VN Ren'Py Harem Hotel [v0.18 Beta3] [Runey]

[NeonSelf]

Not saying your take is incorrect - it is however a new feature added in v16 and that specific job you're referring to isn't even the actual daily job. So it sounds like a little more guidance is necessary to make that more of an obvious difference. There is a daily delivery job and I think it is still at the bowling alley given by the bartender - but I don't recall it ever being specifically a drug running job. Again, new feature but this can give Runey some feedback to help improve it.

The drug delivery is a unique quest in slums. You have to find a hidden box behind the blue trash container and then deliver it to the drugdealer or to the police.

Sanctuary is explained in the story - you're given specific money to buy it for the express purpose of saving elves by Kali's parents. I agree on the bar upgrades - I don't know which influence $$ and which don't - I'm just in the habit of buying everything, but I always buy the music last.

I've got $10.000 from Kali's father after buying the sanctuary and all the rebeling elves. If I knew that I will have a ton of money just around the corner it would be not so bad. But I had to grind money by selling pictures every day for a few months. It was insanely boring. And BTW, starting a new *Talk* doesnt feel safe, after you loose one of your girls spontaneously. So I didnt progress the story until I have done everyting I could to prepare for unexpected problems.

I've done Kali's quest last since I'm not into girls wearing glasses. Just a personal preference.

 

[TheDevian]

I've done Kali's quest last since I'm not into girls wearing glasses. Just a personal preference.

 

[torresm]

Just a nit-pick, but the garden isn't all that old in relation to the game. Runey has expressed that he wants to add the option of growing things that will act as another source of income and/or lust plants(if I remember correctly). Not sure if those things are still in the table, but the garden has been used in more recent story updates.

Oh, I meant early in the playthrough, not the development cycle. I'm quite new around here, only started playing around 0.14 iirc, I wouldn't know when it was added. lol
But yeah, if the garden growing is intended to be an early source of income then it makes sense to have it available as a Day 1 upgrade.

 

[fabioevil12]

I've done Kali's quest last since I'm not into girls wearing glasses. Just a personal preference.

 

[TheDevian]

Oh, I meant early in the playthrough, not the development cycle. I'm quite new around here, only started playing around 0.14 iirc, I wouldn't know when it was added. lol
But yeah, if the garden growing is intended to be an early source of income then it makes sense to have it available as a Day 1 upgrade.

Yeah, it was really new, and new things are still being added for it, I spent a lot of time converting props for the garden for this update. Even made my own 'tinu' plant... lol

 

[shadowtempered]

I've done Kali's quest last since I'm not into girls wearing glasses. Just a personal preference.

I know there are no hints about it and you get the money fairly early in her questline - this would be more noticeable for older players since the other girls hadn't had as much content as Kali. Perhaps gatekeeping the Sanctuary purchase behind Kali's event so you are forced to get the early parts of her quest completed would be sufficient. Overall Runey wants you to play with each of the girls in some capacity, can't avoid them forever.

I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum for preference though - I kinda laugh it off that 3 of my favorite characters are of the first 4 introduced. I could play a standalone with Lin, Kali and Maria for daaaaaaaaays

 

[TheDevian]

I know there are no hints about it and you get the money fairly early in her questline - this would be more noticeable for older players since the other girls hadn't had as much content as Kali. Perhaps gatekeeping the Sanctuary purchase behind Kali's event so you are forced to get the early parts of her quest completed would be sufficient. Overall Runey wants you to play with each of the girls in some capacity, can't avoid them forever.

Interesting idea. I can kind of see that, or maybe have a logic gate, where the player either does the event or has the money already.

I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum for preference though - I kinda laugh it off that 3 of my favorite characters are of the first 4 introduced. I could play a standalone with Lin, Kali and Maria for daaaaaaaaays

Same, Kali, Lin, Maria...
Though others are creeping up on them a little.

 

[shadowtempered]

Interesting idea. I can kind of see that, or maybe have a logic gate, where the player either does the event or has the money already.

That or make it kinda obscure for older veterans, so we can "find" it via a computer search or something but newer players won't know about it until they do the story. If newer players are grinding for money, then it's kinda going against the grain of what Runey is attempting with the passive income and such.

Same, Kali, Lin, Maria...
Though others are creeping up on them a little.

