Dev Diary #1: Why Ren'Py?

As the date of our first official release shambles ever-closer, it felt like a good time to answer the question nobody ever asked (out loud): why are we making a Ren'Py game?

I started out writing erotica more than ten years ago with a series called "The DeVilles," then followed that with another story called "Children of the Night" (both of which you can still find on Literotica). I've toyed with a few other adult stories over the years, but this is the first time I've taken the plunge with an adult game. So...why?

The writing style I've employed has always been extremely visual. I've spent a lot of time describing body parts, focusing on how the characters move, and detailing every lick or nibble. But I think my most successful writing has come from communicating how a character feels--especially how they feel about being corrupted or corrupting someone else. But, if I downplayed the visual elements of the story, it didn't hold up.

Why not create a comic? Lack of artistic talent.

Why not use 3D modeling software? Not a bad compromise, but comics don't use much narration, these days. If they spend too much time inside a character's head, people just skip over those word bubbles.

What about a visual novel? Say... there's a thought.

This format also lets me present a certain degree of interactivity to the reader. By letting you choose which character to follow and whose headspace to occupy, perhaps you will become more engrossed in the story. At least, that's the hope.

But, again, why make it a Ren'Py? Because not only is it a free-to-use format that works across many platforms and has more than ten years of documentation to guide even the rankest amateur... the alternative was RPG Maker, and I just don't find those sprites sexy.

Next time: Dev Diary #2: Why Honey Select?