Preference Variables

Preference variables store the values of Ren'Py preferences. While the value of a preference should be set at runtime using the Preference() action, preference variables should be used in conjunction with the default statement to set the default value of a preference.

For example:

default preferences.text_cps = 40

sets the default text speed to 40 characters per second. The default statement only sets the value of the preference if the default has changed since the preference was set. For example, if the player changes the speed to 50, it will remain at 50 over future runs of the game. If, in an upgrade, the default is set to 42, the player's setting will be changed to 42. (The player can then change it again.)

preferences.afm_after_click = False

If True, the auto-forward mode will be continued after a click. If False, a click will end auto-forward mode. The equivalent of the "auto-forward after click" preference.

preferences.afm_enable = False

If True, auto-forward move is enabled, otherwise False. The equivalent of the "auto-forward time" preference.

preferences.afm_time = 15

The amount of time to wait for auto-forward mode. Bigger numbers are slower, though the conversion to wall time is complicated, as the speed takes into account line length. The equivalent of the "auto-forward" preference.

preferences.desktop_rollback_side = "disable"

When on a desktop platform, touches or clicks to this side of the window cause rollback to occur. One of "left", "right", or "disable". This is the equivalend of the "rollback side" preference when on a desktop platform.

preferences.mobile_rollback_side = "disable"

When on a mobile platform, touches or clicks to this side of the window cause rollback to occur. One of "left", "right", or "disable". This is the equivalend of the "rollback side" preference when on a mobile platform.

preferences.language = None

The language that the player has selected to use when running the game. This is None for the default language or a string containing a language the game is translated to.

This can be used to set the default language, and can be read to determine the current language. The Language() action can be used to change the language.

See Translation for more information.

preferences.emphasize_audio = False

If True, Ren'Py will emphasize the audio channels found in config.emphasize_audio_channels by reducing the volume of other channels. (For example, reducing the music volume when voice is playing.) If False, this doesn't happen.

preferences.fullscreen = False

This is True when Ren'Py is in fullscreen mode, and False when it is running in a window. The equivalent of the "display" preference.

preferences.gl_framerate = None

This is either an integer, or None. If not None, it's a target framerate that Ren'Py will attempt to achieve. If this is set low (for example, to 30), on a monitor with a high framerate (say, 60 frames per second), Ren'Py will only draw on every other frame.

If None, Ren'Py will attempt to draw at the monitor's full framerate.

preferences.gl_powersave = True

This determines how often Ren'Py will redraw an unchanging screen. If True, Ren'Py will only draw the screen 5 times a second. If False, it will always draw at the full framerate possible.

preferences.gl_tearing = False

This determines if tearing (True) or frameskip (False) is the preferred behavior when the game can't keep up with its intended framerate.

preferences.mouse_move = True

If True, the mouse will automatically move to a selected button. If False, it will not. The equivalent of the "automatic move" preference.

preferences.show_empty_window = True

If True, the window show and window auto statements will function. If False, those statements are disabled. The equivalent of the "show empty window" preference.

preferences.skip_after_choices = False

If True, skipping will resume after a choice. If False, a choice will prevent Ren'Py from skipping. The equivalent of the "after choices" preference.

preferences.skip_unseen = False

When True, Ren'Py will skip all text. When False, Ren'Py will only skip text that has been read by the player in any session. The equivalent of the "skip" preference.

preferences.text_cps = 0

The speed of text display. 0 is infinite, otherwise this is the number of characters per second to show. The equivalent of the "text speed" preference.

preferences.transitions = 2

Determines which transitions should be shown. 2 shows all transitions, 0 shows no transitions. (1 is reserved.) The equivalent of the "transitions" preference.

preferences.video_image_fallback = False

If True, images are displayed instead of videosprites. If False, video sprites are displayed normally. The equivalent (inverted) of the "video sprites" preference.

preferences.voice_sustain = False

If True, voice keeps playing until finished, or another voice line replaces it. If False, the voice line ends when the line of dialogue advances. The equivalent of the "voice sustain" preference.

preferences.wait_voice = True

If True, auto-forward mode will wait for voice files and self-voicing to finish before advancing. If False, it will not. The equivalent of the "wait for voice" preference.

preferences.system_cursor = False

If True, the system cursor is forced to be used, ignoring the value of config.mouse and config.mouse_displayable. If False, it will not. The equivalent of the "system cursor" preference.

preferences.audio_when_minimized = True

If False, audio channels are stopped when the window is minimized, and resumed when the window is restored. If True, window state will have no effect on audio. The equivalent of the "audio when minimized" preference.

preferences.audio_when_unfocused = True

If False, audio channels are stopped when the window loses keyboard focus, and resumed when the window regains keyboard focus. If True, keyboard focus will have no effect on audio. The equivalent of the "audio when unfocused" preference.

preferences.web_cache_preload = False

If True the game files will be loaded into the web browser's cache, allowing the game to be played offline. If False, the game files will not be loaded into the web browser's cache, and the game will require internet access to play. The equivalent of the "web cache preload" preference.

preferences.voice_after_game_menu = False

If True, voice will continue playing after the game menu is shown. If False, voice will be stopped when the game menu is shown. The equivalent of the "voice after menu" preference.

preferences.restore_window_position = True

If True, Ren'Py will attempt to restore the window position when the game is restarted. If False, Ren'Py will not attempt to restore the window position. The equivalent of the "restore window position" preference.

Mixer Defaults

These variables may only be set with the default statement.

preferences.volume.main = 1.0

The default volume of the main mixer, which is applied to all channels in addition to the per-channel mixer.This should be a number between 0.0 and 1.0, with 1.0 being full volume.

preferences.volume.music = 1.0

The default volume of the music mixer, which is used for the music and movie channels. This should be a number between 0.0 and 1.0, with 1.0 being full volume.

preferences.volume.sfx = 1.0

The default volume of the sfx mixer, which is used for the sound and audio channels. This should be a number between 0.0 and 1.0, with 1.0 being full volume.

preferences.volume.voice = 1.0

The default volume of the voice mixer, which is used for the voice channel (and hence the voice statement, auto-voice, etc.). This should be a number between 0.0 and 1.0, with 1.0 being full volume.

If channels defined using renpy.music.register_channel() are used, the default volume of those channels can be set using the preferences.volume.`mixer` syntax, where mixer is the name of the mixer.

As an example, this will set the music mixer to 75% and the sfx mixer to 50%:

default preferences.volume.music = 0.75
default preferences.volume.sfx = 0.5

Mixer Functions

See Volume for more details about mixers.

preferences.set_mixer(mixer, volume)

Sets mixer to volume.

mixer

A string giving the name of the mixer. By default, the mixers are "main", "music", "sfx", and "voice" ("main" being a special mixer).

volume

A number between 0.0 and 1.0, where 0.0 is -40 dB (power), and 1.0 is 0 dB (power).

preferences.get_mixer(mixer)

Gets the volume for mixer. If the mixer is muted, this returns 0.0. The is returns a number between 0.0 and 1.0, where 0.0 is -40 dB (power) and 1.0 is 0 dB (power).

preferences.set_mute(mixer, mute)

Sets the mute setting for mixer. If mute is true, the mixer is muted. If mute is false, the mixer's volume is reverted to its value before it was muted.

preferences.get_mute(mixer)

Gets the mute setting for mixer.