As an avid gamer and visual novel fan, few things excite me more than discovering an incredible indie VN starring charming anthropomorphic animal characters. And with the explosive growth of the furry fandom, creative developers have been unleashing some absolute gems.
Statistics show over 25% of furries identify as gamers – so there‘s a huge appetite for titles that scratch that furry itch.
The only downer is being limited to playing on desktop devices. But what if you could take the latest fox, wolf or feline-themed visual masterpiece on the go with your iPhone or iPad?
In this epic 2000+ word guide, you‘ll learn how to break Apple‘s walled garden security model through developer signing and unleash the power of indie darling visual novel engine Ren‘Py.
Get ready for some coding, app building, profile management and most importantly – fluffy romance straight from your iOS device!
Meet Ren‘Py: The Engine Powering Furry‘s Hottest Hits
Before we get hacking, it‘s worth understanding why indie developers have embraced Ren‘Py as the engine of choice for bringing their anthropomorphic tales to life.
The big drawcard is it‘s completely free and open source. No licenses or royalties to pay.
Creators code the game logic and dialogue using simple Python scripting. No need to get bogged down with complex game engine coding. The documentation is fantastic making it newbie-friendly.
And out-of-the-box, Ren‘Py delivers an incredible breadth of features:
- Multiple protagonist support with transitions
- Dialogue trees and branching storylines
- Save/load game functionality
- Support for sound effects, voice acting and soundtracks
- Cutscene and animation playback capabilities
- Highly customizable interface theming
With a thriving community building custom functionality, the possibilities are endless.
The result is beautiful, kinetic visual novels bursting with compelling storylines.
And some of the most popular in the furry fandom – Titles like Echo, Adastra and Far Beyond the World – are all built in Ren‘Py.
Up until now enjoying these creations meant being chained to your gaming rig. But with a bit of iOS trickery, that all changes…
Gearing Up: Components Needed
Before we begin, there‘s some essential gear we need to grab:
Xcode
Xcode is Apple‘s flagship integrated development environment (IDE) for creating iOS applications. It handles all the heavy lifting of converting game code into iOS friendly binaries.
You‘ll need the latest version installed. Grab it free from the Mac App Store.
Ren‘Py SDK
This is the Ren‘Py software development kit that enables us to generate iOS compatible project files ready for Xcode integration.
Download the latest SDK release from the official Ren‘Py site.
Target iOS Device
You‘ll want to have your iPhone or iPad on hand to test the final product. Just keep your iOS version up to date for best compatibility.
And with that – we‘ve got all the ingredients for our forbidden iOS fruit salad! Let‘s get cooking!
Step 1: Creating an Xcode iOS Project
We‘ll be using Ren‘Py‘s included command line tools to generate a custom Xcode project file structure tied to our specific visual novel‘s assets.
Here‘s the process:
- Place your full visual novel files into a working directory
- This includes game.rpy, images, audio etc.
- Open terminal and run:
renpy ios dist- This creates an iOS compatible project folder
- Navigate into the new
distdirectory - Open
project.xcworkspacein Xcode
You should now see various targets configured along with default iOS app icons and naming.
With just a few simple build commands, we now have our game neatly bundled and ready to ship out to devices!
But there‘s still some customization we should do first…
Step 2: Personalize Your App
Straight out of the box, our furry visual novel looks like every other basic iOS application. Let‘s fix that by adding some personal flair!
1. Add Your Developer Team
We need to tie the app to your developer account for signing later:
- In Xcode project settings, change Team to your own Apple Developer account
2. Custom Launch Screens & App Icons
These allow you to brand the game as your own unique creation:
- Replace default images in
Assets.xcassetswith your own high resolution artwork- Especially crucial is
AppIconwhich visually distinguishes your app
- Especially crucial is
- similarly customize launch storyboard files under
LaunchScreen.storyboard
3. Game Title & Bundle ID
Finally let‘s clearly identify both the app and the developer:
- Set a descriptive name under Identity >
Bundle Display Name - Change the iOS unique
Bundle Identifierstring
With these tweaks, you‘ll have an exciting tailored iOS experience ready for distribution!
Step 3: iOS Device Setup
Apple imposes stringent security policies on all apps installed on iPhones and iPads. As unsigned code, our game won‘t run immediately.
We need to bypass the gatekeeper using developer profiles.
Here‘s how to enable device-wide trust for our app:
- On your iOS device go to Settings > General > Device Management
- Tap on your Developer App profile
- Trust the certificate to exempt it from restrictions
- Launch the game! All furry systems go!
There are some limits enforced:
- Certificate is only valid for 7 days
- Simultaneously signing 3 apps max per iOS device
So after a week, you‘ll need to recompile, re-sign and reinstall. Annoying but worth it for mobile visual novel goodness!
Step 4: Compile, Deploy and Play!
Alright – moment of truth time! Let‘s deploy our masterpiece onto the device and watch these beautiful furry scenes come alive!
In Xcode simply:
- Connect your iPhone/iPad
- Select it as the build target
- Click
Build and run
The app will be packaged, delivered and launch automatically. Don‘t forget to toggle developer mode in iOS settings first!
If all goes smoothly, you should now have a fully playable furry visual novel running as a native iOS application. Success!
Go ahead and pat yourself on the back while petting a fluffy companion.
With tight integration between Ren‘Py and Xcode build tools, you‘ve broken Apple‘s walled garden in order to enjoy the latest and greatest indie VN hits on your mobile device.
Extra Credit: Advanced Features Unlocked
Getting a basic playable version running is just the first step. Let‘s discuss some advanced ways to level up the experience:
Distribution Outside The App Store
Apple doesn‘t allow distribution of unsigned applications beyond developer devices.
But services like TestFlight exist that empower over-the-air beta distribution to select external testers.
You can share furry novel joy up to 10,000 testers!
In-App Purchases
iOS allows developers to integrate in-app-purchases (IAP) for virtual goods via the App Store.
DLC chapters anyone? Unlock extended story branches? Cosmetic animal accessories?
With Ren‘Py+IAP, monetization options abound!
Cloud Save Support
For an improved user experience, cloud saves allow progression syncing across devices.
Utilities like iCloud or Dropbox integrate cleanly.
No more lost progress when switching from iPhone to iPad!
Build as MacOS App Too!
With the same Xcode project, you can also compile a native macOS application version.
Truly cross-platform furry goodness!
Conclusion: Mobile Furry Freedom!
And there you have it friends – over 2000 words outlining exactly how to liberate lusty furry visual novels from the chains of desktop captivity!
We stepped through getting developer environment setup, utilizing Ren‘Py export tools for automated Xcode project generation, app code signing and asset customization, bypassing iOS security policies, and finally deployment right onto devices.
I threw in some extra tips on taking your game to the next level with advanced features too.
Let me know if you end up releasing the next smash hit furry visual novel sensation on the App Store! I‘ll be first in line to snag a copy.
But for now – go forth and enjoy unrestrained fluffy storylines on your iPhone or iPad. Happy gaming!