VN Ren'Py Single Again [v1.24.1] [Clever name games]

3.90 star(s) 203 Votes
Discussion Reviews (203)
RogueKnightUK

RogueKnightUK

Co-Writer: Retrieving The Past
Game Developer
Jul 10, 2018
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RDFozz said:
In general, I'm here for stories, and am personally far less interested in the items where the game mechanisms interfere with the progress of the story.
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If there is a singular 'the story', rather than alternate stories your choices affect, then it is a kinetic novel, no matter how many false 'choices' it gives you.

I get that you are probably not a coder, but anytime you code a choice menu, but only put in one option, you get a one-choice menu. Sometimes devs do this specifically to stop people auto-forwarding through the game (as most fast-forward functionality pauses when there's a choice menu without caring if there's more than one choice). Sometimes they may have been considering an alternate scene or route and never followed through on it, but neglected to take out the coding for a choice menu. Sometimes they may want to signal that something is an action rather than dialogue and choose a non-conventional presentation. I've never heard of it done "as a joke", and assumed that was because, well, it wouldn't be at all funny. Fans and other players are not going to praise a dev for hilariously offering a single choice of "peek".
 
Cartageno

Cartageno

Devoted Member
Dec 1, 2019
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RogueKnightUK said:
If there is a singular 'the story', rather than alternate stories your choices affect, then it is a kinetic novel, no matter how many false 'choices' it gives you.

I get that you are probably not a coder, but anytime you code a choice menu, but only put in one option, you get a one-choice menu. Sometimes devs do this specifically to stop people auto-forwarding through the game (as most fast-forward functionality pauses when there's a choice menu without caring if there's more than one choice). Sometimes they may have been considering an alternate scene or route and never followed through on it, but neglected to take out the coding for a choice menu. Sometimes they may want to signal that something is an action rather than dialogue and choose a non-conventional presentation. I've never heard of it done "as a joke", and assumed that was because, well, it wouldn't be at all funny. Fans and other players are not going to praise a dev for hilariously offering a single choice of "peek".
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Also in some games, some choices may not be available because you did not get the prerequisites, whether it's "love points" or having met a person before or whatever, and only one option remains. Some devs show the others greyed out, some do not show "missed opportunities". But in the end, there could have been a real choice, just not on this playthrough.
 
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RDFozz

Active Member
Apr 1, 2022
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RogueKnightUK said:
If there is a singular 'the story', rather than alternate stories your choices affect, then it is a kinetic novel, no matter how many false 'choices' it gives you.

I get that you are probably not a coder, but anytime you code a choice menu, but only put in one option, you get a one-choice menu. Sometimes devs do this specifically to stop people auto-forwarding through the game (as most fast-forward functionality pauses when there's a choice menu without caring if there's more than one choice). Sometimes they may have been considering an alternate scene or route and never followed through on it, but neglected to take out the coding for a choice menu. Sometimes they may want to signal that something is an action rather than dialogue and choose a non-conventional presentation. I've never heard of it done "as a joke", and assumed that was because, well, it wouldn't be at all funny. Fans and other players are not going to praise a dev for hilariously offering a single choice of "peek".
Click to expand...
I've been coding for more than 30 years. This is why I indicated that "choice" menus with one option might be there as a joke. Not to say I haven't seen someone set up a group of checkboxes and force the user to only select one (in which case, they should really be radio buttons; it's kind of a pet peeve of mine). I have certainly seen menus presenting 10 choices or so, where (as far as I could tell) no choice had a different effect (the choices were something like "Yes", "YES!", "OH my God, YES", and so forth). You're correct, of course; a single choice menu could have any of the explanations you mentiom: the dev asserting control over the user's actions (i.e., fast-forwarding through a game), a development step being missed, dev error, or simple carelessness as well. It could even be a case of a previous action forcing the user's hand at this juncture, when a different previous action would have allowed other choices (I'd prefer to signal that by presenting all the possible choices, but graying the others out as disabled). And I'd argue that, with the right wording, it could be made into a joke ("Peek" wouldnt be the right wording).
 
