Advice for engine for a new game

[vampz]

Hi all
After playing quite a few games here, I've decided that I wanted to try my hand at making a game of my own, as a free passion project and a learning experience
I'm specifically thinking of making a texting based game, similar to Netorase Phone, but with my own art style, story and characters (so hopefully not just another NTR phone game, like most people say)
The thing is, I've seen many of these games, and most either use Unity or Renpy as their engine, but I'm not sure which is best, or how to start working with these engines, which is what I'm hoping this fine community could help me with

So I would appreciate any inputs, as well as links to useful guides or resources to start from

Thanks you all

 

[osanaiko]

Both Renpy games and Twine/Sugarcube games are (in general) easily decompilable so you can look at the source code and how they are put together. It can be a bit confusing at first, but that's the case for anything complex while you are still learning. What it does give you is a good look into how such games can be put together.
Unity on the other hand is not easily investigated due to the way the .Net compilation works. In the end, the most important thing is to remember is to avoid adding netorare theme to your games, that ruins them

 

[jaimeastorga2000]

Please use Ren'Py.

So many developers seem to neglect crucial features like "save anytime" and "fast-forward through seen dialog" and "conversation log" whenever they reinvent the wheel.

Ren'Py just works.

 

[vampz]

Please use Ren'Py.

So many developers seem to neglect crucial features like "save anytime" and "fast-forward through seen dialog" and "conversation log" whenever they reinvent the wheel.

Ren'Py just works.

It seems like you know Ren'Py a bit
Any good guides to start from?
I've heard it's the best engine to use, I'm just not sure how to start with it

 

[cryptob]

It seems like you know Ren'Py a bit
Any good guides to start from?
I've heard it's the best engine to use, I'm just not sure how to start with it

The official documentation is pretty neat and well written, check it out:

You must be registered to see the links

More over, when you install the engine there's a starter project which guide you in first steps into the interface and a more hands-on approach on the development features and such.

Those, even read extensively and carefully, won't suffice for a "good game" but could be a good start to further document yourself and get your feet wet with how ren'py works.

 

[hardwire666]

I can't tell you what engine to use. Really no one should. Because that is something you have to determine for yourself. But I can tell you what not to do based on my own personal experience. Don't use Unreal. I say this as some one who works in UE almost everyday, and loves it very much as a tool. I have made my own openworld/sandbox type VN thing in Unreal and it was NOT beginner friendly. This also has to do with the way I do things, which is a stupid way of doing things. I tend to learn new things by just jumping in the middle of it and flailing like a psychopath until I have dismantled everything, and then spend years trying to put it back together. There are a lot of things that Unreal does very well as a game engine, and then there are things it doesn't. Like the ability to take a screen shot that includes the UI for a save game thumbnail. Sounds easy.... Not in Unreal.

Another example I can give is save games. Unreal has its own binary file format for save game data which is totally fine, and actually a big help in most cases. But if you're like me and want people to be able to edit those files on their own, and EASILY, because you're not a dick developer who thinks people cheating in your game must be stopped at all costs. You have to roll your own. In my case I chose to use JSON files for save games which required some plug-ins, and a lot of tiral and error. Again... .sounds easy enough. Click save, write to a file. Click load, read from a file. But, it took a couple plugins to get working, and as I said before, a lot of trial and error.

Also. None of this means avoid Unreal by any means. I highly recommend it. Especially if you're like me and you are an artist first developer. What I mean is make sure you pick the tool that does the job you need to do. In my case I picked up a sledge hammer meant for 3D games and tried to make it into a dancing flamingo that plays lead guitar in a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover band. I learned a lot and I've also had a ton of fun because I enjoy those challenges. However from a pragmatic point of view I am a complete idiot and should not be trusted.

So. Use what works best for you and your needs. Use what makes the most sense to you. Try a couple engines to experiment. Then determine for yourself. Asking "what engine should I use" is kind of like asking for a recommendation on used under wear. You'll get a million opinion's, but does it really matter since they all have skid marks?

 

[CircleJerks]

Please use Ren'Py.

So many developers seem to neglect crucial features like "save anytime" and "fast-forward through seen dialog" and "conversation log" whenever they reinvent the wheel.

Ren'Py just works.

As one that had a hand in inky, Renpy and unity games I can attest to that. So much stuff is taken for granted when you have to change engines for a project, Renpy is the easiest to use and has all the QoL features a VN has and you can easily customize the art to look like a phone for a texting style game.