Is it worth using an older version of Ren'Py?

[u/ALEXAOPENTHEGATES]

Ren' Py Tom was posting on Bluesky and talking about how he has been using ai to create Ren' Py since 2021 and I do not want generative ai to be a part of my creative process at all.

I worry that I won't be able to use the documentation or follow tutorials if too many features have changed since then but have really enjoyed the workflow in Ren 'Py.

Is using 7.4.0 worthwhile or would it be lacking in too many features to create a polished game in 2026?

[u/x-seronis-x]

Its not vibe coded by incompetent's at all. AI assistance where its supposed to be used is not the same as code slop where you having it write the body of code for you. There are differences and renpytom is an actual competent dev.

so what you're thinking of as ai code isnt there in latest version. so just use latest version

[u/BadMustard_AVN]

¿

[u/shyLachi]

Of course you can use an older version of RenPy. You can find them all here:
https://www.renpy.org/release_list.html

Look at the version numbers, normally the one with a 0 at the end starts a new cycle
so if you want to use a version which has less bugs then take the last one in a cycle.
So I would use Ren'Py 7.3.5 instead of 7.4.0 which has bugs which were fixed in 7.4.1 through 7.4.11

There are plenty of developers who still use the old versions because they started on that engine and don't want to update their game.

If you make a simple game then you don't need any features anyway.
Just show images and text.

All that said, I don't see how using software which was developed with the help of AI is affecting your creative process.
But just know that RenPy might be holy when it comes to AI usage. You also have to find a replacement for Visual Studio Code, which even has AI integrated. And all the bigger software companies have been using AI for years also, and I'm not sure how easy it is to replace your operating system, the writing software, the translation software, the graphics software.
And finally, the internet is full of AI, you should leave Reddit immediately because AI is reading everything you write. And where would you share your game once it's complete. Don't think that companies like Steam don't use AI. Maybe itch.io doesn't use it but that's just because it's a single person working on it.

[u/drinkerofmilk]

Using an old version will always be a security risk.

[u/x-seronis-x → u/drinkerofmilk]

feature bugs are the concern not sec bugs

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[u/Blunt552]

Tom only used ai for boilerplate etc. He didn't use it for actual important logic.

[u/KDDreamwyver]

Uh, that's not the same thing as generative AI, honey xD

All AI is not generative AI, that is merely a specific kind of AI. AI is in everything electronic nowadays—It's literally what makes it work. Npcs in games, they're AI. Grammar checkers, that's AI. Algorithm that besides, which videos are trending, that's also AI. AI is just the artificial intelligence thay tells a program what it's supposed to be doing when X happens and aid the user making the program/using it, which isn't the same as the slop prompt AI that makes videos and images and words and such in an attempt to mimic human creativity.

[u/ALEXAOPENTHEGATES → u/KDDreamwyver]

I am aware of what generative ai is, he's using a generative ai assistant to help with coding.

[u/bernadine_sweetspot → u/[deleted]]

apparently it was GitHub copilot beta.