#Renpy game

[a-diners-call-gfdatingsim]

Drew an extremely quick shitty comic last night at like 12am about the intro to Stan's route.

This is the only frame to see the light of day because it's kinda cute <3

Anywho Info on the second smaller Project to get the hang on Renpy below!

(This one is for you Ford and Fiddleford simps)

In order to polish using the 'affection point system' and heavy branching choices before getting to 'A Diners Call' there will be a project that I wanted to call 'Fiddeling Fords' so bad but I held back and at least for now I'm calling it 'College Fords'

That's right! Your heading to Backupsmore! To Romance one (or maybe two? Depends on if you guys would want it and or whether the project is already taking to long and I feel I've learned all I can)

That's right! University romance time!!!! Aaahahhhhhh

[vaadazen-codes]

How To Get Started Making Visual Novels

Wanna make a visual novel? Or maybe you've seen games like Our Life, Blooming Panic, Doki Doki Literature Club, etc. and wanna make something like that? Good news, here's a very basic beginners guide on how to get started in renpy and what you need to know going in! Before you start, I highly recommend looking at my last post about writing a script for renpy just to make it easier on you!

LONG POST AHEAD

Obviously, our first step is downloading it from their website

thankfully, its right on the home page of their site. Follow basica program installation steps and run the program. I highly recommend pinning it to your task bar to make it easier to access.

From there, you're met with the renpy app, it's a little daunting at first but let's talk about what all these buttons are for.

Projects

This part is simple, it just lists the current projects in the chosen directory. You probably won't have any in there of your own. You should still see Tutorial and The Question!

Both of those default projects are super helpful in their own ways, i highly recommend testing out the tutorial and playing around with it just to get comfortable with some of the basics.

Create New Project

The first step to actually making your game into a game!

You'll be met with a prompt letting you know that the project is being made in English and that you can change it. You can click Continue.

From here, you'll be asked to input a project name! Put in your games title, or even a placeholder title since this Information can be changed later! (this is also the title the folder will be in your file browser, be sure to name it something you won't overlook)

Now we get to choose our resolution!

If you have no idea what to choose, go for 1920x1080! This is the standard size for most computer monitors and laptops, but it will still display with moderately decent quality on 4k monitors too!

You can choose 3840x2160 as well. This is 2x the measurements of the default, with the same ration. These dimensions are considered 4k. Keep in mind, your image files will be bigger and can cause the game to have a larger size to download.

Now we get to choose our color scheme!

Renpy has some simple default options with the 'light mode' colors being the bottom two rows, and the 'dark mode' colors being the toop two rows.

You can pick anything here, but I like to choose something that matches my projects vibes/colors better. Mostly because depending on how in depth you go with the ui, it minimizes the amount of changes I need to make later.

Click continue and give it a minute. Note: If it says "not responding" wait a moment without clicking anything. It can sometimes freeze briefly during the process.

Now we should be back at our home screen, with our new project showing. Let's talk about allll that stuff on the right now.

Open Directory

This just opens that particular folder in your local file explorer!

game - is all the game files, so your folders for images, audio, saves, and your game files like your script, screens, and more.

base - this is the folder that the game folder is inside of. You can also find the errors and log txt files in here.

images - takes you to your main images folder. This is where you wanna put all of your NON gui images, like your sprites, backgrounds, and CGs. You can create folders inside of this and still call them in the script later. EX: a folder for backgrounds , a folder for sprites for character a, a seperate folder for spirtes for character b, etc.

audio - Takes you to the default audio folder. This is empty, but you can put all your music and sound effects here!

gui - brings up the folder containing all of the default renpy gui. It's a good place to start/ reference for sizes if you want to hand draw your UI pieces like your text box!

Edit File

Simple enough, this is just where you can open your code files in whatever text/code editor you have installed.

