Ren'Py
An example of a Ren'Py-created scene. | |
| Original author(s) | Tom "PyTom" Rothamel |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Tom "PyTom" Rothamel[1] |
| Initial release | August 24, 2004 |
| Stable release | Ren'Py 7.2.2
/ March 31, 2019 |
| Repository | |
| Written in | Python, Cython |
| Operating system | Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Android, IOS |
| Size | 60 MB |
| Available in | English for the engine - UTF-8 use for resulting programs |
| Type | Game engine (visual novel) |
| License | MIT License[2] |
| Website | www |
The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine is a free software engine which facilitates the creation of visual novels, a form of computer-mediated storytelling. Ren'Py is a portmanteau of ren'ai (恋愛), the Japanese word for 'romantic love', a common element of games made using Ren'Py; and Python, the programming language that Ren'Py runs on. Ren'Py has proved attractive to English-language hobbyists; over 1000 games use the Ren'Py engine, nearly all in English.[3][4]
Features[edit]
Ren'Py includes the ability to create branching stories, save file systems, rollback to previous points in the story, a variety of scene transitions, DLC, and so on. The engine also allows for movie playback for both full-screen movies and animated sprites, in-engine animation (using the built in "Animation and Translation Language", or ATL), and full animation and customization of UI elements via "Screen Language". Ren'Py scripts have a screenplay-like syntax, and can also include blocks of Python code to allow advanced users to add new features of their own. In addition, tools are included in the engine distribution to obfuscate scripts and archive game assets to mitigate copyright infringement.[5][not in citation given]
Ren'Py is built on pygame, which is built with Python on SDL. Ren'Py is officially supported on Windows, recent versions of Mac OS X, and Linux; and can be installed via the package managers of the Arch Linux, Ubuntu, Debian, and Gentoo (in experimental overlay[6]) Linux distributions. It has also been ported to Android,[5] as well as OpenBSD and as of the pre-release of version 7, iOS.[7]
Reception[edit]
Ren'Py has been recommended as a video game creation engine by several outlets, including Indie Games Plus, MakeUseOf, and The Guardian.[8][9][10] It has been used in classes at Carnegie Mellon School of Art,[11] and as a tool for information literacy.[12]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Lin, Maria (December 2005). "Returning the Love: Three Fans Taking the Next Step". Animefringe. ISSN 1705-3692. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "License". Ren'Py. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Ren'Py Games List". Ren'Py. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ QJ Staff (24 November 2007). "Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine: make your own visual novel, dating sim". QuickJump. Archived from the original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ a b "The Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine". Ren'Py. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Installing Ren'Py on Gentoo Linux".
- ^ "Ren'Py 6.99". Ren'Py. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ D., Konstantinos (8 May 2012). "Indie Tools: Ren'Py". Indie Games Plus. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ Wiesehan, Robert (7 July 2014). "Learn To Make Your Own Visual Novels With Ren'Py, Or Play One Of These". MakeUseOf. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ Stuart, Keith (20 March 2014). "How to get into the games industry – an insiders' guide". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Experimental Game Design". mycours.es. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
- ^ Sullivan, Dean; Critten, Jessica (2014-11-01). "Adventures in Research Creating a video game textbook for an information literacy course". College & Research Libraries News. 75 (10): 570–573. ISSN 0099-0086.