New Features Update --- 2004-09-01

[PyTom]

Well, it's been a while, so let me go over the newest features that Ren'Py now supports.

First of all, let me just plug the latest version of the documentation. When I do "print preview" in Firefox, it claims that this is 38 pages long.

http://www.bishoujo.us/renpy/devel/doc/tutorial.html

New features include:

Loading and saving, including a GUI interface that allows for an arbitrary number of save slots. Each slot has a small thumbnail and some information associated with it that gives the time the user last saved.

There's also a main menu that lets the user decide if he wants to start the game, or load a saved game.

A brand-new style system lets the user change the style of many of the things in Ren'Py.

I spent a bit of time profiling Ren'Py, and found out that some time was being wasted blitting images multiple times. The new system will now blit an image once (in most cases). This leads to a significant speedup in some cases. On my 1.4 ghz machine, the time it takes to show a new line of dialogue is now about .04 seconds.

I'd say Ren'Py is now usable as a game engine, having many of the features that it needs. There are still a few things I want it to have before I make a release, though:

- Predictive loading of images for improved performance with reduced memory usage.

- Frames, which scale images while keeping a border intact.

- Animations.

Once I get these done, then I'll cut a new release. (And switch modes from engine programmer to game author.)

[Trinity Riot]

When I do "print preview" in Firefox, it claims that this is 38 pages long.

Firefox tells me 26 pages.

[PyTom]

Ah, but you probably have a reasonably-sized font. And perhaps your firefox's printing isn't horribly broken.

[Grey]

When I do "print preview" in Firefox, it claims that this is 38 pages long.

Firefox tells me 26 pages.

Well, firefox tells me 24 pages

Nice to see more people using firefox nowadays.

[PyTom]

There are people who don't use Firefox?

Anyway, the point is that it's as long as the final report I wrote for my internship over the summer, and still getting longer. I should format the gorram thing in TeX, and then we wouldn't be having this debate.

[Tyler]

Your doing great Pytom, there should be a ren'ai engine contest and you would get first

There are people who don't use Firefox?

I don't know what Firefox is Here is the us, Microsoft's Microsoft Word has put other text programs out of business because it's free with every windows comp.

[PyTom]

Your doing great Pytom, there should be a ren'ai engine contest and you would get first

Well, I did this for myself, to make writing a game easier by making the script and the game code the same thing.

But if other people use it to make new games, well, that's a fringe benefit.

I don't know what Firefox is Here is the us, Microsoft's Microsoft Word has put other text programs out of business because it's free with every windows comp.

Firefox is probably the best web browser in existence. Tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking, and (as an optional add-on) mouse gestures are must-have features, IMO.

You can download it for the low, low price of free from:

http://www.mozilla.org

And what's with the "here in the US"? I'm now back in Long Island, NY, after finishing a summer job working for the Navy as a researcher outside of Washington, DC.