VN Ren'Py Heaven's Door [Ch. 3 v0.3] [AlterWorlds]

[dexterousgecko]

In neither case will they just disappear from the story though

Oh okay great! I like all of them, but don't want to pursue all of them

 

[anne O'nymous]

This story isn’t centered on “how fast can the MC get in their pants,” it’s centered on grief, intimacy, boundaries, and how people let someone into their life when they’re used to being treated like a transaction.

I think you can add "rebirth" to the list.

MC had two fucking heavy news in a so short span of time that he totally gave up. Then, months later, he entered the Heaven's Door club, and what he found there gave him, what is so far an impulse to not purely waste the rest of his life time.
I totally picture him pushing Doc Allington's door one day and saying, "okay, I'll do it". Not because he have plenty of sex, but because he have friends, real friends; people who cared for him even before actually knowing him. Starting with Nikki, who tagged with him solely because she felt his sadness.

And I agree that the strip club setup really help here. It create an intimacy that permit to focus on the human, while the fact that the girls presented themselves with their real name remove the, "it's just the job", part. But it also oppose two worlds. The top world from where MC come, and what is generally, and wrongly, pictured as the bottom world.
MC lived in a world full of superficiality, where not many things have a value. What is, by example, shown by the US$ 100 bill it leaved to Steve, "for the inconvenience", the tip to Coral, and even more the way he deal with Charlie's lack of care regarding change; he don't care paying a bit more, what are few bucks for him, but also don't want to pay less, it wouldn't be honest. Without forgetting the most important part, the double betrayal.
And then, in the Heaven's Door, as well as with Charlie, he found peoples who are simply real. And, from my point of view, he's learning what "being alive" actually mean, and that it can worth being tried.

 

[dexterousgecko]

two random points as I inhale this VN:

1. holy shit that flashback -

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2. Risa and Runa and Kennedy (sp?) - omg, so cute (and sexy obviously) - I'm as CIS as they come, but I love that the dev trying to tell a trans person's story.


EDIT on completing current content:
3. The ONE thing that is a bit 'groan' for me is the last cliff hanger bit. ugh, now there's this obvious villianess who is going to try to manipulate the MC because of his fortune and the plot is going to explode into a MASSIVE thing.

I kind of liked the smaller scale, it was a nice change..eh, we'll see where it goes. I hope the family drama doesn't take over everything.

 

[Elduriel]

two random points as I inhale this VN:

1. holy shit that flashback -

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she most certainly will be back, already poking around in fact with the calls/messages

 

[e6mill]

now there's this obvious villaness

Remains to be seen. I mean if she just wants an heir from someone suitable then perhaps our goals might coincide.

 

[Rehwyn]

EDIT on completing current content:
3. The ONE thing that is a bit 'groan' for me is the last cliff hanger bit. ugh, now there's this obvious villaness who is going to try to manipulate the MC because of his fortune and the plot is going to explode into a MASSIVE thing.

If it helps, the "villainess" at the end is actually a main LI. So I doubt it'll be as big a thing as you are fearing heh.

 

[Black Metal]

Sigh... when is my excruciating wait for her content going to be rewarded?

Next update? Maybe? Hopefully...?

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[dexterousgecko]

One more random note: The game basically forces you into a Nikki relationship. I rejected her as much as possible (straight up said not my type), and while we didn't have sex, all the lines acted as if we were together. Dates were still forced, that awkward John and the casino scene happened, etc. The best example is Coral at the mall, Nikki says: "she has a crush on you" and MC still says something like "Well, I'm also seeing someone else". Who is this someone else exactly?

Is this going to be more of a Kinetic story where all the exact same plot points happen, it's just whether or not MC has sex with people along the way?

Still LOVE this, and omg, playing the twin's scenes again, might be the very first time I pursue a trans LI, just to see the cuteness, although how that will work with twins...

