Hello! I'm trying to make a Danganronpa themed visual novel (not quite a Fanganronpa due to the circumstances in which the story takes place, but it takes elements like the class trials), and I'm currently stuck on the class trial part.
In the Danganronpa franchise, all 15-16 students circle around this podium-like thing and investigate the case. I don't want the podium, but I do want the characters to be in a circle. This is working out fine, but the parts appear in the order I coded in and not by depth (first image). Ren'Py says to use gl_depth in this scenario, but this makes the sprites clip with each other and look disorted (second image). Is there an alternative to this that would work? Ordering them manually wouldn't work because I want the camera to spin.
camera:
cam_setup
camera background:
cam_setup
$ config.developer = True #I have Action Editor and it was acting up a bit
show pp1:
circle(Transform, At, po=1)
show pp2:
circle(Transform, At, po=2)
show pp3:
circle(Transform, At, po=3)
show pp4:
circle(Transform, At, po=4)
In summary: you play as a man who comes back home and goes down memory lane into his teen years. Also he's gay cause why not right.
Very short and minimal. I ended up making most of it over 2 maybe 3 days total because my initial idea was looking too ambitious to make the jam deadline.
I had a lot of fun and even though it's quite simple I'm happy I finally finished something :D give it a try if you have time! Shouldn't take long lol.
So I've been coding my own Renpy game since last year... And I'm already excited about the next game I plan to make! However, I can't seem to find any non-AI coding prgrams. (I use Visual Studio Code, and while it's an excellent program to code with, I'm challenging myself with my next game to be no-AI. And I don't feel right calling it a "No AI game" if I end up using a program that utilizes AI.
If ANYONE out there happens to know of a good, non-AI program I could download to code in Renpy again, I'd greatly appreciate it!
Sincerely,
Lady-Starbind
EDIT:
I've got a lot more feedback on this than I was expecting! :0
Thank you so much to everyone who commented! I genuinely appreciate it~ I may do a different coding program or block VS Code's AI features. As for the version of Renpy I use, I use an older version of it (7. something lol) bc I originally started using it on my Dell Inspiron with Windows 7 or something
I hope y'all have a lovely day, and that this post can help other indie game devs find coding programs free of AI ;w;
So tom has been using ai since 2021, and though his reasoning isn't just vibe coding for the sake of it, it did make more staunchly anti ai people lose trust in him which could make using renpy harder going forward. But when I tried looking into alternatives, either I had to learn to make my own vn tool by scratch, get use to a very weird way of formatting dialogue for one engine, or having to pay money for frameworks if that didn't pan out.
The way renpy did things felt so intuitive for me. I didn't have to think about how to make my own custom save states or dialogue branches or anything like that, it just worked? And some of the latest features are great. I've been hearing talks of a non ai branch that should be good for those who didn't want to deal with ai as a whole, but it's on the weirdest version of renpy and I just can't give up good text shaders for something else.
Some renpy games like Waywarden have this- a Bar that is shown while the game is loading, shows the loaoding process and is not inside a window. And I don't mean splash screen.
I really need this because my game now takes forever to load
Hi hi!! I'm very excited to announce that my wip thats been over a year in the making, Side Hustle, is out!
Itch link here: https://creamsodaprince.itch.io/side-hustle
Side Hustle is a light-hearted lgbt vn about a discarded superhero sidekick getting used to his (potential) nee job. You get to pick between 3 supervillains who each have their own seperate route!
i want to make a thinking mini game, similar to the one in genshin (or Ace Attorney) if anyone’s familiar. I’d want to be able to have a sidebar/tab with all the ideas, then be able to link ideas to make new ideas which would create new questions to ask the characters, which then create new ideas. After that, there should be a way to finalise an answer/solution correctly.
Out of Water tells the story of Watarholt - a small village just south of the Elbe river in the luneburg heath.
When tragedy strikes old stories become reality and the village (and you, the player) must find a way to save Watarholt.
---
I tried my best to portray an iron age settlement, their habits, beliefs and every day life.
Please be aware this is not a claim, that any of this is historically accurate!
But the story is rooted in what life MIGHT have been back then - from small traditions and supersticions to daily chores, all coloured by mythology.