Lucy (mostly to see how Kali abuses/doms her) and the twins are the only ones that come close. Ashley creeps me the fuck out, though she's gotten way better she's always at bare minimum stats for me and Autumn needs way more content before I consider that a top tier option. If I could customize Android to use a set appearance for casual around the hotel/events, she might open up more for me - as is, I'm more interested in her story development and less anything else.

Overall I'm really glad with how Runey has developed the girls. Variety of body options, sexy kinks and character development to keep me interested in the majority where most games I hyper focus on 1-2 and speed-run the rest.

 

[KonfinedKnat]

I know there are no hints about it and you get the money fairly early in her questline - this would be more noticeable for older players since the other girls hadn't had as much content as Kali. Perhaps gatekeeping the Sanctuary purchase behind Kali's event so you are forced to get the early parts of her quest completed would be sufficient. Overall Runey wants you to play with each of the girls in some capacity, can't avoid them forever.

I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum for preference though - I kinda laugh it off that 3 of my favorite characters are of the first 4 introduced. I could play a standalone with Lin, Kali and Maria for daaaaaaaaays

As someone who likes to play games somewhat linearly storywise, I've noticed there were a few times in recent replays of HH where some of the girls' stories (and hotel upgrading events) didn't appear to quite synch up the way they maybe should. I think a lot of this has to do with a bit of an uneven distribution of new event each update. This can be because certain characters were introduced a few updates after others. As a very general example (this is just an example), Lin may have 20 events by the time Kali is added to the game which means that she'll can be behind Lin in events for a few updates. Most "veterans" of the game won't notice much of a discrepancy since they've already played all of Lin's events to that point so hers and Kali's events will be roughly in synch going forward. The problem is if you're a new player at that update starting from the beginning because, for you, Kali's events will trigger much earlier in the gameplay, and that's when the discrepancies start showing. Add in all of the other girls (especially the side ones) over multiple updates, and it really starts to add up.

The way I understand it, though, one of the reasons why Runey has been going back and revamping earlier scenes has been to try to fix some of these discrepancies.

With the hotel upgrades (i.e., 2nd floor, bar, Sanctuary, etc.), my personal preference is to wait and build those when it makes sense storywise and not before. We kinda have a gate for the Sanctuary with the "gift" from Kali's dad (plus the Cornwall challenge), but it's not a very firm gate from a gameplay/story aspect. Personally, I am one of those people who would like more firm gating put in place to delay when at least some of those things are unlocked, but I may be in the minority so I'll accept what Runey decides.

 

[TheDevian]

That or make it kinda obscure for older veterans, so we can "find" it via a computer search or something but newer players won't know about it until they do the story. If newer players are grinding for money, then it's kinda going against the grain of what Runey is attempting with the passive income and such.


Lucy (mostly to see how Kali abuses/doms her) and the twins are the only ones that come close. Ashley creeps me the fuck out, though she's gotten way better she's always at bare minimum stats for me and Autumn needs way more content before I consider that a top tier option. If I could customize Android to use a set appearance for casual around the hotel/events, she might open up more for me - as is, I'm more interested in her story development and less anything else.

Overall I'm really glad with how Runey has developed the girls. Variety of body options, sexy kinks and character development to keep me interested in the majority where most games I hyper focus on 1-2 and speed-run the rest.

IDK, it is hard for me to think about things as a new player, since having a nice wait between updates, there was plenty of time to build up money, I never had to grind anything, and doing every event each update means I don't get things out of order. By the time we got to the part where we had to buy Sanctuary, I had no money issues, I could afford anything I needed and didn't have to think about it. I mean, the fact that I could not remember if the money from K-dad was 10k or 30k should say a lot about how little I needed it at the time. XD I didn't even know there was a loan option, until one day I was talking to Ellen and I saw the option to pay it back, and I was like, when did I take out a loan? (I didn't, but it still let me click on it).

I don't like to rush through things, and I spend a lot of time between updates just messing around when I have time. Helps that I like a lot of the repeatable stuff.

The Kali Luci dynamic is awesome.

Vanessa, is great, Autumn and Hazel are sexy as hell (and we don't have many redheads to work with), Jena is adorable, I love pet play, Nala is hot as hell, can't wait to do more with Jin again, and so on, and so on...