 

[Rehwyn]

One more random note: The game basically forces you into a Nikki relationship. I rejected her as much as possible (straight up said not my type), and while we didn't have sex, all the lines acted as if we were together. Dates were still forced, that awkward John and the casino scene happened, etc. The best example is Coral at the mall, Nikki says: "she has a crush on you" and MC still says something like "Well, I'm also seeing someone else". Who is this someone else exactly?

Is this going to be more of a Kinetic story where all the exact same plot points happen, it's just whether or not MC has sex with people along the way?

Still LOVE this, and omg, playing the twin's scenes again, might be the very first time I pursue a trans LI, just to see the cuteness, although how that will work with twins...

He says "I'm also already seeing someone." if you've kissing Nikki or Patricia, or on their "both" path.

Other than that, the devs have said that the LIs aren't going to disappear from the game just because you don't pursue a romantic or sexual relationship. You'll just have a platonic relationship as well.

 

[dexterousgecko]

He says "I'm also already seeing someone." if you've kissing Nikki or Patricia, or on their "both" path.

Other than that, the devs have said that the LIs aren't going to disappear from the game just because you don't pursue a romantic or sexual relationship. You'll just have a platonic relationship as well.

no, I get that the LIs are going to be in the story, I'm trying to figure out who am I (as the MC lol) dating exactly in the scenario where I reject both Nikki and Patricia immediately.

edit:

if I'm dating BOTH of them, then it shouldn't matter that Coral is sniffing around, since MC is obviously cool with dating multiple people at once. If I'm not dating anyone, the line shouldn't be there. the more I think about it the more confusing it gets.

 

[Rehwyn]

no, I get that the LIs are going to be in the story, I'm trying to figure out who am I (as the MC lol) dating exactly in the scenario where I reject both Nikki and Patricia immediately.

edit:

if I'm dating BOTH of them, then it shouldn't matter that Coral is sniffing around, since MC is obviously cool with dating multiple people at once. If I'm not dating anyone, the line shouldn't be there. the more I think about it the more confusing it gets.

The conditionals for the line are below:


The variable "patricianikkiboth" is toggled true in Chapter 1 if you tell Patricia that "I came to see you both", which is a choice that suggests you are interested in both of them.

At the end of Chapter 1, if you expressed an interest in both or told Patricia that you came to see her, you also automatically kiss Patricia:


So what most likely happened is you picked "I came to see you both" and didn't realize it started you down their dating path. Either that or you are somehow on one of their solo paths and kissed one of them.

Because unless your variables are bugged, you shouldn't see that line if you actually have rejected both.

 

[dexterousgecko]

Okay, so it's either Nikki, Patricia or both, no option to turn them down. I'm dating them, but no sex..and I specifically said "not interested" to Nikki (right at the start) and "let's just be friends" to Patricia (AFTER the mall scene to be fair). I did choose the "I came to see you both", that wasn't in any sense clear that that locks me into a relationship with them.

huh..that's disappointing if I'm honest. Almost wish I hadn't seen behind the curtain on that one. So then, if I'm dating both of them, do THEY know that? Also, if I'm dating both of them, then why would MC care about messing around with Coral as well and mention that at all?

Hopefully the future dialogue can make what is going on more clear.

 

[Rehwyn]

Okay, so it's either Nikki, Patricia or both, no option to turn them down. I'm dating them, but no sex..and I specifically said "not interested" to Nikki (right at the start) and "let's just be friends" to Patricia (AFTER the mall scene to be fair). I did choose the "I came to see you both", that wasn't in any sense clear that that locks me into a relationship with them.

huh..that's disappointing if I'm honest. Almost wish I hadn't seen behind the curtain on that one. So then, if I'm dating both of them, do THEY know that? Also, if I'm dating both of them, then why would MC care about messing around with Coral as well and mention that at all?

Hopefully the future dialogue can make what is going on more clear.

No, you can actually date neither of them. But in addition to saying Nikki is not your type, you have to just say "You're right" to Patricia back Chapter 1, which toggles "patricianotinterested" to True.

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I'm sure eventually there will be more explicit options to either lock in or out of a path. But if you say you came to see Patricia or both of them, that at least seems to temporarily get you on Patricia or both of their paths.

