Ren'Py Illusion need some guidance

[a.black.cat]

Hey, new guy here. I got into avns last year and I love them. A few weeks ago I was messing around thinking to myself about what I'd like to see in one and had this naive thought of producing one.

So after watching some YouTube tutorials ( ITRoy and ZeilLearnings ) and reading Winterfire 's guide, I wrote a 30 page treatment with plot points, endings, location details, LI backstory, MC backstory, and some dialogue. I also work in the music industry, so I put out some feelers to perhaps get free licensing for a couple songs. And I downloaded a honey select character creator to do a rough draft of the LIs.

But before I get really started I have a few questions that may seem novice and I apologize in advance because I'm sure you guys get a lot of these threads. But I haven't really found these answers online.

Regarding my PC gpu, I'm a console gamer mainly so I only have an old 1050 ti. Will that be enough to get started? If not, are there render farms for honey select renders?

Also, about honey select, I don't really understand how mods like clothes and environments are created. Are they done in game or with something like blender, then imported? There are specific items and clothes that are important to the setting and story and I would like to be able to create them. But if the learning curve is too high, are the prices for customs semi-accessible?

Again with honey select, I haven't necessarily decided on which one to use. I have seen some amazing renders with 1 and maybe it's better considering my gpu. But a lot of those renders are done with mods that are probably expensive. Then with 2, my favorite games are the ones done with 2, but it seems like there are less mods for it and it could be heavy on my pc. I don't really know which one to go for.

Which brings me to my final question. Is it worth it? I have had so much fun over the last few weeks designing characters and coming up with plots, but I don't really know how to do any of the things involved with making a VN and to be totally honest I do have some high expectations. Not in terms of money, but with the finished product. I don't really expect to make any money, I want the game to be free. On the plus side, because of my job ATM I have a lot of free time.

So what do you guys think? Am I in over my head? Anything else I should know?

 

[HELIO CESAR]

Bro almost same situation with me, i also have an 1050 ti (full rig: 1050 ti, Ryzen 3 2200G and 16gb ram) and was thinking about if i would have the guts to dabble into heavy 3D.
I will be frank with you, i don't know HS fares against DAZ and Blender, but even so it will be really difficult to pull something good fast enough with an 1050 ti, why fast enough? While it's doable to do pretty good and as realistic as possible 3D renders with a low specs pc with will be slow, and that time of waiting to render and the re-renders after some tweaks can really put your motivation down.
It will boil down to make compromises, like giving up a crowd render that you wanted to make, not using FHD and such in some scenes, using a lower detailed asset.
But don't give up, try and see what works for you, there is koikatsu with some pretty good renders and other alternatives.
This video of this guy dabbles a little into the topic:

You must be registered to see the links

Although his video is about photorealistic render in blender.
See what are your options and try to make the most of it, but don't give up. My solution for my problem is that i will try 2D drawings, i always liked to drawn and there are some pretty good games with not so much good images, in the game industry story telling and others things like music, good characters, playability counts as much as the graphics.
So, good luck with your project!

 

[anne O'nymous]

Regarding my PC gpu, I'm a console gamer mainly so I only have an old 1050 ti. Will that be enough to get started? If not, are there render farms for honey select renders?

Strictly speaking Honey Select do not generate renders, but take screenshot of the real time 3D scenes as you built them. Therefore if Honey Select works, it's studio should also works without problems. At most it will be a bit slower (one or two seconds) to load a clothe, or change a pose, that's all.

Also, about honey select, I don't really understand how mods like clothes and environments are created. Are they done in game or with something like blender, then imported?

They are done through external software, like Blender. But I'm not sure that Illusion have an importer, it's more surely a tool that convert to the right format.

There are specific items and clothes that are important to the setting and story and I would like to be able to create them. But if the learning curve is too high, are the prices for customs semi-accessible?

To my knowledge most customs items for Honey Select are free.