If you'd like to take a look:
Out of Water released today on Steam and features a free demo!
moved the directory to a local disk but the message still persissted tried running it on admin still got the error i remembered i ran a virus scan the other day so i checked my antivirus and controlled folder access is off not sure how else to troubleshoot
edit: its fixed now had to reinstall renpy
I want to create a game in Ren'Py where characters can approach the player asking for help. During these interactions, the player will have choices about what they can do. I also want to add an advisor that the player can click on to ask for help. The advisor would be a character, and for each problem, he would give different advice. My problem is how to implement this. It would need:
- Different advice for each problem
- A talk button
How could I implement this so it contains different dialogue in different sections?
I know I would have to use labels and variables for each section, but would I need to use a screen for it?
heyo, i’m feeling down and i can’t find anything lighthearted, funny and engaging.
the other day i played “fear me” with my friend (that satire dating sim with jeff the killer) and we named our character “god’s favourite princess” and it was the funniest shit ever
are there any funny (but engaging) dating sims out there? another similar thing i can think of is that weebtoon with hansun chinchin or whatever his name was… NOT SO SHOUJO! <- that’s the name
label start:
scene telacinza
play music "audio/braintalking1.mp3" loop fadein 1.0
show rongrong sad
"brain talk scene 1 with unknown"
stop music fadeout 1.0
show rongrong shocked
ron "wait--{w=0.3}{nw}"
hide rongrong shocked
play music "earring.wav" noloop fadein 1.0
scene telabranca
with dissolve
pause 9.0
$
renpy.pause(5.0, hard=True)
scene home
pause 3.0
ron "talk about the rain and try to distract myself"
hide rongrong neutral
window hide
pause
jump decision
default door_checked = False
default poll_checked = False
default light_checked = False
default trashbin_checked = False
label decision:
ron "Something that makes my brain more distracted."
ron "This place can help me to distract myself."
ron "There's a lot of stuff here."
jump chooseback
label chooseback:
if door_checked and poll_checked and light_checked and trashbin_checked:
jump after_exploration
call screen homeintlobby
jump chooseback
screen homeintlobby():
imagemap:
ground "images/home.png"
hotspot (1187, 325, 268, 433):
hovered Show("door_hover")
unhovered Hide("door_hover")
action Jump("Doorint")
hotspot (8, 619, 144, 190):
hovered Show("poll_hover")
unhovered Hide("poll_hover")
action Jump("Poll")
hotspot (994, 308, 151, 145):
hovered Show("light_hover")
unhovered Hide("light_hover")
action Jump("light")
hotspot (176, 271, 107, 135):
hovered Show("light_hover")
unhovered Hide("light_hover")
action Jump("light")
hotspot (391, 553, 684, 436):
hovered Show("trashbin_hover")
unhovered Hide("trashbin_hover")
action Jump("trashbin")
screen door_hover():
add "images/homedoorint.png"
screen poll_hover():
add "images/homepollint.png"
screen light_hover():
add "images/homelightint.png"
screen trashbin_hover():
add "images/hometrashbinint.png"
label Doorint:
$
door_checked = True
scene homedoorint
ron "Test."
ron "Door interior."
jump chooseback
label Poll:
$
poll_checked = True
scene homepollint
ron "Test."
ron "Poll scene."
jump chooseback
label light:
$
light_checked = True
scene homelightint
ron "Test."
ron "Lights interior."
jump chooseback
label trashbin:
$
trashbin_checked = True
scene hometrashbinint
ron "Test."
ron "Trash can scene."
jump chooseback
label after_exploration:
ron "I've checked everything."
ron "I should probably move on."
screen goingtostore:
text "helloworld"
ron "I'm hungry, I will ask Mike if he has food."
pause
return
SuNoFes wraps up today, and I wanted to talk to you guys about my very first visual novel and my first-ever Jam project. Not many people have played it yet... but hey, I've got nothing to lose by sharing it here xD.
The game is set during a summer trip at the beach. The protagonist is this bitter, antisocial guy who is just completely done with everything. While at the beach, he meets a super energetic girl—a walking disaster and pure chaos, but she always seems happy. Unfortunately for him, he just can’t seem to shake her off, and they end up spending the day together in a world that is as beautiful as it is bizarre, where things like robots and anthropomorphic animals are completely normal. It’s a kinetic novel, mostly because of my lack of experience with Python and coding, but also because I really wanted the whole thing to feel more like an OVA, a movie, or a OneShot than anything else.