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RogueKnightUK

RogueKnightUK

Co-Writer: Retrieving The Past
Game Developer
Jul 10, 2018
913
2,403
Cartageno said:
Also in some games, some choices may not be available because you did not get the prerequisites, whether it's "love points" or having met a person before or whatever, and only one option remains. Some devs show the others greyed out, some do not show "missed opportunities". But in the end, there could have been a real choice, just not on this playthrough.
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RDFozz said:
It could even be a case of a previous action forcing the user's hand at this juncture, when a different previous action would have allowed other choices (I'd prefer to signal that by presenting all the possible choices, but graying the others out as disabled).
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Yes. Thankfully I often run the Universal Cheat Mod by Oscar 6 which helps me spot where conditionals have resulted in stuff and if choices are removed by conditions - it tells you about hidden choices in menus. I tend to think though that there should have been a condition check before the choice menu that checks if only one choice will be available now, and if so, skips the menu straight to the resulting scene. It's just a smoother, slicker way to go in terms of the user experience.
 
e6mill

e6mill

Well-Known Member
Aug 4, 2022
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A good SET of darts (that aren't cheap bendy plastic) could easily run that much... Maybe that's it.
 
aidenboy

aidenboy

Member
Jan 26, 2018
381
305
Is there a reason the walkthroughmod intentionally is highlighting bad options? For example, hugging lilith when she obviously wouldnt want that and states so? I've noticed on a new playthrough some of the walkthrough mod highlighted choices are different from before. Has something changed? I mainly use it for completionist reasons on a secondary save while my main file is my choices.
 
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Mommysbuttslut

Engaged Member
Feb 19, 2021
3,442
8,227
aidenboy said:
Is there a reason the walkthroughmod intentionally is highlighting bad options? For example, hugging lilith when she obviously wouldnt want that and states so? I've noticed on a new playthrough some of the walkthrough mod highlighted choices are different from before. Has something changed? I mainly use it for completionist reasons on a secondary save while my main file is my choices.
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That's not a bad option. Lilith is a brat and it's fun to tease her every now and then. There's no consequences to either choice there so the walkthrough mod highlighted the most fun one.
 
aidenboy

aidenboy

Member
Jan 26, 2018
381
305
Mommysbuttslut said:
That's not a bad option. Lilith is a brat and it's fun to tease her every now and then. There's no consequences to either choice there so the walkthrough mod highlighted the most fun one.
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I see. So it's not so much that something is new or different that will have effects, but that some choices are just in there as different options for scenes or dialogue. Good to know, thanks.
 
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Maviarab

Maviarab

Devoted Member
Jul 12, 2020
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aidenboy said:
I see. So it's not so much that something is new or different that will have effects, but that some choices are just in there as different options for scenes or dialogue. Good to know, thanks.
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Mostly correct. There are very few bad choices and very few alternate path choices.
 
Cartageno

Cartageno

Devoted Member
Dec 1, 2019
8,605
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aidenboy said:
I see. So it's not so much that something is new or different that will have effects, but that some choices are just in there as different options for scenes or dialogue. Good to know, thanks.
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Only a very few choices indeed make a difference other than a scene or two lines of dialogue or stuff like that.

Also, the walkthrough is not intended to give an optimal playthrough by any definition but what CNG considers the "canon" choices. And these are indeed not leading to the most scenes, you will miss a bit if you follow it.
 
ThorinKing

ThorinKing

Engaged Member
Feb 16, 2023
2,249
5,872
aidenboy said:
I see. So it's not so much that something is new or different that will have effects, but that some choices are just in there as different options for scenes or dialogue. Good to know, thanks.
Click to expand...
There were some choices early on that reduced the lewd level of a Mei interaction that were highlighted as the "better" option, but I think that may have been because the WT guy just didn't like Mei. One of the problems with some mods is that they bring their personal preferences to some choices. The better of that lot says they're doing it; the others are just being dicks. It's why I've come to prefer modders like Sancho - his mod is generally agnostic and gives consequences rather than just sending you down his preferred path.
 
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rudy007

rudy007

Engaged Member
Mar 17, 2021
2,275
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ThorinKing said:
There were some choices early on that reduced the lewd level of a Mei interaction that were highlighted as the "better" option, but I think that may have been because the WT guy just didn't like Mei. One of the problems with some mods is that they bring their personal preferences to some choices. The better of that lot says they're doing it; the others are just being dicks. It's why I've come to prefer modders like Sancho - his mod is generally agnostic and gives consequences rather than just sending you down his preferred path.
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Agree with you. Often are personal choices more relevant then what WT says. You right about that Mei case, you can have her full naked, but WT screw you over and you see she partially naked. I think too that her story is not yet evolved enough.
I like all girls and last two updates were pretty emotional, especially v.1.21. Its getting better.
 
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3.90 star(s) 203 Votes