Which brings me to my final question. Is it worth it? I have had so much fun over the last few weeks designing characters and coming up with plots, but I don't really know how to do any of the things involved with making a VN and to be totally honest I do have some high expectations.

So, you're like at least 75% of the creators of adult games. And by having 30 pages of notes regarding your story, before you even started, you've already done more that half of them.

 

[Winterfire]

Hey, new guy here. I got into avns last year and I love them. A few weeks ago I was messing around thinking to myself about what I'd like to see in one and had this naive thought of producing one.

So after watching some YouTube tutorials ( ITRoy and ZeilLearnings ) and reading Winterfire 's guide, I wrote a 30 page treatment with plot points, endings, location details, LI backstory, MC backstory, and some dialogue. I also work in the music industry, so I put out some feelers to perhaps get free licensing for a couple songs. And I downloaded a honey select character creator to do a rough draft of the LIs.

Wow, way more people than I thought actually read it and found that somehow useful. It was meant as an april fool (albeit with serious info), but perhaps I should really consider expanding it and making it a little more "serious".

Regarding my PC gpu, I'm a console gamer mainly so I only have an old 1050 ti. Will that be enough to get started? If not, are there render farms for honey select renders?

The whole point of using Honey Select 2 and other such games is because your GPU is not good enough for DAZ3D.
I've heard that Blender is easier on the GPU when it comes to rendering, so perhaps you might consider learning it on the side... Then again, 1050 ti is really old, so for your first project I'd stick with Honey Select 2.
It also takes time learning Blender properly, so that's fine.

Also, about honey select, I don't really understand how mods like clothes and environments are created. Are they done in game or with something like blender, then imported? There are specific items and clothes that are important to the setting and story and I would like to be able to create them. But if the learning curve is too high, are the prices for customs semi-accessible?

They are done externally, like in Blender and then imported, yes.
There are tutorials on youtube on how to import and export them, so as long as you're willing to learn Blender (or even better you already know it), you shouldn't have any issue on that regard.

However, that's not the only way.
There is a material editor, so with some creativity you can retexture existing items and clothes to make something entirely new... Through materials you can cut pieces of mesh (or rather hide its faces) so if you wanted to design a dress or something, just pick the full body suit which covers the whole body, export the UV, then paint away. Very handy.
There are also body overlays if you want to improve the skin, there are mods for that as well.

In general, you are fine to start with the repack which has a huge amount of mods, then slowly learn all of them as you practice with it, and look for more when you have particular needs.

-edit-
Forgot to mention that while maps are also created externally, you can create them within Honey Select 2 Charastudio as well.
Ultimately maps are scenes, which are groups of items to create a map, and that can be done anywhere, including charastudio itself since it is a scene editor.
It is modular, meaning that you can pick a floor item, wall item, ceiling item, and then put them together to create an empty room. There are also premde room items that you can use, and if you do not like the texture, simply use the material editor to replace them.
Then, with the empty room at hand, just put more items to decorate it (vases, tables, beds, whatever). Save the scene, then use it when needed.

Again with honey select, I haven't necessarily decided on which one to use. I have seen some amazing renders with 1 and maybe it's better considering my gpu. But a lot of those renders are done with mods that are probably expensive. Then with 2, my favorite games are the ones done with 2, but it seems like there are less mods for it and it could be heavy on my pc. I don't really know which one to go for.

You should definitely go for 2.
The only thing to keep in mind is that the final game will require 300gb, so as long as you have the hdd space for it, then 2 is no brainer. You'll be fine with your GPU, even if it ran somewhat slow, you do not need to play the game, just use the scene editor and then take a screenshot, 1050 ti can definitely handle that much.

Which brings me to my final question. Is it worth it? I have had so much fun over the last few weeks designing characters and coming up with plots, but I don't really know how to do any of the things involved with making a VN and to be totally honest I do have some high expectations. Not in terms of money, but with the finished product. I don't really expect to make any money, I want the game to be free. On the plus side, because of my job ATM I have a lot of free time.

