Hey! I'm pretty new to all these games and I'm not an expert on the softwares used...
I understand that Ren'py is used to "create" the game itself, but the renders... are they all done in one of those 3 you said or do the developers use a combination of different ones? And the settings, decorations, clothes, weapons and all that, are they made in the same software or are there others more focused on the creation of objects and scenes?
I wish to learn about it coz I've been writting this story for quite a long time and I dream of some day being able to create a game with it!!
Renders are almost 100% done in one of these games. Realisticaly they're just screenshots, really...there are plugins which can take rendered screenshots with ridiculous resolutions and other mods / plugins that improve the detail (nr of polygons, shades, shadow maps, bump maps etc) of characters as well.
Extra "settings" / behavior can be implemented into HS2 via plugins (a collection of scripts that improve / add to the game).
Decorations can be created in external software (blender, I guess?) then turned into zipmods which are basicaly asset packs for HS2. Same goes for sounds, maps, effects (rain, fog, sparkly-darlies, etc), clothing, etc.
If you want to make a simple VN, here are some things you can google to get you started:
Sideloader modpack
You must be registered to see the links
this is a collection of optional mods. Some of them are SUPER nice.
Local axis plugin (no idea wtf it's called)
Visual Novel Game Engine (VNGE)
Screen Save State (SSS)
Graphics Mod
DHH (no idea what the letters mean)
Ministates
BetterPenetration
Colliders
Node Constraints
Clip Manager (I recommend this over Timeline but Timeline is simpler, but not worth the simplicity imo [Node Constraints + Gimmicks are even simpler and offer even less])
VNSound
VNText
All of them in combination with Studio Neo v2 or Honey Select 2 in the search bar, obviously. I recommend looking for patreon or mega links as they are usually the ones to contain documentation. The HS2 discord is also a great place to learn and get help.
You must be registered to see the links