheru-chan]

Ermm... I'm just curious...

If, i need to branch the story by whom the OC has more affection, how can i do it? (I'm still reading the tut but maybe asking here is more easier) I just hope it would be explained in a manner for the noobs....

[Showsni]

Something like

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if apoints > bpoints:
     jump apath

[roankun]

Oh, okay. Thanks for all the help, and sorry for the late reply. ^^

Hmmm... Just one more thing. I have to make a status page (which accessible from the game at all times) and that's where you can see their affection points. However, I don't want it to be numbers like
agirl = 5

I actually also want to include images (the girl's faces) instead of names, and hearts (instead of numbers.) The hearts will change in color and size depending on the number of affection points... How can I do this?

P.S. How do I make the status page and how do I make it accessible from the game? Should I use call or jump or something else?

P.P.S. Regarding what Jake brought up... Does that mean if you save the game and then load it, you won't have the same number of affection points you saved with?

[Jake]

P.P.S. Regarding what Jake brought up... Does that mean if you save the game and then load it, you won't have the same number of affection points you saved with?

It means that if you don't set the affection points in an init block, and instead set them to the default values after the start: label, you don't have anything to worry about.

There are some conditions under which you can have your points reset when you save and then load, but they all revolve around initially setting up the points in an init: block.

[BlueRoseMaidenAras]

I understand some things... So you DON'T need to download anything? Or anything like that...? Is it already in the renpy engine?