I still try to avoid Ashey's sex stuff, but I do want to help her through her story stuff.

For android, I would like a setting between small and medium. XD
Also, I would like to disable the femdom module (except maybe when she is with Maria).

Yeah, my only real complaint about the variety is not enough redheads. That is why I was so sad to learn the horrible truth about Blue Bunny. She's really a ...BLOND!

 

[shadowtempered]

IDK, it is hard for me to think about things as a new player, since having a nice wait between updates, there was plenty of time to build up money, I never had to grind anything, and doing every event each update means I don't get things out of order. By the time we got to the part where we had to buy Sanctuary, I had no money issues, I could afford anything I needed and didn't have to think about it. I mean, the fact that I could not remember if the money from K-dad was 10k or 30k should say a lot about how little I needed it at the time. XD I didn't even know there was a loan option, until one day I was talking to Ellen and I saw the option to pay it back, and I was like, when did I take out a loan? (I didn't, but it still let me click on it).

I restart every update. I don't play super often between updates since it's lacking in the sandbox / mgmt side of things - your headpats will forever be out of my range. Inherently having the knowledge I do I don't have money issues either. I know to where to spend my money and early game since there isn't much to do I do the daily deliveries in v16 for a little boost to get things started. Since the elves you buy still have little content, I tend to only buy the Sanctuary when prompted keeping my focus on the outfits / bar upgrades for story / passive income. I never have to grind, but I already know what to expect.

As someone who likes to play games somewhat linearly storywise, I've noticed there were a few times in recent replays of HH where some of the girls' stories (and hotel upgrading events) didn't appear to quite synch up the way they maybe should. I think a lot of this has to do with a bit of an uneven distribution of new event each update. This can be because certain characters were introduced a few updates after others. As a very general example (this is just an example), Lin may have 20 events by the time Kali is added to the game which means that she'll can be behind Lin in events for a few updates. Most "veterans" of the game won't notice much of a discrepancy since they've already played all of Lin's events to that point so hers and Kali's events will be roughly in synch going forward. The problem is if you're a new player at that update starting from the beginning because, for you, Kali's events will trigger much earlier in the gameplay, and that's when the discrepancies start showing. Add in all of the other girls (especially the side ones) over multiple updates, and it really starts to add up.

The way I understand it, though, one of the reasons why Runey has been going back and revamping earlier scenes has been to try to fix some of these discrepancies.

With the hotel upgrades (i.e., 2nd floor, bar, Sanctuary, etc.), my personal preference is to wait and build those when it makes sense storywise and not before. We kinda have a gate for the Sanctuary with the "gift" from Kali's dad (plus the Cornwall challenge), but it's not a very firm gate from a gameplay/story aspect. Personally, I am one of those people who would like more firm gating put in place to delay when at least some of those things are unlocked, but I may be in the minority so I'll accept what Runey decides.

I think most of the divergence happens after you get the second floor. When it's just the 4 girls, there aren't any side events that require outside things to impact them until mid/late stories. If you beeline the second floor, then you open yourself to more issues like Neon/You describe because you're able to "focus" on favorite girl. I forget, was several pages ago, where someone complained about how in one event Maria is super upset from a late game event, triggered another girl's event and Maria was all giggles.

I agree with you about having more gatekeeping locks. I know it's not popular, but with the girl's stories interweaving with one another I don't see how you could get around it. Either ignore these little hiccups since they don't have great impact or you get crazy knit picky in trying to prevent story overlaps that wouldn't make sense. At this point, I think Runey's time might be better spent focused on moving things along / adding content then worrying about it.

 

[TheDevian]

I restart every update. I don't play super often between updates since it's lacking in the sandbox / mgmt side of things - your headpats will forever be out of my range. Inherently having the knowledge I do I don't have money issues either. I know to where to spend my money and early game since there isn't much to do I do the daily deliveries in v16 for a little boost to get things started. Since the elves you buy still have little content, I tend to only buy the Sanctuary when prompted keeping my focus on the outfits / bar upgrades for story / passive income. I never have to grind, but I already know what to expect.



