The user's development process documentation?

[Bill_Ames]

Hi. I am a retired Senior SQA Engineer and recently discovered VNs and Ren'Py. I am very aware of how important it is to have good relations with my developers and to provide them useful and accurate feedback. One of the things I look for, and never find, is good, no, excellent user documentation. So, is there, where is there, a document supporting the user process for developing a VN. Something that is a checklist and will have things in the proper order. Too often people try to do something that needs input from something they needed to do first but di not know that, they had not learned the "sequence" of the process. Some document defining this process is desired.

I had asked and was told that this place was most appropriate to use for providing feedback (not bugs) on anything I may encounter. I will use it for this unless there is a better place.

Is there a place to view an open bug list? As a QA I knew that it was necessary to see if something observed was not already logged. I also know that often what a user sees is often just a symptom of a bug and that a bug can have different symptoms. Bug list?

I also know that there are things that can not be "fixed" or changed. Often marked, hopefully as, Next Version?

Please let me know if I step on anyone's toes, I am a very opinionated senior citizen and will speak my mind.

[trooper6]

For lists of bugs/issues, you can go to the GitHub: https://github.com/renpy/renpy

[Imperf3kt]

Regarding a user documentation, renpy itself includes a tutorial which sets out certain things in an approximate order for which someone can learn in.
There is also the quick start guide.

Ultimately, however, it is too dependant on what a user might be wanting to implement in their VN, so a set path to learning renpy doesn't really suit everybody.

The general consensus, as I understand it, is
- learn about labels and label control / dialogue flow

- learn about showing images and playing audio or video

- learn how to use variables and simple python statements to control branching dialogue

- learn renpy screen language to customise the look of your game and begin adding advanced features. This might also include Renpy ATL

- learn python further in order to start going beyond just renpy screen language

[Bill_Ames]

Opinion, if I may. Good programming techniques should not be constrained by the lack of skill or actual results desired. How are you supporting writing good code and properly documenting (in the code) what is being done?

More opinion, do you have a good selection of well-documented code templates that new users can use to accomplish the more obvious tasks they will need to perform? When I was learning the Wintask language I had access to examples they provided. Unfortunately, they were often very poorly presented, not written for a newbie. Good examples are so important. Got any?

Are there any youtube videos showing how some of the things on your list should be done? If I were not so old and busy I would make some myself but I only ask (suggest) because I know how valuable they can be.

Thank you for your time and insight.

[Bill_Ames]

For lists of bugs/issues, you can go to the GitHub: https://github.com/renpy/renpy

Wonderful. Thank you. Is there a bug report form?

[Imperf3kt]

Example scripts and code are included with Ren'Py in the form of the tutorial and the demo / sample game "The Question", both of which anyone can look at the scripts for and analyse them. The Tutorial explains the given codes in depth and how they should be used.

Ren'Py itself is highly accessible through the /common folder. All files are well commented, but probably not particularly suited to a newbie.

Example code made by users can be found in the "cookbook" section of the forum. Quality, comments and up-to-date practices vary since after all, they are posted by the community which is made up of individuals of varying skill levels.

YouTube has a plethora of information uploaded by many individuals however, I wish it didn't as most of it is outdated or not a the proper/preferred way to do things, resulting in many confused newbies coming here with questions of why certain things from tutorial x don't work or cause bugs.

There was a wiki, still accessible, but legacy and only kept for archival reasons (plus we begged). It isn't recommended to use most of the content within it in modern Ren'Py versions (since about 6.7)