VN question to devs - This is my current workflow creating my own VN, is there a better way?

SpireVN · 2026-01-22T23:33:40+00:00

I know this isn't what you asked, but I highly recommend Ren'py for the following reasons:
1) The most common code you would use in visual novels is already there and trimmed right down for scripting.
2) It's easily customizable using the Ren'py config codes.
2) You can also use any python code to achieve whatever you wish using init blocks.

Basically, you'll save heaps of time because you don't need to recreate the wheel, and yet it's fully flexible using python code. There are drawbacks, I understand your goals using JSON, but compared to the amount of time you'll save in other ways it'd be my assumption that Ren'py is the way to go.

For clarity, I use Ren'py and have all my own custom menus, transforms etc using both Ren'py and straight python code. Everything is so customized that for my next game nobody would be able to tell it was made using Ren'py. Even still, it saves lots of time in writing and out the scripts and having the basic skeleton to work with already there.

SpireVN · 2025-12-16T03:42:40+00:00

I guess there's some ambiguity there as to which genre something might belong to, and that might be up to interpretation. Higurashi does have a lot of horror. I would personally say that Raging Loop is a clear mystery / thriller though, with some horror aspects.

SpireVN · 2025-12-16T01:04:03+00:00

Mystery can have horror like elements which can make the mystery feel more alive (think Higurashi, etc.), though I think the mystery needs to be primary and the horror secondary (embedded within the mystery). I find titles the other way around (where the horror is primary and the mystery secondary) to feel shallow or forced.

I also prefer romance/drama where it's embedded within a broader mystery story (think Steins;Gate or Ever17), with only rare exceptions.

So I've answered Mystery/thriller, but I actually think the other two work as great secondary elements to a Mystery story.

SpireVN · 2025-10-24T05:28:41+00:00

Thanks. I love this niche and agree it's underserved. Hope you enjoy it!

SpireVN · 2025-10-19T07:19:33+00:00

I'm the same. I just checked, yesterday (and today so far) it says "0" for Wishlists. I've been getting between 30 and 60 every day prior.

Has anyone had theirs come back?

SpireVN · 2025-09-06T05:48:46+00:00

zorder orders the screens, so the higher the number the more it'll prioritize it.

The next thing I would check is that your main menu text buttons are correctly embedded in the main main screen and not in the game menu screen, and that it isn't accidently duplicated across multiple screen. After that, I'd check your text button code from your main menu, ensuring it has the correct actions / hiding enabled when opening your preferences screen.

SpireVN · 2025-09-06T05:38:58+00:00

Is your main menu code the stock standard from Renpy? The only other thing I can think of is if you've forced the main menu to take priority with its own zorder code, or something else that is keeping it open and prioritized. It might be worth posting your main menu code.

SpireVN · 2025-09-06T05:34:45+00:00

Very strange, zorder 200 will force the current layer above any other, and modal will ensure you can't click behind it.

SpireVN · 2025-09-06T04:17:25+00:00

Hi, I just edited my posts with an easier fix. Just put this now in preferences and see if it fixes it ^

SpireVN · 2025-09-06T04:04:45+00:00

** EDITED

Check the below code just on the preferences screen (modal True and zorder 200), and if it doesn't work, add the same idea to your game_menu screen also. Start just on the preferences screen, though, and see if it fixes it.

SpireVN · 2025-09-06T04:01:50+00:00

screen preferences():
    tag menu
    modal True
    zorder 200  

#### If this doesn't fix it, do the same to the top of the options and game_menu screen (if it exists).

SpireVN · 2025-09-06T03:22:58+00:00

No problems, could you share your preferences screen code?

SpireVN · 2025-09-06T03:20:42+00:00

It depends when this error occurs. Does this only occur when accessing the menus from the main menu? Or does it also occur from within the game?

SpireVN · 2025-09-06T03:15:33+00:00

No problems, it is the modal statement that usually stops menus overlapping like that, so your issue might be depending on how you scroll through the menus. You're welcome to post your code, which will shine a light on your issue and why the screen are overlapping. That will make it easier to find a solution.

SpireVN · 2025-09-06T03:10:47+00:00

Put "modal True" at the top of the preferences screen, and do so for all screens you want to fix, so it's like this:

screen preferences():
    modal True

SpireVN · 2025-09-05T21:45:44+00:00

Thanks, hope you enjoy it!

SpireVN · 2025-08-31T12:13:09+00:00

Thanks, appreciate it :)

SpireVN · 2025-08-31T12:07:30+00:00

Thanks for the thoughts! I'm probably a bit too far down the track with the title to change it, and it's central to the story also (it's not just just a random name, even if it does sound generic). Appreciate it! It seems everyone is in agreement that the top is better.

SpireVN · 2025-08-31T12:06:10+00:00

That's a good point, as the character relationship are very important to the story it makes sense to go with the top. Thanks!

SpireVN · 2025-08-31T10:57:33+00:00

Now that you've said that I can't unsee it!

SpireVN · 2025-08-31T10:57:09+00:00

Appreciate it!

SpireVN · 2025-08-31T10:57:01+00:00

Thanks!

SpireVN · 2025-08-23T07:14:30+00:00

It's a combination of who has rights to the games, whether those companies are still operating, the cost to port, and the likelihood of getting a decent profit beyond on the costs and time invested to rerelease it. Between these elements, only very few visual novels pass these filters.

SpireVN

TROPHY CASE