I think most of the divergence happens after you get the second floor. When it's just the 4 girls, there aren't any side events that require outside things to impact them until mid/late stories. If you beeline the second floor, then you open yourself to more issues like Neon/You describe because you're able to "focus" on favorite girl. I forget, was several pages ago, where someone complained about how in one event Maria is super upset from a late game event, triggered another girl's event and Maria was all giggles.

I agree with you about having more gatekeeping locks. I know it's not popular, but with the girl's stories interweaving with one another I don't see how you could get around it. Either ignore these little hiccups since they don't have great impact or you get crazy knit picky in trying to prevent story overlaps that wouldn't make sense. At this point, I think Runey's time might be better spent focused on moving things along / adding content then worrying about it.

I wish I had time for that. XD I am lucky that I manage to play each update still, I dropped most games I used to play.

For me, the exhibitionism events are the ones I like to replay the most, I like some of the other stuff too, but the vanilla sex stuff is kind of boring to me in these games (thanks to my past), and I have gotten spoiled by a couple of other games on that.


One of the good things about playing each update as it comes, is that even if you save some stories for last, none of them fall too far behind. It's never good to rush. XD

Yeah, there are just some things you have to deal with in a game with sandboxy elements. The whole reason you have to wait a few days between events is to encourage you to spread things around more, and not focus on anyone too much.

 

[Runey]

I read some reviews here and honestly all of them wanted to point at one thing...

They needed more fap no story. Its sad because the story is interesting. I mean theres a lot of porn in the net go there lols instead of downloading the game.

You mean to say you've read the bad reviews? Unfortunately those reviews provide nothing of value. Put simply, they're haters. Many of them have nothing better to do except upvote other poorly rated reviews. I wish constructive criticism existed more on this website, but it simply doesn't. I know this game is far from perfection, but they are of no help to anyone.

The vast, VAST majority of people say "came for the porn, stayed for the story." I also always add sexual content in every update, more than I used to in previous updates. So this sentiment that the game needs more porn only comes from people who ONLY want porn from my game, and Harem Hotel is simply just not a porn game, it's an adult visual novel. Some people can't accept that.

 

[Runey]

NeonSelf Thanks for the review!

So, I wouldn't really say Harem Hotel is a sandbox at all, or has much management. These are not things I've ever advertised, but HH certainly does have some of those aspects in the game. I just worry that people reading your review will expect something this game is not.

As per the dark and depressing stuff, most of that only happened to two or three specific characters I think? And about half way through their current story lines if I recall correctly. I would like to understand where you're coming from here. Have you advanced far enough into the story for these arcs to be over?
I hear this a lot from people, and I can't really tell if this comment comes up a lot because my writing left such an impact, or if it has gone on longer than they want it to. I don't think anything depressing lasts longer than two events. It certainly isn't the theme of Harem Hotel.

More ways of making money are coming, and one came in v0.16. Deliveries! It's a great way to make active income. And in v0.17, the bowling tourney will be possible. a weekly event where you play against random citizens of Caliber for a grand prize of $150 - $250. I'm also working on the farm in v0.17, and hopefully it will be released then. That will be another source of active and passive income. The farm will be connected to the garden, and Lin's sister will eventually work it, making it all passive income.

The money grind right now shouldn't be an issue if you bought the bar when you should have, but in v0.17, even if you don't buy the bar when you should, this shouldn't be as much of an issue with all the new ways to make money coming.

Tip screens are coming in v0.17, so hopefully all of this will be more clear.

 

[KonfinedKnat]

More ways of making money are coming, and one came in v0.16. Deliveries! It's a great way to make active income. And in v0.17, the bowling tourney will be possible. a weekly event where you play against random citizens of Caliber for a grand prize of $150 - $250. I'm also working on the farm in v0.17, and hopefully it will be released then. That will be another source of active and passive income. The farm will be connected to the garden, and Lin's sister will eventually work it, making it all passive income.

I'm still hoping for a way to set up a little cart on a street corner where can sell headpats at $5 a pop.

 

[NeonSelf]

As per the dark and depressing stuff, most of that only happened to two or three specific characters I think? And about half way through their current story lines if I recall correctly. I would like to understand where you're coming from here. Have you advanced far enough into the story for these arcs to be over?

As a writer you see your story from different perspective. You have things planned ahead, so there is nothing to worry about.
But as a player I had mixed experience.

