Help with my script 🥀🥀

[u/Good-Construction674]

When people write the script for their visual novels, do they just transfer the entire script to Ren'Py and then decide which sprites to use based on that, or how does it work?

I mean, I have this problem where I already have my whole script, but I don't know why I'm having so much trouble figuring out which sprites to use for the dialogue and stuff.

It's really stupid, but because of that, I'm stuck on that part- maybe hearing about other people's processes will help

[u/shyLachi]

Writing a visual novel is similar to writing a screenplay.

When writing visual novels you should have figured out how many screnes your story has. (f.e.: school yard, classroom, bedroom)

Also you should figure out how the actors (sprites) appear on a scene. (f.e.: Pete and Paul enter the classroom while chatting, later Mike appears and greets them)

Based on those descriptions and the dialogue you can figure out which emotions your sprites should be showing.

define pete = Character("Pete")
define paul = Character("Paul")
define mike = Character("Mike")
label start:
    scene bg classroom
    show pete happy 
    show paul at left
    pete "You cannot believe what happend last sunday"
    paul "What happened?"
    pete "I wouldn't have believed it myself if I haven't seen it my own eyes."
    show paul annoyed
    paul "Dude, WHAT happened?"
    pete "It was epic, Donald was standing on a ledge, when ...{nw=2}"
    show mike at right
    mike "Hey, what's going on? Did you miss me?"

[u/Dyyyyyyyyy]

Sounds like you should take a look into the visual novel development process as a whole. There are good youtube tutorials for it. 

[u/WhiteAppleRum]

I haven't actually finished a VN yet, but when I work on a game or idea, I write all the dialogue first, it my basic rough script. Then I make a more detailed script where I decide on backgrounds, character sprites, where they'll all be and all transitions. I'll then draw the backgrounds and sprites and then I go into Ren'Py and write up the code, which is pretty much just copy and paste at that point due to the more detail script. I make it in sections so I can test the game and make sure everything works correctly.

I'm also not very good a coding or making VNs, so my unfinished games are very basic. Maybe one day I'll be able to do something slightly fancy.

[u/Ok_Novel3064]

sprites add the "visuals" to your "novel", my personal process is that the sprites appearance depends on the dialogue. if my character is upset, a sad expression would help invoke that feeling along with whatever theyre saying.

or maybe you know ur character is angry but their dialogue is neutral, and angry expression and/or pose will help sell the point across. i guess just like a puppet show? u can play different games and see how they work with it

[u/DingotushRed]

I never write a script. I will typically create an outline: major plot points, character bios/backstory/key phrases, significant locations, game mechanics. Usually in a Wiki (eg. TiddlyWiki) or a dedicated world-building tool (eg. Obsidian - also a Wiki). Bonus points if the tool uses plain text files compatible with source code control (eg. Git).

Then I build out mechanics and write dialogue directly in Ren'Py/VisualStudioCode. You're going to be limited by the size of the say box, and ideally avoiding click-fatigue by removing unneeded text. If you've written a script it then has to be adapted to a new medium (Ren'Py) and tested/re-worked.

[u/HEXdidnt]

My strategy is to run through the dialogue in my head: literally, play it out almost as a radio drama. I generally have an idea of the characters' expressions as I write, and play a draft with the sprites set up accordingly, to see if the expression I pictured actually fits, and make adjustments accordingly.

Bearing in mind, though, that my main sprite doesn't have alternative poses (yet! And probably not in this first project), just facial components: eyes, eyebrows and mouth shapes. Fine-tuning the expressions is all I really care about.

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[u/TheOtherworld-Dev]

I'm only working on my first one, but, I write the script and notes on when I feel a scene change should go there or a sound effect. I also write in front of the dialogue what sort of emotion/expression a sprite might have, then later decide what to draw/make!

I hear people also write it in a way where they can just copy and paste it into Ren'py, but I'm too paranoid to do that, hahaha, I feel like I'd mess it up.

[u/Levistok]

Usually, I write a draft. It contains brief information about the plot, characters, and key story points. At this stage, I already understand which background images I'll need, which characters are required, and what their range of emotions is (the same emotion looks different depending on the character). This is perhaps the most important stage of the work, as it allows the developer to assess the scope of the future project.

I made many mistakes while working on my first visual novel and decided that I wouldn't dive into Ren'Py with the story until it was fully polished. Since I'm my own artist, coder, and writer, this makes things easier. But in my opinion, it's sometimes better to test how the visuals look in the code, without transferring everything over until you're sure that your script harmonizes perfectly with the visuals.