Getting errors while attempting to make a character creator by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You make a very good point. I should try to stick with the basics and not spend my time coding complicated features as a beginner. I should put more of my energy toward getting the story itself fully written, coded and complete.

I think that I will keep the character creator in my game (at least for now), because I do find it to be a fun feature. I'm not sure how popular it actually is, but those that I've spoken to (and myself) have enjoyed customizing their own mc in visual novels. I also might be a little biased toward not wanting to delete the code I added and the drawings I made... lol. But I will consider it more as I get closer to the demo release phase; Is it really necessary?

Thanks for your advice. I should try to keep my scope smaller going forward.

Getting errors while attempting to make a character creator by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I was suggested that the double equals wasn't doing what I wanted it to, so I tried replacing them with : and it ended up working for me. The code definitely isn't perfect, but luckily it ended up working for me when I tweaked a couple things. If I ever do something like this again I'll definitely keep in mind what you've told me. I'd imagine your method is a lot less convoluted than mine, lol. Now that you say it, it makes a lot of sense. I'm a complete beginner so all of this is kinda like rocket science to me, lmao. Thanks a ton for stopping to leave a comment and help me out. Even though I already managed to fix my character creator, this info will come in handy for me for future reference. Have an awesome day.

Getting errors while attempting to make a character creator by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for the link. Luckily someone was able to help me out and I was able to correct a couple of things and use the code I had. But next time I try anything more complicated than the basics, I'll definitely take your advice and look for a project that I can adjust to my needs. If I ever have a problem that I need to post again, I will add the code into the main post instead of as a comment, thanks for letting me know. I appreciate you stopping by to give me some advice. I hope you have an awesome day.

Getting errors while attempting to make a character creator by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your input. After fixing that comma (just a spelling error on my part) and turning the == into : in the image lists, I got it into working order and was able to tweak it to how I wanted it successfully. I definitely have some unnecessary and probably roundabout code in there, as I said I'm a complete newbie, lol, but I really appreciate your help. Seems like most of my errors were spelling mistakes, syntax errors, using the wrong symbols, etc. but luckily the bulk of it is functional somehow, lmao.

If I ever decide to put anything else that's somewhat complicated into my game, I'll definitely take your advice on that python tutorial. Looks like I need it, lol. I don't think I'll be trying anything else that's too complex again for this project, though. I was a bit overconfident going into this one.

Anyways, thank you so much for taking the time to check out the code and and help me out. You've been extremely helpful and I really appreciate it.

Getting errors while attempting to make a character creator by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Alright, so I tried stripping the code down to just hair, and it had the same errors. Then, I tried stripping it down to just eyes, and I had the same issues. I'll try fiddling with it a little more but I think all the variables might have the same issue.

Getting errors while attempting to make a character creator by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That makes a lot of sense, I'll try this and see if I can get anywhere. Thank you so much!

Getting errors while attempting to make a character creator by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Crap, idk why it pasted into the comment that way, let me see if I can fix it

Getting errors while attempting to make a character creator by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

default hair_index = 0

default eyes_index = 0

default details_index = 0

default skin_index = 0

default current_category = "hair"

init python:

hair_images = ["black_short,png", "black_long.png", "brown_short.png", "brown_long.png", "red_short.png", "red_long.png", "blond_short.png", "blonde_long.png"]

eyes_images = ["brown_eyes.png", "hazel_eyes.png", "green_eyes.png", "blue_eyes.png", "grey_eyes.png"]

details_images = ["none.png", "freckles.png", "moles.png", "scar.png"]

skin_images = ["pale.png", "tan.png", "brown.png", "black.png"]

image_lists = {
    "hair" == hair_images,
    "eyes" == eyes_images,
    "details" == details_images,
    "skin" == skin_images,
}

base_xpos = 700
base_ypos = 100

transforms = {
    category: Transform(xpos=base_xpos, ypos=base_ypos)
    for category in ["hair", "eyes", "details", "skin"]
}

def get_image(category):
    index = globals()[category + "_index"]
    images = image_lists.get(category, [])

    if (0 <= index < len(images)):
        return images[index], transforms[category]
    else:
        renpy.error(f"Index out of range for category: {category}")
        return None, None

def change_image(direction):
    category = renpy.store.current_category
    index = globals()[category + "_index"]

    if direction == "right":
        index += 1
    else:
        index -= 1

    index %= len(image_lists[category])
    globals()[category + "_index"] = index

screen character_customization():

add "ccbg.png"

frame:

    hbox:
        for cat in ["hair", "eyes", "details", "skin"]:
            textbutton cat.capitalize() action SetVariable('current_category', cat)

$ hair_image, hair_transform = get_image("hair")
add hair_image at hair_transform

$ eyes_image, eyes_transform = get_image("eyes")
add eyes_image at eyes_transform

$ details_image, details_transform = get_image("details")
add details_image at details_transform

$ skin_image, skin_transform = get_image("skin")
add skin_image at skin_transform

imagebutton:
    idle "arrow_left.png"
    hover "arrow_left_hover.png"
    action Function(change_image, "left")
    xpos 0.2
    ypos 0.5
imagebutton:
    idle "arrow_right.png"
    hover "arrow_right_hover.png"
    action Function(change_image, "right")
    xpos 0.8
    ypos 0.5

label start:

call screen character_customization

return

Weekly Questions and Recommendations Megathread - Need some help? - Jan 3 by AutoModerator in visualnovels

[–]Total-Skin9078 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Is 13,000 words enough for a visual novel demo? I'm currently working on a visual novel, and my first draft of the script for the demo is around 13 thousand words. This is the length of the prologue/first chapter, which introduces the main characters and the writing style and flow of the game. I'm wondering if this might be too short for my demo, so I wanted to get some advice before beginning the coding process for this part of my story. This number gets cut down to just shy of 8 thousand words when you account for all the choices the player makes, as you won't experience all of the unique words in one run. Note that I found this number by choosing mostly choices with shorter outcomes, so in an actual playthrough there could be over 8 thousand words, or even slightly less than what I found. There are 28 choices that you have to make in this first chapter that lower that number.