So what do you guys think? Am I in over my head? Anything else I should know?

Yes, it is worth it. Go have fun!
You do not know them until you do, and that's by learning and doing. The sooner you start doing it, the sooner you will know.
However...

I do not remember if my "guide" mentions this, but your first game should be simple. A project that you can easily finish despite your lack of experience.
It doesn't have to be "bad", it can be something good that meets your expectations, just short.
My first games were 1 or 2 hours long, only my third game was 25h long.
Just make one as a learning experience from start to finish, then do something more lengthy and long term so that you'll have a good idea of how much it takes.

 

[a.black.cat]

Bro almost same situation with me, i also have an 1050 ti (full rig: 1050 ti, Ryzen 3 2200G and 16gb ram) and was thinking about if i would have the guts to dabble into heavy 3D.
I will be frank with you, i don't know HS fares against DAZ and Blender, but even so it will be really difficult to pull something good fast enough with an 1050 ti, why fast enough? While it's doable to do pretty good and as realistic as possible 3D renders with a low specs pc with will be slow, and that time of waiting to render and the re-renders after some tweaks can really put your motivation down.
It will boil down to make compromises, like giving up a crowd render that you wanted to make, not using FHD and such in some scenes, using a lower detailed asset.
But don't give up, try and see what works for you, there is koikatsu with some pretty good renders and other alternatives.
This video of this guy dabbles a little into the topic:

You must be registered to see the links

Although his video is about photorealistic render in blender.
See what are your options and try to make the most of it, but don't give up. My solution for my problem is that i will try 2D drawings, i always liked to drawn and there are some pretty good games with not so much good images, in the game industry story telling and others things like music, good characters, playability counts as much as the graphics.
So, good luck with your project!

Thanks for the reply. Your pc specs are eerily similar to mine. That video seriously inspiring.

I'm gonna go with HS but with more realistic expectations now. And maybe not at FHD, then when I update my pc I can give an in-game explanation where the MC gets glasses or something.

 

[a.black.cat]

Strictly speaking Honey Select do not generate renders, but take screenshot of the real time 3D scenes as you built them. Therefore if Honey Select works, it's studio should also works without problems. At most it will be a bit slower (one or two seconds) to load a clothe, or change a pose, that's all.




They are done through external software, like Blender. But I'm not sure that Illusion have an importer, it's more surely a tool that convert to the right format.




To my knowledge most customs items for Honey Select are free.




So, you're like at least 75% of the creators of adult games. And by having 30 pages of notes regarding your story, before you even started, you've already done more that half of them.

Thanks for help. Ok I see, so it would run slow but it'll work. And mods can be done externally then imported. Is there like a resource or a tutorial that explains how to do that?

 

[a.black.cat]

Wow, way more people than I thought actually read it and found that somehow useful. It was meant as an april fool (albeit with serious info), but perhaps I should really consider expanding it and making it a little more "serious".



The whole point of using Honey Select 2 and other such games is because your GPU is not good enough for DAZ3D.
I've heard that Blender is easier on the GPU when it comes to rendering, so perhaps you might consider learning it on the side... Then again, 1050 ti is really old, so for your first project I'd stick with Honey Select 2.
It also takes time learning Blender properly, so that's fine.




They are done externally, like in Blender and then imported, yes.
There are tutorials on youtube on how to import and export them, so as long as you're willing to learn Blender (or even better you already know it), you shouldn't have any issue on that regard.

However, that's not the only way.
There is a material editor, so with some creativity you can retexture existing items and clothes to make something entirely new... Through materials you can cut pieces of mesh (or rather hide its faces) so if you wanted to design a dress or something, just pick the full body suit which covers the whole body, export the UV, then paint away. Very handy.
There are also body overlays if you want to improve the skin, there are mods for that as well.

In general, you are fine to start with the repack which has a huge amount of mods, then slowly learn all of them as you practice with it, and look for more when you have particular needs.