Early game:
- I've got a hotel, a cute elf. I expect bright future ahead with sexy girls. It seems like a free-roam no risk corruption game, where every step is rewarding. Like, unlocking a brother is a relaxing and joyful experiience. Same goes for early game events with girls: over time they open to more sexy actions, wear new outfits. There is nothing to worry about.

Endgame:
- It doesnt feel safe to *Talk* with a girl anymore. After I lost Maria, I grinded to buy sanctuary and all the rebeling elves, because I didnt know what to do. She didnt appear in my PC like other slaves. So I had a few month selling nudes and grinding money. Only to discover that Kali's father will give me 10.000 later in her questline. So now I have a ton of money and nothing to do with them...
- Story events become depressing. Walk with Sylvia and get a 200$ fine because she's not on a leash. Visit church and see how some guy cuts himself. Sit in a prison with your team for a few days without any control over situation. Have criminals and corrupt cops at your hotel putting everyone in danger. Visit an Owl village and look how some raiders enslave naked defenseless woman. Look at a bleeding elf android... Story events are not entertaining anymore. Every talk is about rape or slavery.

So my choice is simple: having most of the sex scenes and interactions unlocked I can enjoy my sandbox or I have to read through more and more depressing story and risk to stop at some cliffhanger, because its unfinished.

 

[Runey]

As a writer you see your story from different perspective. You have things planned ahead, so there is nothing to worry about.
But as a player I had mixed experience.

Early game:
- I've got a hotel, a cute elf. I expect bright future ahead with sexy girls. It seems like a free-roam no risk corruption game, where every step is rewarding. Like, unlocking a brother is a relaxing and joyful experiience. Same goes for early game events with girls: over time they open to more sexy actions, wear new outfits. There is nothing to worry about.

Endgame:
- It doesnt feel safe to *Talk* with a girl anymore. After I lost Maria, I grinded to buy sanctuary and all the rebeling elves, because I didnt know what to do. She didnt appear in my PC like other slaves. So I had a few month selling nudes and grinding money. Only to discover that Kali's father will give me 10.000 later in her questline. So now I have a ton of money and nothing to do with them...
- Story events become depressing. Walk with Sylvia and get a 200$ fine because she's not on a leash. Visit church and see how some guy cuts himself. Sit in a prison with your team for a few days without any control over situation. Have criminals and corrupt cops at your hotel putting everyone in danger. Visit an Owl village and look how some raiders enslave naked defenseless woman. Look at a bleeding elf android... Story events are not entertaining anymore. Every talk is about rape or slavery.

So my choice is simple: having most of the sex scenes and interactions unlocked I can enjoy my sandbox or I have to read through more and more depressing story and risk to stop at some cliffhanger, because its unfinished.

Oh, so you haven't even finished the story? Most of that stuff happened in the middle of the current story, not the end game.

It's quite strange to me to review a product you haven't finished, but it's not like that in every event after. Though if you think Sylvia getting fined and ritualistic flagellation is depressing, maybe it is? "Depressing" isn't the word I would use here at all, but you will see why this world needs to be changed, yes. It's not a good one. Slavery exists after all. I gave you all the reasons you needed to hate this world, but protect its people. Now MC and the girls are starting to do something about it.

What you're seeing is called exposition. An explanation on how this world works. Slaves who don't wear a collar get fined. That is supposed to make you dislike that, that's the point. You're meant to want to protect these people, but start with very little power or will to do so. Things like this only need to happen once, because the point of it is to make you aware of it, and dislike it.

Harem Hotel isn't a story about inconveniences. It's a story about changing the world. Though I think you might just want a game where you hang out and fuck around with cute girls. That's fine, but that's not harem hotel. It also doesn't make this game depressing though.

The first floor characters are beginning to enter the stage in their story where they actually start to make changes. They start to effect the world more and more. This will be a very bumpy ride, but it is one step above being in a situation with no power and not fighting back. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but Lin and Ashley specifically in v0.17 will make a mark in this world. Harem Hotel's story as a whole is probably only 60% done.

 

[NeonSelf]

What you're seeing is called exposition. An explanation on how this world works. Slaves who don't wear a collar get fined. That is supposed to make you dislike that, that's the point. You're meant to want to protect these people, but start with very little power or will to do so.

It also doesn't make this game depressing though.