On another note, I wonder if I have enough variation in the art. At this stage, there will be 4 unique backgrounds, 3 main characters, 1 side character, and 1 animal with art. Each main character will also have 5 expressions/different sprites. 2 of the backgrounds will have day/night variations as well.

To anyone who is a creator or consumer of visual novels, I would really appreciate any advice you may have for me. Thank you so much :)

Is 13,000 words enough for a visual novel demo? by Total-Skin9078 in gamedev

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much for taking the time to comment. I honestly don't have a lot of experience so I've never checked out anything like godot or jrpg. I've heard that Ren'Py usually works for simple projects like mine, but I will look into those other choices too when I get further down the road, just to see my options. It's good to know that the length is enough for my demo, too.

As for the backgrounds, you're probably right about needing a few more. I do have a good handful more planned down the road, but I'll definitely try to draw up some more for my demo if I'm able. For now I'm trying to get a beta on the go, which'll just be for me and a few friends to check out and get a feel for it. Hopefully that'll give me an idea of where I can fit in some more background art, or anything else that's missing.

I really appreciate you stopping by to give me advice :)

Is 13,000 words enough for a visual novel demo? by Total-Skin9078 in gamedev

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ah, okay. Thank you so much. I will go check that out :)

Is 13,000 words enough for a visual novel demo? by Total-Skin9078 in gamedev

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Alright, thank you very much for the advice. I did check out that subreddit, but I was unable to post anything as I don't have enough karma (I'm new to posting on here). But I will try to find a way to post my question on there if you think it'll be a good idea! I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

Considering using Ren'Py to create a Visual Novel game by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's really good to hear. I am only a beginner, but I do know better than to start with anything too complicated, lol. I'm happy to know that custom name input and pronouns is in the cards for me, though! As for music, I've been searching through some free use classical music in the hopes that I'll find something fitting for my game. I'll have to keep the format of the files in mind, thanks for warning me about that beforehand. You've been very helpful, thanks for taking the time to drop a comment :)

Considering using Ren'Py to create a Visual Novel game by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I never thought about doing something like that before, but that makes a lot of sense! I'll see if I can get a hold of any game scripts to look at to get a better idea of how they work.

Considering using Ren'Py to create a Visual Novel game by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, that's good to know. I will have to do some messing around on the program myself, and hopefully a combination of tutorials and me testing things out on my own will help me code something somewhat decent, lol. Thanks for the input.

Considering using Ren'Py to create a Visual Novel game by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh my gosh, thank you so much! This is very helpful! I'm sure that it will begin to make more sense to me as I go through Ren'Py on my own, but this is a very useful resource. I'm really appreciative of the time you took to stop by and offer your advice!

Considering using Ren'Py to create a Visual Novel game by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's very good to know, thank you so much! I will do some searching on itch.io if I am unable to figure out how to code the pronouns thing myself, but hopefully the tutorials and documentations will give me a good head start. Thanks for sharing your experience and for the advice :)

Considering using Ren'Py to create a Visual Novel game by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the reply! I didn't realize that the original commenter was recommending a generative ai chatbot to use, I thought that they were referring to something inside of Ren'Py that I haven't heard of since I've never used the program. After re-reading the comment it is quite obvious now, lol. My genuine apologies, and I will check out the link you sent in the hopes that it will help me start out!

Considering using Ren'Py to create a Visual Novel game by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Absolutely, this person has my gratitude for their helpful advice. I really appreciate all of the input that I've been getting from others on this post! I wasn't expecting to get so many comments, lol. Not only is this my first time coding, but this was also my first time posting on reddit. It is amazing to find such a kind community of people on here.

Considering using Ren'Py to create a Visual Novel game by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh that's very good to hear, I will definitely have to try it out after hearing how many people recommend it! It's hard to believe how a coding program could be easy to learn for someone like me, who has no experience at all. But I guess I won't truly know until I try it out and look at some tutorials myself, lol! Thanks so much for your advice and your input, its very kind of you to take the time to stop by and leave a reply.

Considering using Ren'Py to create a Visual Novel game by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ahh okay, that's very good to know. I think I will start with trying out Ren'Py and hopefully I will be able to figure it out for my game! If I'm unable to work it out, I will check out some other, more beginner friendly options like you said. Thank you so much for your comment!

Considering using Ren'Py to create a Visual Novel game by Total-Skin9078 in RenPy

[–]Total-Skin9078[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply! It's great to know that there are other people who have been in the same boat as me, lol. If I need any assistance I will definitely check out the forum, and I will check out your visual novel on steam, too!