Script.rpy - where all of your story and characters live. This is the file you'll spend most of your time in at first

Options.rpy - Contains mostly simple information, like project name and version. There aren't a ton of things in here you need to look at. There is also some lines of code that help 'archive' certain files by file type so that they can't be seen by players digging in code however. Fun if you want to hide some images in there for later or if you just dont want someone seeing how messy your files are. We've all been there

Gui.rpy - where all of the easy customization happens. Here you can change font colors, hover colors, fonts, font sizes, and then the alignment and placement of all of your text! Like your dialogue and names, the height of text buttons, etc. It more or less sets the defaults for a lot of these unless you choose to change them later.

Screens.rpy - undeniably my favorite, this is where all of the UI is laid out for the different screens in your game, like the main menu, game menu, quick menu, choice menu, etc. You can add custom screens too if you want, but I always make my own seperate file for these.

Open Project - this just opens all of those files at once in the code editor. Super handy if you make extra files like I do for certain things.

Actions

last but not least, our actions.

Navigate Script - This feature is underrated in my honest opinion, it's super handy for help debugging! In renpy you can comment with # before a line. However, if you do #TODO and type something after it, it saves it as a note! You can view these TODO's here as well as easily navigate to when certain screens are called, where different labels are (super great if your game is long, and more. It saves some scrolling.

Check Script (Lint) - also super duper handy for debugging some basic things. It also tells you your word count! But its handy for letting you know about some errors that might throw up. I like using it to look for sprites I may or may not have mispelled, because they show up in there too.

Change/Update GUI - Nifty, though once you start customizing GUI on your own, it isn't as useful. You can reset the project at any point and regenerate the image files here. This updates all those defaults we talked about earlier.

Delete Persistent - this just helps you delete any persistent data between play throughs on your end. I like to use it when making a lot of changes while testing the game, so that I can reboot the game fresh.

Force Recompile - Full disclosure, as many games as I've made and as long as I've been using Renpy, i have never used this feature. I searched to see what it does and this is the general consesus: Normally renpy tries to be smart about compiling code (creating .rpyc files) and only compiles .rpy files with changes. This is to speed up the process since compiling takes time. Sometimes you can make changes that renpy don't pick up on and therefore won't recompile. In these cases you can run force recompile to force it. Another solution (if you know what file is affected) is to delete that specific. rpyc file.

The rest of your options on this right hand side are how you make executable builds for your game that people can download to extract and play later!

Sorry gang! that was a whole lot of text obviously the last button "Launch Project" launches an uncompiled version of the project for you to play and test as you go! Hang in tight because my next post is about how to utilize github for renpy, so you can collaborate easier!

[dreamtydraw]

SLEEPING UNDER SPELLS IS OUT ON ITCH.IO

You've been pining for your neighbor for a while, and tonight seems perfect to maybe confess your feelings... That if Alioth wasn't the most dense mage in the region. 

Sleeping Under Spells is a short urban fantasy romance between two idiots who banter a lot over nothing, when they really just should make out...

Features : 

20K Words

3 Endings 

2 CGs

1 male love interest

 Full voicing

Genderless mc ( custom name )

All my love ( no tears this time )

[seraphinitegames]

Coming soon: Holiday Magic: A Wayhaven Christmas Story!

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you this delightful tale. Our gratitude goes out to Mishka's amazing Patrons for their unwavering support, which has made this project, as well as The Wayhaven Chronicles as a whole, possible. This special gift is our way of expressing our heartfelt appreciation as it will be free to all $5+ Patrons.

But this festive, romantic side story will also be available to purchase for windows PC (and hopefully MAC) through Itch.io.

Stay tuned and get ready to immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Wayhaven this holiday season!

[tricitymonsters]

[interact-if]

Hollow Victory is a short visual novel about visiting your ex in jail after he tried taking over the world. This game was made in 10 days for the O2A2 VN Jam 2023, a micro Visual Novel Jam with strict asset limitations and a 1,000 word limit by Ekkoberry.

Features:

✿ Exactly 1,000 words / approx 10 minutes of gameplay.

✿ 3 endings.

✿ 1920 x 1080 resolution.

[motdo-vn]

Introduction - Midnights of The Drowsy Owl

Visual Novel - Midnights of the Drowsy Owl

DEMO—TBA

Midnights of The Drowsy Owl is a novella magical realism, romance interactive fiction of five chapters. Romance is the foundation of the story, so there are no platonic relationships. It is influenced by mythologies with a lot of twists and turns, and a bit of Romanian influence.

