discussion What is the deal with Ren'Py?

[Underlord]

Probably the "Invisible Hand of the free market" or maybe ask a porn game market expert haha....

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[exerp]

Can you recommend a "non-slop" game made with Ren'Py? Most of the ones I've played so far have felt low-effort.

I prefer AVNs with good story telling .. not just lewds. Here are some of my faves ..

• Artemis .. some of the premise is a bit over the top .. genius programmer, the sorority .. but there is good character development that makes me feel for the characters.
• Friends In Need .. some very different paths based on choices.
• Leap of Faith .. the GOAT. Be ready for some emotions if you play.
• Leaving DNA .. a relative newcomer that has fast become a contender for the top spot for character development and story.
• Light of My Life .. the odd looking characters were a bit off putting at first but it is kind of a sweet story.
• Ripples .. fun characters .. plot is kinda wierd in a good way.
• Single Again .. this one is my comfort food game that is just nice to come back to for a replay once in a while.
• Summer Scent .. some very different outcomes based on choices. I cannot bring myself to try the "dark" path because I really like the LIs and dont want to hurt them now.

The artwork varies in style and quality, so if you are only here for "hot naked chicks" you may want to look to other games. But if you want good quality stories in AVNs, the above are great examples.

 

[PROPH3T]

Your points aren't related to Ren'Py, actually. Any game with any engine can have those problems.
People like Ren'Py because any machine, even when ported to android, can run it smoothly. Also because it's extremely easy to work with it, you don't need to be a great programmer to make a game with it.
Because it's the easiest engine to use, you'll see a bigger proportion of lazy games using it. Let's say a game is using something like Unity, then it's more likely the creators are putting effort into it, because you need way more time to learn and to use something like Unity than you need to use Ren'Py, there's way more effort required. It would be dumb for someone to put more effort into the coding/engine department but not into art, design and etc.

 

[BonkDonk]

Most porn games are visual novels with sex scenes, so it makes sense to use an engine specifically made to create visual novels.

 

[LUVGAMZ23]

Why do so many people like Ren'Py? Every game I’ve seen made with it looks terrible, static images of poorly drawn characters that look like stiff Barbie dolls. Their facial expressions barely change, and the sex scenes are often worse with awkward camera angles, characters floating in space, no depth, no emotion. It all feels lifeless and cheap.

Now that I’ve said what I think, I want to hear your opinion on Ren'Py and why people like it so much!

The beginning, middle and end of the answer = Mods.

To my knowledge there is no universal Mod for Unity, RPGM, etc... ESPECIALLY if the Dev tinkers with it. And I am DONE playing unmodded games.
I have a limited amount of time, a very limited amount of money and AN EXTREMELY LIMITED AMOUNT OF 'GIVE A FUCK' to jump through the hoops of any Dev.

That includes mainsteam games:
Computer Games? (Baldur's Gate EE, Skyrim, etc...) Mods.
Board Games? (Monopoly, Talisman, etc...) Home Rules i.e. Mods.
Pen and Paper Games? (DnD, Shadowrun, etc...) MORE Home Rules i.e. Mods.

Universal Ren'py Mod allows me to play AVNs MY way, NOT the Dev's way.
Baldur's Gate EE has a GODMODE. Skyrim devs encourage modders (well... to fix their broken shit... but that's beside the point).
Mainstream up to AAA Devs are ok with this but AVN porn Devs aren't? Tough. (Note I don't play MMOs anymore due to lack of modding)

I am SO done playing an AVN where "Drive to work?" or "Take the subway?" affects the main plot. That's not a decision. That's a Choose Your Own Adventure PSYCHIC CHOICE.
So why the rant? URM allows an old autistic fuck like me to EASILY look under the hood of Ren'Py and play my way.
I'll change my mind about non-Ren'Py games when there's an Universal Unity Mod, say. I'm not holding my breath.