-edit-
Forgot to mention that while maps are also created externally, you can create them within Honey Select 2 Charastudio as well.
Ultimately maps are scenes, which are groups of items to create a map, and that can be done anywhere, including charastudio itself since it is a scene editor.
It is modular, meaning that you can pick a floor item, wall item, ceiling item, and then put them together to create an empty room. There are also premde room items that you can use, and if you do not like the texture, simply use the material editor to replace them.
Then, with the empty room at hand, just put more items to decorate it (vases, tables, beds, whatever). Save the scene, then use it when needed.




You should definitely go for 2.
The only thing to keep in mind is that the final game will require 300gb, so as long as you have the hdd space for it, then 2 is no brainer. You'll be fine with your GPU, even if it ran somewhat slow, you do not need to play the game, just use the scene editor and then take a screenshot, 1050 ti can definitely handle that much.



Yes, it is worth it. Go have fun!
You do not know them until you do, and that's by learning and doing. The sooner you start doing it, the sooner you will know.
However...

I do not remember if my "guide" mentions this, but your first game should be simple. A project that you can easily finish despite your lack of experience.
It doesn't have to be "bad", it can be something good that meets your expectations, just short.
My first games were 1 or 2 hours long, only my third game was 25h long.
Just make one as a learning experience from start to finish, then do something more lengthy and long term so that you'll have a good idea of how much it takes.

Dude, your guide is extremely helpful. Literally, I am only actively pursing this because of it.
So Honey Select 2 it is then. My skills in blender are very limited, i only made like little knick-knacks for 3d printing. But I'm going to look for those YouTube videos and see what I can do. And finally download hs2 studio and mess around.

If I made like a "proof of concept" game would it still work as a first game experience? That way I could reuse assets, still have learned something, and have a thing I could show people.

thanks for the reply and help

 

[Winterfire]

Dude, your guide is extremely helpful. Literally, I am only actively pursing this because of it.
So Honey Select 2 it is then. My skills in blender are very limited, i only made like little knick-knacks for 3d printing. But I'm going to look for those YouTube videos and see what I can do. And finally download hs2 studio and mess around.

If I made like a "proof of concept" game would it still work as a first game experience? That way I could reuse assets, still have learned something, and have a thing I could show people.

thanks for the reply and help

It is not quite the same as going through the whole process, from start to finish, and completing a small project. That's the best experience you can get.

 

[a.black.cat]

It is not quite the same as going through the whole process, from start to finish, and completing a small project. That's the best experience you can get.

I can do that, already brainstorming story ideas. I hope I can release something in like 9 months.

 

[Winterfire]

I can do that, already brainstorming story ideas. I hope I can release something in like 9 months.

There is no need for hope, as long as you do not give up, you can. It is fine even if it takes longer, just keep your first game small in scope and you'll make it.

 

[AdventAnyx]

I can do that, already brainstorming story ideas. I hope I can release something in like 9 months.

If this was a pregnancy joke than
If not than

Don't burry yourself for 9 month at a time. Do something, like a short intro with some dialogs, standard scenes and sexy scenes, then release it.
This will force you to go through every step of the process: from creating your characters, to writing your first cringe jokes, to programming basics, to fighting weird bug in Renpy distribution building, and so on.

Making something for 9 months with no feedback (outside of your head) is gonna be hell, and then you might fuck something up at the very start that is so fundamental that most of it will need a rework and you'll regret ever starting.

Regarding your 1st post: I started on worse setup, so if you go with HS 1, you'll be okay in terms of working in Studio and "rendering" scenes on your PC in timely manner (just choose 30 fps videos, not 60, they'll be faster to bake).

The best advice I can give you: focus on doing a little bit of something every day, instead of creating plans about creating plans, then being overwhelmed by them.

 

[Winterfire]

Can you give me the link for your guide, I just wonder

https://f95zone.to/threads/winterfires-talentless-guide-on-how-to-make-a-game.154572/

Be aware that while it has real information, it was made as an april fool joke.