When city life takes everything from you, you leave for a house you inherited from your late grandparents, in a town far away from the troubles of life: Caersolvita.

While strolling through the little town of Caersolvita after job hunting during the odd hours of the night, the old clock in the quaint settlement strikes twelve midnight, and a building down the dirt road illuminates the twilight.

Beads of light fall like stardust through the coffee-scented building. No one knows about it, and even if they did, they cannot find it. When midnight strikes, it all changes. Down the bricked pathway of the town, life clicks into light, and the twinkles of windchimes carry a bitter fragrance.

A “Looking to Hire!” board stands neatly by the doormat of the slightly tarnished place. With little hope of finding a job anytime soon, you enter the cafe. When offered a trainee position as a barista, you leave for home, unknowing of the wonders that await you when the dead hours of the night come about.

Features

Choose your gender: female, male, non-binary

Work at a quaint café in a rural town, shrouded in mystery and solitude.

Unravel the secrets of the midnight café.

Romance one of the four ROs and explore a fresh adventure with one of the three personalities chosen.

Deal with some snappy customers or different oddities.

Find out the history of Caersolvita through each route.

Enjoy a life of quietude and comfort, away from the worries of life.

Personalities: Loveable airhead, Taciturn fool, Sarcastic charmer

Character profile

(Gender-selectable)

Beautiful and dignified, Thana is the peculiar owner of the The Drowsy Owl. Behind the mysterious red eyes and snowy pale skin, the discipline of the body and grace follows each tilt of the wrist, where the whiffs of coffee beans stream along the cafe.

Admired by everyone in Caersolivita for sublime service, coupled with sweet words, Thana is the go-to barista if someone requires comfort or dark humor. Although the sorry state of the cafe, it is the first choice for everyone.

With every smile given to Thana, two more are returned, and with each heart that is offered, the more Thana guards the heart. Somehow, though, the trainee barista has a way with their words.

Unhinged. There is no other word that fits the young wolf-like Ylfa. A shepherdess along the hillside of Caersolvita, she meets each situation with the flash of her canines and a huff. With a beige bonnet laced around the edges, she fancies the lolita fashion, enjoying lavish dresses, contrary to her rambunctious voice. Or she may opt for a pink tank top with a red bow to match.

In the dead of night, a voice like a siren vying for love sings from the northern cliff at the very edge of the town. From the ruffled chestnut brown hair and perky ears gilded by the moonlight, her song willows past till dawnbreak.

Despite the tough and rowdy personality, Ylfa holds her hands close to her chest, sometimes shooting glances towards the trainee barista from the day they met eyes.

Idris (m)

Personal trainer by day, guardsman by night. Idris is often described as "too blunt for his own good." Towering over everyone in town, he is regarded as a dark warrior, a signature black hood hanging over his defined face. Polite and well-spoken, his sharp tongue still manages to overshadow such traits.

By the bridge that connects the mainland to the hook-shaped cliffside town, Idris guards the safety of the people. Always seen next to the old watchtower, most hear grunts from the place, running away in fear.

When he bumped his head against the door of Drowsy Owl, he meets gaze with the trainee barista, and color rose-pink erupts from the steely brown eyes.

Shaylah (nb)

Always smelling like honey and floral concoctions, Shaylah is a local apothecary who resides near the very edge of the cliff. Catching eyes everywhere they go, their sterling red hair shines like the sun under light. Always seen walking around town with a sunhat the size of an umbrella, Shaylah's ethereal voice wrecks the minds of people when their brash and uncouth words begin to lash out.

Spending the afternoon and night cooped up in their house, they take the blue flowers on the cliff, grinding them and creating concoctions. No one outside of the town knows what it truly is, and only Shaylah's family knows of it.

After spending a full day in their shop, taking a rest at midnight by The Drowsy Owl is usually what happens, accompanied by a cup of hibiscus tea. But now, where the bright eyes of the trainee barista caught them off-guard, they never forgot.

[happymahogany]

✨ Visual Novel Release ✨

SNORKMI Studios presents...