For AVNs, I also often do a "speed run" i.e. Skip Unseen Text for a chapter or 2 to see if the game is a good fit. I look for shit that's a near instant "Nope. No fucking way."
For me, some examples: single choice clicks, interminable PHONE thing that slows down the flow (Dev: If I HAVE to click on the phone to progress why is it a CHOICE?) etc...
Most non Ren'Py games can't be CTL-SKIP to see if the game is full of annoyances. I'll revise my point of view if that changes.

Finally, about the graphics, animation, etc... thing. I'm sure you're right.
Sadly, old dudes like me don't give a fuck about 1080p or 4k pictures and animation when we have 360p eyes.
I hope that answers your question. URM ftw... forever....

 

[fwjv]

(Note I don't play MMOs anymore due to lack of modding)

It's entirely visual, but you can mod the fuck out of Final Fantasy 14. Lots (and LOTS - like thousands, no exaggeration) of sexual mods. Not just outfits, but animations and such. There's even a mod that lets you share with others who mod see who else is modding and what they're doing/wearing. It's funny, because once you know how to use it, you can usually figure out who is using it. It's always funny to see people sitting in seemingly odd ways next to each other, but many of the anim mods use the various "sit" emotes.

 

[scarlett]

I am not clever enough to animate anything with any program at all but renpy seems to be a way that many people can get their visions out into the public. who is reading/publishing these stories if they aren't accompanied by some sort of image, even if that image is clunky.

 

[angband]

I like seeing "Ren'Py" in the game description because out-of-the-box, it supports skip seen/unseen text, rollback, hide UI, right-click to save menu, and other QoL features in a consistent way from VN to VN. Yes, it is possible for devs to muck around and change/disable these features when they feel like they need to get "cute" because their game is so special and needs a super-custom interface or would be spoiled by making it easy to roll back and change your choices, but luckily this isn't too common and players usually make their displeasure known when it does happen. And because Ren'Py is VN-focused rather than RPG-focused, it usually means that the story is simpler and more straightforward without a bunch of combat or character building mechanics. Again, not guaranteed, but more likely to be so.

Ren'Py VNs can be spectacular and good-looking. There is no inherent limitation that keeps it from being so. It's just that it has a low barrier to entry so lots of the beginner devs choose it. How much of a good or bad thing this is depends on your patience for sifting through what is out there and your eye for picking up on what is good.

 

[vonraschke]

I don't mind Renpy, as a visual novel engine it suffices. I have a bigger grievance with soulless, gobbo 3D Daz art used in Renpy games, however. Renpy is a simple engine to pick up and learn, but that also means you get lesser-than artists using it for their bad or lazy 3D art at times. One good Renpy games makes the dozens of gobbo games easier to tolerate, though.

 

[chocolate52]

It's easy to learn, like Tyrano for J-style devs.

 

[Renewed6105]

There's plenty of good looking and animated renpy games, sounds like you've just played some low quality ones.

 

[majesticp]

Its probably just the easiest way to to do it, and I agree with the guy above. There's plenty of good ones too. Just a lot of bad ones also.

 

[angband]

Its probably just the easiest way to to do it, and I agree with the guy above. There's plenty of good ones too. Just a lot of bad ones also.

That's pretty much it. It is probably the most accessible game engine for beginners, so you get a lot of first-time projects in it. It is also the easiest for low-effort devs to use. But there is nothing to stop a good dev from making a top-notch project with it.

 

[majesticp]

Kind of the same reason as how Unity got a reputation for being low quality when the fact is there's just a lot of low quality games made with a decent quality engine.

 

[DavyCroquette]

Ren'Py is a visual novel engine, if a game looks bad, it has absolutely nothing to do with Ren'Py.

 

[majesticp]

That too, it just means people put bad renders into the game rather than the engine being bad.

 

[Joesilvestri]

there are some great VN's made with Ren'Py, the majority however are either low effort or the presentation is simply an afterthought for the dev