If having to watch how everything around is fucked up is not depressing, I dunno what to say.
You know about plot armor. But I have no clue, if the next story event will end up with MC in some shithole with his rights over hotel and slaves suspended or with some insane fine above that.

If you haven't caught on yet, Harem Hotel isn't a story about inconveniences. It's a story about changing the world. Though I suspect you don't want a story at all, and just want a game where you hang out and fuck around with cute girls.

Nope. There is enough sex scenes already. I've played a ton of great games without any sex scenes. But I hate it when I have to eat shit for no reason except story telling. In HH MC is getting fucked up on every corner. But he never goes to gym to increase his stats, he doesnt buy guns\armor, he doesnt go on vigilante missions at night to reduce crime levels. He just rolls with the story with no contol on the outcome.

Every time MC gets in a shitty situatation I have a feeling that I was not prepared enough, that I should have done something. Well, in good games my decisions define the outcome. But in HH all decisions I have is who I will *Talk* to next, and its never an informed decision and never changes the outcome.

If the purpose of this VN was to feed me with some bad experience then I dont see a reason why I should keep reading it.

 

[Runey]

If having to watch how everything around is fucked up is not depressing, I dunno what to say.
You know about plot armor. But I have no clue, if the next story event will end up with MC in some shithole with his rights over hotel and slaves suspended or with some insane fine above that.

I can see where you're coming from, but you need to understand that things happen in stories for very specific reasons. There are no coincidences in stories, and when there are, they are specifically placed to throw you off. When bad things happen in HH, it should be with the implication that "this needs to change."

Nope. There is enough sex scenes already. I've played a ton of great games without any sex scenes. But I hate it when I have to eat shit for no reason except story telling. In HH MC is getting fucked up on every corner. But he never goes to gym to increase his stats, he doesnt buy guns\armor, he doesnt go on vigilante missions at night to reduce crime levels. He just rolls with the story with no contol on the outcome.

Every time MC gets in a shitty situatation I have a feeling that I was not prepared enough, that I should have done something. Well, in good games my decisions define the outcome. But in HH all decisions I have is who I will *Talk* to next, and its never an informed decision and never changes the outcome.

If the purpose of this VN was to feed me with some bad experience then I dont see a reason why I should keep reading it.

MC is no hero, but he's the last one getting fucked. He's the one helping everyone who gets fucked. I've even developed an event in v0.17 already where MC saves the day. He's the protector, and he does that job well. It is currently under threat, and MC is very aware of this. I would love to hear suggestions that would help fix this issue for you, because your understanding of HH is not what I've intended HH to be.

But again, Harem Hotel is not a sandbox. You said in your review that it was a pure sandbox with management elements, but this could not be further from the truth. Harem Hotel is designed to be a story. It certainly has those elements, but they are not the purpose of this game's existence. The purpose of sandbox and management elements is to gain side content only. MC going to the gym to gain stats makes no sense because it wouldn't have any impact on the story. He's not a fighter, he's the protector. Nia is the fighter.

Your decisions will never define the outcome of HH, because it is not a sandbox, it is a linear story.

You don't have to keep reading it. I am simply correcting some things you've said, and trying to understand your point of view. I did say thank you for the review after all. I literally said in the comment you responded to "It's a story about changing the world. ", not one trying to feed you with bad experiences.

 

[NeonSelf]

Your decisions will never define the outcome of HH, because it is not a sandbox, it is a linear story.

I've developed different standards for sandbox in my gaming experience. And I feel like HH is more sandbox than alot of other games on this site. Even Minecraft has linear story: start in overworld - get to nether - conquer stronghold - open portal to the end - kill the dragon.

As for HH, it already has features, that define sandbox for me.
- you decide when to progress the story further
- you have no time restrictions
- you are free to unlock and repeatedly experience new content, not related to the main story.
- you can customize your game experience to your liking (change outfits, ignore secondary girls storylines)
- you have more than one way of achieving the same goal. (earn money by hotel upgrades\deliveries\selling nudes etc)

The main difference between HH and other sandbox games is that HH story progress is not defined by your stats.
While in minecraft you have to craft good armor and potions to kill the dragon and there is a great chance of failed attempt, in HH you just have to keep talking to your girls. But in both games the end result is predetermined.

PS: Changed my review to "Almost sandbox".