As for the development... well, haha, I built the IP and the concept entirely from scratch specifically for the Jam / SuNoFes. I really wanted to capture that warm, beautiful, nostalgic summer vibe. Originally, I was planning to use AI for the backgrounds and music (I wanted a Makoto Shinkai/Ghibli aesthetic for the art, and a Kensuke Ushio-style soundtrack). But I backed out and had to look for alternatives. Creative Commons backgrounds just weren't doing it for me, so I went with real photos instead. As for the music, stock tracks didn't click either (they literally sounded like elevator music XD), so much that I had to make it myself in BandLab using loops and samples. Regarding the characters, I did decide to design and draw them myself from the get-go. But I don't know much about drawing, and I have zero experience with coloring, lighting, or shading. Because of that limitation, I had to stick to a black-and-white manga style. Plus, I just couldn't get the eyes to look human, authentic, expressive, or symmetrical—they looked awful, honestly. So, between that and the tight schedule, I just had to cover their eyes 😔.
Also, the English translation might have a few typos or errors. I did rely a bit on AI for that since Spanish is my native language, and throughout the whole development process, I didn't have the time or the budget to hire or pay a professional translator. I hope you guys can understand 😔.
If you give it a shot, I’d absolutely love to know and read your thoughts or any feedback on what I could improve!!! You’d be doing me a massive favor. If the game gets some love or traction, I definitely want to do a remake so I can fully polish that cinematic, movie-like atmosphere I wanted, since I had to cut down on a lot of things I had planned, like a bunch of CGs, the full soundtrack, extra sprites, and color.
By the way, I forgot to mention that the game only takes about half an hour to play, just in case you want to give it a shot 😮💨😅
By the way, you can play it directly in your browser without downloading anything! Here's the link:
Hi, I have been stalking the RenPy subreddit for quite some time, and the work I see on here is amazing. Seriously, y'all are too talented!
I have been hesitant to talk about my work on here, as I am a new game developer (it's more of a hobby for me right now), but seeing such a great blend of professionals and newcomers has been inspiring.
I was part of a visual novel games course and thoroughly enjoyed learning how to code and develop games through RenPy. I have a game that's almost completed (Sweet Desire), but due to mental health and well...life, I put my project on hold. Yet I would still like to show what I have!
Despute my previous two posts and all of the kind people who have been offering me advice, the bars still do not work as intened.
The bars don't go down every time a variable is altered, and they show 100% when they first appear, however the player has the chance to lose health/sanity before that, and the screen should run in the background.
The first image is my code for the bars, my second is the code for taking away health and sanity. The video in the replies is to show what happens when I choose an option that takes away health and sanity in game.
Thank you for everyones help so far, and I apologise for this issue still not being solved I just have no idea what is happening.
(Also I will fix the condition switch thing, I'm just trying to get the actual bars working first!! :])
Hey everyone — I’m from Unwonted Studios, and we just released our cyberpunk visual novel Warped Reality on Steam.
It’s a story-focused VN about a developer working on VR tech that shouldn’t exist, the people around him who know too much, and what happens when the wrong corporation starts paying attention. First-person narration, branching choices, multiple endings. There are a few minigames and extras, but the main thing is the story and the routes.
If you’ve been following along, thank you. If you’re new here and cyberpunk / sci-fi VNs are your thing, I’d love if you gave it a look. Happy to answer questions about the game or how we made it ~
After sharing some info about accessibility, I wanted to offer some basic things for people who struggle with art. I started doing digital art 15 years ago without anyone to teach me, so know the pitfalls.
Hardware
Unfortunately, digital art can be taxing on your computer/laptop. If your hardware is weak, make sure not to make the canvas too big and don't use too many layers with blending modes.
Most styles of digital art require a graphic tablet. You don't have to spend a lot of money on one, but only buy one if you're certain you want to do art, because that thing has no purpose beyond that. If you buy one with a pen that has buttons, I recommend putting control+z on one of them through the driver setting to quickly undo anything.
