Anyone good with RenPy, or creating dating sims in Powerpoint/Google Slides?

I had an idea come to me, a nice community project.

But I thought we could create a dating sim/visual novel.
I am but only a writer and VN's usually have an art aspect, and someone who's knowledgeable about the way it's made. I have a basic idea on how VN's are made, but RenPy makes my head hurt. LOL, There's a way to do it in a powerpoint/google slides way too, but I don't really know.

Either way, I figured this would be a fun idea.
And while there's usually multiple guys aka "routes" I would suppose the routes here would be the AU/CU ways. "Canon", "Au", "Coffee Shop", "Present Day", "Past"... stuff like that.

What do ya'll think?

Like an otome?

Yes, that. VN, dating sim, otome game. All the same thing.

Good idea, but unless you can produce the content needed yourself. Might be a longshot. Most Otome/Visual Novels available are composed of original content, to avoid copyright issues with using licensed franchises, characters etc. Some fanworks exist, but not many. Most Otome developers prefer to produce original work, since they have to make everything from the backgrounds, to character sprites, and sound work themselves.

Even simple Otomes also run on scripts, so some programming is required too. And that's without touching on menu and template designs. And Beta testing. Also the game engine, which could be Renpy, which is widely used, because it doesn't require the Otome maker to buy a distribution license of they want their games to be commercial.

Other game engines aren't so kind.

You could also try paid engines, like Tyranobuilder, but it's very basic. Degica is releasing A Visual Novel Maker, eventually, which will cost to buy. Not sure on their commercial licensing structure, but they may have TOS issues around using their software for developing stuff using copyright protected material.

Novelty is a freeware game engine, but it's out of date and no longer being updated.

A fanwork Otome is a good idea, but I'm not sure if you'd be able to convince artists to contribute their work even on commission. Since an Otome game is essentially a visual medium.

There are free resources you can use. But there will likely be rules around their use.

Distribution also becomes an issue if an artist expects their work to be a one-off and not made available for download across multiple platforms. Anyone and everyone would be able to get a copy of their work for free essentially. I've seen alot of commission-based artists that don't allow this for any of their commission works except under special circumstances.

You'd need beta testing for scripts to make sure they work too. And extra support to sort out issues your users find after completion of the Otome. Which goes beyond beta testing if they find more errors, screens not loading etc.

I've looked into Renpy but found it a mess.

I'm waiting for Degica to release their software. Might buy it depending on the cost. Not sure if I'd ever produce an Otome, although I could see the software being used in an educational medium.

We'll see.

Good luck.

~ Pyre