❀ Yay! Spring Trip with My Coworkers ❀

"I've been working at the famous Y/N Bar & Restaurant for a year... but I haven't gotten to know my coworkers at all!

I can't miss the chance this few days staff spring trip brings! I know I might be anxious and awkward... but can I finally break the professional wall and be more than just a 'coworker'?"

❀❀ Features ❀❀

Get to know your coworkers in 18k+ words!

3 Endings with 1+ hour of gameplay per playthrough!

Original Sprites, CGs, & Background!

A diverse cast of characters~

Cutiepie MC 🌸 who has yet to fully grasp how soul-sucking the eatery serving industry could get

Made for Blossom VN Jam and F*** Capitalism Jam!

FREE DOWNLOAD HERE

[lifeiskentastic]

So… I kinda made a dating simulator with Ken

I was inspired by one post with a visual novel element with Noah from @uncleclam (thanks them for that lol)

Description: you are a regular Matel employee who has been sent to Barbieland to control the Kens behavior. Well, one particular Ken. And it looks like it's not all sunshine in plastic land... Will you be able to handle Ken so that he doesn't go back to the patriarchy?

Time (very approximate): 40 minutes;

Languages: english and ukrainian;

The game has two endings - good and bad (+bonus). In the bad ending, you obviously fail your task and Ken again takes the side of patriarchal ideals.

P.S. I'm well aware that VNs usually have full-length pictures of characters, but I haven't held a pencil since elementary school, so I deliberately decided to crop them so that players' eyes wouldn't bleed from what they saw

You can download it on itch for pc (android and ios would be available soon)

Also expect tons of text about production hell in my next post :)

[maxmorkson]

Despite work and everything getting in the way, I still managed to finish this visual novel in time for the Yaoi Game Jam 2024!!! My first foray into romance.

Synopsis: a witch's son moves into a cabin after she died. He grieves alone until a stranger knocks on his door. Is the princely figure standing in his doorstep an enemy? A friend? Or maybe...

4 endings! A non-human love interest that looks non-human! Magic lore! Tea! Themes of loneliness and vulnerability! Saccharine sweet romance! Awkward small talk! Murder!

Please play my game.

[zombeebunnie]

Color and shading practice of Noah! :]

[a-diners-call-gfdatingsim]

A Diners call Concept work.

+info on the smaller practice Stan visual novel under the cut.

These arnt offical sprites by any means, just me dressing ford up like a little doll to put him in situations with the player <3

Casual wear:

Date wear:

Sleepwear:

I don't know if these will be the final outfits but please feel free to let me know what you think!!

One of the smaller side projects I'm working on in order to practice with renpy before jumping in on my BIG ol project will be

'Drifting together' a Stan pines dating sim!

A VN where the player is in a pre-established relationship with Stan pines when he's kicked out and going through your life driving state to state with him as drifters! It will probably only have 2 endings and it's ALL about stan baby, short and sweet hurt comfort, and one ending that's all angst!

I'd love to hear what you think!

CG artist applications are open for both these projects!

Info here:

[crimsonhydrangeavn]

What are the LI kinks?

Haha great question and the perfect segway into posting these again! I actually included their kinks on the bottom of these little intro cards I made a while back. Where they what you expected?

[dreamtydraw]

Pov you try to be nice but clients think you're a free therapist...

I am officially off my break ( yeah told you i'm not good at taking long break ) which mean apple bag content ! A lot of stuff will change in the future update and this screenshot is just to showcase a new character you'll encounter in game, wonder if her name seems familiar...

[smilestrawbunny]

Double posting for Magician Day 1’s release day! We had such a wonderful crew of hardworking, beautiful people and I couldn’t be happier with the final product! I made some art of some of our main characters to celebrate 💕 Please consider playing Magician on itch.io, it’s a short game but it’s full of love and passion from our small team! 🍭🧸

[skeletalgames]

Looking for a cozy game with a side of chaos and a healthy dose of crime? 😈☕

Check out our demo for Spill the Beans, a youdunnit visual novel set in a modern fantasy café!

(guilt and regret are free optional toppings!)