After much finagling with Ren’Py, I finally have my first digital prototype! The conversion from preliminary, on-paper story to an actual usable virtual item (even if only barely) required way more time learning than I expected. Hopefully, however, the same skills that are taking a while to learn will translate nicely into the story (i.e., having sound, visuals, movement, etc.).
Compared to the on-paper prototype, this iteration simulated just the player’s encounter with the “hypochondriac character”, as well as some choices associated with each. It tested if character voice was able to be discerned, as well as served as the testbed for trying various dialogue and sprite features, that I expect to use in the rest of the game.
My playtester was a fellow student in class, and thus has some background in working with and analyzing video games – especially with regards to the assignment. Navigating the program, understanding the dialogue, and managing the options seemed to be very business-as-usual for my playtester, who mentioned they had played some Ren’Py interactive novels before. Of the snapshot of story and interaction available, the playtester also noted that a noticeable voice was established for the character, helping to personify the interaction.
While the playtester noted they liked the premise (i.e., magic individual in a non-magic world), they highlighted that the potential for establishing an emotional connection with the protagonist could still be further fleshed out. With further conflict and introspective dialogue, there are a lot of ways to further and more deeply explore the emotions of the character – that is, using the situation to have the protagonist look at self-worth, society’s role in the issue, etc. Similarly, the playtester noted that if trying to compare this problem to a real world analogy, the climax probably can be more sweeping/effective, so to offer insight in resolving/bringing attention to the mentioned real world analogy.
Overall, this inspires me to make needed changes – most particularly in fleshing out the story. With the technological essentials out of the way, I can focus on how well a dialogue tree or interaction personifies a character or highlight a problem. I hope to get some of these further interactions ready to test, so to see how well they connect with the player!
