How to Add Symbols in Dialog RenPy Forum Like a Pro!

You want to include currency signs, mathematical symbols, or unique Unicode characters in your Ren’Py dialog forum. But you have no idea about displaying symbols correctly. If this situation has always been a challenge for you, do not worry; we’ve got everything covered here.

In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the easiest and most effective ways to insert symbols in Ren’Py dialog. Since Ren’Py fully supports UTF-8 encoding, you don’t have to perform unconventional processes to complete this task. Instead, you can use the right approach, which we will discuss here, to enhance your in-game text.

But before getting started, let’s first try to understand the symbol support offered in Ren’Py. Shall we?

Understanding Symbol Support in Ren’Py

As we’ve briefly mentioned in the introduction, Ren’Py uses UTF-8 encoding, which supports a vast range of special (or unique) characters and symbols. This means you can insert most symbols directly into your script, provided your text editor and font support them. Got It? If so, let’s now look at the various methods of including symbols in the dialog Ren’Py forum.

Methods to Add Symbols in Dialog Ren’Py Forum

After researching and personal testing, we’ve found that these three techniques are the most effective when it comes to including symbols in your Ren’Py dialog forum:

Technique # 1: Directly Inserting Symbols

Imagine a situation where your text editor allows adding symbols directly. In that case, you only have to type or paste the symbol into your script directly. For instance, you can type a script like this:

label start:

e “The price is $5 or €4.50.”

Here, the ‘label start’ defines the ‘beginning of a scene or section in the script,’ ‘e’ is a ‘character’ (likely defined somewhere in the script), and ‘The price is $5 or €4.50’ is the ‘dialogue that will be displayed to the player.’

As you can see, this method is quite simple to implement. But whether it works or not depends on your font supporting the symbol.

Technique # 2: Using Unicode Escape Codes

Unicode escape codes allow you to insert symbols using the hexadecimal code associated with each. So, if you want to add symbols in the dialog Ren’Py forum using this method, you will have to rely on the following script:

label start:

e “Here is a checkmark: ✓.”

In this script, the ‘label start’ defines the ‘beginning of a scene or section in the script,’ ‘e’ is a ‘character’ (that may have been previously described (somewhere) in the script), ‘Here is a checkmark: ✓’ is the ‘dialogue that will be displayed to the player,’ and ‘✓’ is a ‘Unicode character for a checkmark.’

The only complexity in implementing this technique is finding Unicode codes for symbols. For that, you use popular websites, such as the following:

• Character Map.
• Unicode Table.

Technique # 3: Using Image-Based Symbols

Let’s say that your font doesn’t support the desired symbols. So, what can you do in such a situation? Well, the answer to this question lies in creating a small image of the symbol and displaying it in the dialog. But for that, you will have to use the image tag in the script. Here’s how to add image-based symbols in the dialog Ren’Py forum:

image checkmark = “checkmark.png”

label start:

scene bg room

e “Task completed {image=checkmark}.”

return

This script guarantees compatibility regardless of font limitations. Here is a detailed breakdown of this script:

• The ‘image checkmark = “checkmark.png”’ defines ‘an image named ‘checkmark’ using the file ‘checkmark.png’.’ So, you can use this image in the game.
• ‘label start:’ ‘marks the beginning of a scene or section in the script.’
• ‘e “Task completed [checkmark].”’ displays the text ‘Task completed,’ followed by the image ‘checkmark.png.’

Ensuring Font Compatibility

There may be situations where some fonts do not support all Unicode characters. So, what can you do in such a scenario?

Well, if your symbol isn’t displaying correctly, you can use the following experts’ suggestions:

• Check Ren’Py’s font rendering settings.
• Try using a different font that supports the desired symbol.

Final Verdict — Concluding Remarks

All in all, why do people add symbols to dialog in the Ren’Py forum? Well, doing so basically enhances readability and improves the player experience. So, you can enjoy these benefits by inserting them directly, using Unicode codes, or incorporating image-based symbols. But no matter which method you choose (according to your use case), it is essential to ensure proper font support.