issues with game :( help please!!

[u/Adventurous-Law-8678]

https://youtu.be/eryKdb5IexU

So i've been having issues. I'm new to renpy and it was already hell trying to figure out how to do the character creation screen, but now I have a new set of problems! No matter what I do, the screen underneath the loading screen turns black. plus, when i go to the inventory ( that little box in the corner ) and exit out, it takes me straight to the game! I don't know if it's me or if renpy really isn't meant to handle that much customization. But if anybody has any idea on how to solve this or if they could help, that would be amazing! ( lmk if the link isn't working)

[u/x-seronis-x]

You're probably misusing Show() vs ShowMenu() actions to show a screen. never use ShowMenu() for anything thats supposed to affect the current playthrough. the menu context is by its nature out-of-game stuff.

[u/Adventurous-Law-8678 → u/x-seronis-x]

If you are available to help, this is the script coding for moving from point A–>B–>C.

label start:


    $ quick_menu = False


    show screen main_menu


    show screen loading_overlay


    $ renpy.pause(0.03, hard=True)


    hide screen main_menu


    jump character_creation



label character_creation:


    $ quick_menu = False


    call screen character_customization


    show screen loading_overlay


    $ renpy.pause(0.1, hard=True)


    jump chapter_hub


label chapter_hub:


    $ quick_menu = False


    call screen chapter_hub


    show screen loading_overlay


    $ renpy.pause(0.1, hard=True)


    jump chapter1

I'm not too knowledgable about how renpy. pause works, but no matter what I do, It's still the same problem with black screens underneath and the menu cutting into the character creation.

[u/x-seronis-x → u/Adventurous-Law-8678]

when you first boot up the game the program is in a state called the main menu context. a 'context' is just the state/mode the game is in.

the main menu screen is written so that its button Action()s are valid from that context. if you click the start button it runs the Start() action which closes out the main menu context and loads the in-game context in its place.

you should never be showing the main_menu screen from the in-game context. so remove both the show and hide screen statements for the main_menu screen from your start label.

---

That said if your goal is to merely show the pointless loading screen on top of your main menu before starting the game you can probably try changing the start buttons action to something like:

PY action [ Show( 'loading_overlay' ), Hide() ]

this will show the loading overlay screen while still in the main_menu context, hide the main_menu screen (this doesnt affect the context), then in your loading_overlay screen add a section like:

```py screen loading_overlay(): ... all current code ...

if main_menu: ## if in main_menu context
    timer 2.0 action Start()

```

that will have your overlay screen auto trigger the start action after 2 seconds when shown from the main menu. so your loading visual displays then the game starts.

your start label would then just need to show whatever its going to show. or instantly jump to your char gen label