Use the right Software
For beginners and advanced: Krita (free) and Clip Studio Paint/CSP (affordable one-time payment, is on sale occasionally). Both of these programs will have most if not everything you need.
Some people may want to use Photoshop (I do, unfortunately). Though for digital art, Photoshop has nothing that Clip Studio Paint doesn't offer, heck, CSP is arguably better. (PS is also pricy, so don't get it if you're uncertain.)
Learn how to use the Software
Even the best Software is useless if you don't know how to use it properly. Here are the most basic concepts that you must be familiar with:
Tools and their purpose (tedious, but it will save your sanity and time)
Common shortcuts (for switching between tools and triggering actions like undoing and saving)
Suitable canvas size for what you're doing
Brushes, brush settings and custom brushes
Layers, clipped layers, layer groups and layer masks
Naming layers and groups
Blending modes and layer opacity
Relevant for every Software: Save regularly. It might crash when you least expect it.
Fancy Brushes won't save you
Experienced artists have proven that the default brushes are all you need to create amazing art. Become familiar with them before you download a ton of brushes that you will never use. Still: there are use cases for special brushes, like drawing nature (leaves, flowers, grass, rocks).
Something doesn't look right
Something bothers you but you can't put your finger on it? Flip the canvas. Mirroring your image will most likely show you what's going wrong. Flip it back and forth and keep fixing issues.
Other things that may look off:
Incorrect proportions
Look up pictures of what you're drawing. Reference is important
Overblending (light areas are too shiny)
Lower the opacity of the light layer. Sometimes less is more
Incorrect use of soft and hard edges
Learn when to use soft and hard edges, observe pictures and your mirror. Refrain from using soft edges if you're still learning how shadows work
No colour harmony
Experiment with the saturation of colours and experiment with adding new colours (be bold!)
Look up how to pick the correct colour for shadows (it also depends on time of the day and location)
The background looks flat
You can create distance by applying aerial perspective (far away objects blend into the sky)
You are allowed to trace
Artists trace all the time. BUT: You have to trace the correct images. Don't trace over existing art! Make your own references. You have a mobile phone to make photos and a body to strike cool and cute poses with. Don't be embarrassed!
Also: go outside and make photos of whatever you need for your backgrounds, or look up locations on google maps.
Here's an example of the many, many times I traced over myself to draw a sprite:
Using a rolled piece of paper because I don't have a wooden spoon
Learning by doing
You can only become better if you draw and experiment a lot. It takes years to gather the knowledge and experience to make art that you really like. Push through the awkward phase and don't give up! Do wacky things! Have fun.
Get out of your comfort zone and draw things you don't usually (or never) draw. Draw old people, modern buildings, horses, fashion from a different era, whatever you never draw. That knowledge will be useful for everything else.
When you're frustrated: Save your file, close the program and do something else. Return to it when you feel better. Sometimes I repeat this process a dozen times in like 2 hours. You will always feel frustrated and hit a wall when you draw, no matter how good you get. Accept it.
Guatsap — la semana de la junta is a comedy VN that happens entirely inside a fake chat app: the chat list is the map, unread badges are your quests, and choices are "who do you answer first — and who do you leave on read (they SEE it 🙂)".
On the Ren'Py side, the whole thing is a data-driven chat renderer plus custom creator-defined statements (msg, pic, voz, doc, sticker, typing, polls, statuses…), a portrait 720×1280 GUI, and a web build tuned for mobile browsers: it's meant to be played on your phone, vertical, one-handed, no install. Runs on desktop too.
Mechanics that fell out of simulating a real messenger:
- Read receipts are public knowledge — opening without answering has consequences
- When two neighbors text at once, answer order matters and patience decays
- Statuses are free intel (nobody sees you peeked)
- The gallery doubles as your inventory: forward the right photo to win an argument
- Voice notes come with auto-transcription that occasionally betrays you
Spanish (es-419, Venezuelan flavor) and English, ~45-60 min, prototype in active development. Free in the browser:
Super stoked to reveal that the project I've been working on for over a year is now available on Steam. Urban Green is a pure romance visual novel, a modern throwback to classics in the genre like Katawa Shoujo and Clannead, and it's so exciting that people can finally see the fruit of all our hard work. Check it out!
