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The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine

renpy.org

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Re: The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine

#41

Post by devnullbrain »

edflsafoiewq wrote: post #40
devnullbrain wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>proper backlogs Something noticeably missing from almost every other type of text-heavy game which perhaps wouldn't be if games developers were less snobbish about where they draw inspiration from. On the other hand, writers of games with metatextual stories benefit from their target audience not knowing how well-trod the ground is.

The other big text engines are probably Inform 7 and Twine? They both have undo.

Text-heavy. JRPGs love to include 20 minutes of reading where an errant click means you miss a line, forever.

Re: The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine

#42

Post by snvzz »

optionalsquid wrote: post #17
jandrese wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing Ren'Py does well that many other engines do poorly is forward compatibility of saves. When VNs are released in pieces over time it is important to make sure the saves carry forward. Nothing kills momentum like "you will need to start over from scratch after every update". As far as competitors go, the list is not very long. Sugarcube/Twine works ok, but tends to bog down as the projects grow large because i…

I took a quick look via query.vndb.org, and the top 10 most popular engines in terms of releases are Ren'Py, KiriKiri, TyranoScript, Unity, NScripter, LiveMaker, RPG Maker, YU-RIS, Flash, and Artemis (from most to least). This is of course not an exact ranking, since the same game can have many (nearly identical) releases, but it roughly matches my experience

Notably nscripter has a third party open source reimplementation in onscripter[0], which in turn has a fork in onscripter-en[1].

0. https://github.com/ogapee/onscripter

1. https://github.com/Galladite27/ONScripter-EN

Re: The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine

#43

Post by snvzz »

riffraff wrote: post #3

Curious, I discovered this today as I played a visual novel built with it: Doki Doki literature club (free on steam). Interesting read/play, but not for everyone.

vndb[0] is a non-profit VN database, and a good starting point to find reputable VNs in English (original or translated) to play.

0. https://vndb.org/

Re: The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine

#45

Post by Shish2k »

ianbicking wrote: post #36
optionalsquid wrote: post #7

As somebody who has read a large number of visual novels (VNs), I consider Ren'py one of the better engines as a consumer: - It has all the basic featured you'd expect, ranging from proper backlogs, to key bindings, and much more. You'd be shocked how many VN developers think that they can just pop out an VN engine themselves, and end up producing something that lacks even basic features. - It is performant. You'd be…

What does a "backlog" mean in this context?

You can rewind a conversation in case you accidentally pressed the "skip" button and missed some important plot point

Re: The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine

#47

Post by Birch-san »

ianbicking wrote: post #36
optionalsquid wrote: post #7

As somebody who has read a large number of visual novels (VNs), I consider Ren'py one of the better engines as a consumer: - It has all the basic featured you'd expect, ranging from proper backlogs, to key bindings, and much more. You'd be shocked how many VN developers think that they can just pop out an VN engine themselves, and end up producing something that lacks even basic features. - It is performant. You'd be…

What does a "backlog" mean in this context?

I think they meant scrollback. as conventionally a backlog would evoke "work yet to be done", whereas in this context we're talking about a conversation history one can revisit.

Re: The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine

#48

Post by Blackthorn »

Frotag wrote: post #11

For context, visual novels are basically ~novella sized stories that come with visuals like static backgrounds + a few dozen renders per character. The character renders tend to be mostly the same, with small variations in facial expression, pose, maybe outfit. All that to say, you probably won't like VNs unless you like reading. Don't expect much gameplay / animation. That said, the more famous stories tend to have…

The most popular VN is a massive franchise: Phoenix Wright.

Re: The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine

#50

Post by loufe »

programd wrote: post #38
lelandfe wrote: post #16

Some really cool stuff has been built with Ren'Py. A (fairly) recent example for me is Roadwarden, a 20hr long RPG.

I was wondering what it was built with as I was playing. Roadwarden is tripple-A storytelling and world building masquerading as a little indie title. I was very impressed by how much atmosphere it conveys with minimalistic presentation. That takes a lot of skill. Here it is on Steam, currently on sale for a criminally under priced $4.39 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1155970/Roadwarden/

Agreed, Roadwarden is an absolute gem and has earned two full playthroughs from me. It's such a compelling experience for a text-based game, it feels especially so as I'm not old enough to have a nostalgic appreciation for text games.
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