i'm currently in the middle of playing this amazing game, but something i noticed got me to wonder, and then lead me to ask this question. you see, the thing is, i started looking into game jams after i saw the yaoi game jam was a thing (didn't expect it to be a thing), so i got a few games that i thought looked nice (this was one of those games, obviously). i believe there was another visual novel in this game jam (or another game jam, i dunno), that i only know by the file name ("coffeegame.exe") that also runs on python. this got me wondering if it was just a coincidence that they were both visual novels and both ran on python, or if they used the same "engine" (sorry, i don't know what other word to use for this). i wanted to ask you this because if there is a "tool" for making this stuff that uses python, then i could actually MAKE a visual novel without programming it from the ground up. if the answer is a no, that all cool and fine, i'll move on. if the answer is a yes, then all i can say is that i'll be one happy boy. also, this was my first visual novel i played, and im glad it was too. sorry about any spelling errors itch.io isn't picking up, and any run-on sentences that i missed (i have a habit of making those sadly). thanks, and have a nice day (or night, depending on when you get this)
Hi there! First of all, thanks for playing Tomai! I'm glad you like it!
Secondly, this game, and lots of other similair games-- are made with a program called Ren'py. It's a free to use program that's always updating and very easy to pick up, imo. It does require "coding" -- but please do not be intimidated by this.
Ren'py gives you a base framework to work with, and all you need to do is write up the script, where images show up-- and if you wanna get REALLY complex about it; you can do routing, etc, etc. So in this way, it's one of the least coding intensive programs to make games out there right now. But most starter games don't need that, and I highly suggest you make a very simple game for your first. (This was mine!)
People think a game needing coding is somehow a BE ALL END ALL to their game making career-- but the truth of the matter is; any program that promises "A coding free experience!" when helping make your game is usually just getting you to SECRETLY code behind some pretty looking buttons. (Also, those programs are usually ones you have to pay for; which is not always a great thing for beginning game devs!)
So, my thinking is-- if you're going to be tricked into coding by another program-- you might as well just learn the basics in Ren'py. It's very simple once you just learn what each piece and part is and means. Plus, the community is great and super informative and Ren'py itself comes with an easy to understand tutorial.
Any game will require a kind of coding or programing or behind-the-scenes puzzle solving to get to that finished product. If you're not ready for that kind of thing-- all I can really ask is; are games for you? If the process of putting together the game scares you so much that having to code even one line ruins your desire to make games-- you might want to consider another position. Maybe a collab with a programmer? Maybe helping fund someone else to make your idea? Or maybe not a game at all-- what about a comic, a novel, a twine? You've got options!
Whatever you chose though, go into it with confidence and an open mind. Go into it knowing it's not going to be easy at first-- but with time you will begin to understand the process; it's just about not giving up! You got this!
Oh! And next time you're curious what a game was made in, you can click the "more information" link on the profile of any Itch.io page and most people have their tools listed out. Here's Tomai's as an example:
(The button is usually right above the download button!)
Hope this all helps! Have a good day!
first of all, thanks for a fast and amazingly descriptive response, i usually don't get those on other websites like youtube and soundcloud, second of all, i used to know quite a bid of python before i started using html5 and javascript to make simple game ideas i had, so that's all cool for me, as all i have to do is view a few stackoverflow pages. again, thanks for the great reply, and i hope to be making my own visual novel soon!
Oh, awesome! Glad to hear you're familiar with python! Sorry for my assuming; usually I end up running into people who have no idea about any type of programming and so they take that as an excuse to never make their game-- so I'm always trying to encourage people to at least check out the program before giving up X)
Good luck with your visual novel! You can do it!