As for what they know, Nikki and Patricia are close friends. I guarantee you they know you are dating both.

Also, this game is (optionally) full harem. You can date as few or as may of the main LIs as you want at once. So if that's your concern, don't be.

As for why MC cares, that's likely because Nikki and Patricia are single, so MC doing stuff with them isn't potentially stepping into an existing relationship. Since Coral has a boyfriend, that's a slightly different matter. Plus, MC doesn't know exactly how Nikki feels about MC dating multiple people yet, but he is probably aware that she isn't bothered by Patricia for now. He probably doesn't want to just assume that apparent comfort extends to others without discussing it a bit more formally.

 

[dexterousgecko]

No, you can actually date neither of them. But in addition to saying Nikki is not your type, you have to just say "You're right" to Patricia back Chapter 1, which toggles "patricianotinterested" to True.

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I'm sure eventually there will be more explicit options to either lock in or out of a path. But if you say you came to see Patricia or both of them, that at least seems to temporarily get you on Patricia or both of their paths.

As for what they know, Nikki and Patricia are close friends. I guarantee you they know you are dating both.

Also, this game is (optionally) full harem. You can date as few or as may of the main LIs as you want at once. So if that's your concern, don't be.

As for why MC cares, that's likely because Nikki and Patricia are single, so MC doing stuff with them isn't potentially stepping into an existing relationship. Since Coral has a boyfriend, that's a slightly different matter. Plus, MC doesn't know exactly how Nikki feels about MC dating multiple people yet, but he is probably aware that she isn't bothered by Patricia for now. He probably doesn't want to just assume that apparent comfort extends to others without discussing it a bit more formally.

holy, you're a wizard! That was exactly it. That line was the difference between making Patricia feel forced or not. That line seems like a "I'm here for Nikki" link but it's actually "not patricia". Good to know!

 

[Rehwyn]

holy, you're a wizard! That was exactly it. That line was the difference between making Patricia feel forced or not. That line seems like a "I'm here for Nikki" link but it's actually "not patricia". Good to know!

You're welcome. Personally I think you're crazy for not wanting to date either of them, but, hey, I know people have different preferences.

 

[zilzmaer]

No, you can actually date neither of them.

it's worth pointing out that, so far, you actually can't avoid dating them. you can avoid having a sexual relationship, but you can't avoid going on dates with them, and those dates play out the same way (sans sex/kissing) regardless of whether you've said you're not interested in them romantically. Patricia 100% believes their date to be romantic in nature, and the MC knows this in advance and just plays along with it, despite telling her previously that he doesn't want to lead her on. Nikki is constantly holding the MC's hand and hanging off his arm at the mall, holding him intimately and possessively when Coral's group shows up; this is not how women treat their male friends. although i don't remember exact scenes, i also noticed several times where the MC puts his arm around Nikki in a way that suggests more than just friendship. the dialog is similarly the exact same, with maybe one line of dialog inserted if they need to reference a kiss or something and continuing on exactly the same after that variable check.

i understand why it's done this way; it's so that the devs don't have to make two or more versions of every scene, they can just reuse lines and renders between routes. it definitely feels awkward, though, to have the MC just let them continue acting like that when he's been very firm about not being interested.

i guess what i'm trying to say is that it'd be nice for the friendship route to actually be friendship, rather than just being the romance route with the sex filed off. though, it might be less noticeable for players who only have one save file, rather than playing multiple save files back to back to experience multiple routes (mostly for the Sylvanie route split, so far).

 

[Canto Forte]

This makes zero sense in this kind of setting: MC is the Road House Beef Cake all the sweethearts have bleeding hearts for - this is adamantly and excessively explained all over the plot and it hits players over the head every time they wander off into their own selfish fantasy, removed from the game story, personality of MC and that of the girls. There are plenty of shows and movies where ”friendships” are pure sexual to fill in the silence of a rushed relationship, but today guys and girls are much more transactional with Leo Di Caprio, Brad Pit, Mel gibson, almost all the so called greats of making girls panties twist and shout ”Mercy!” in theaters going for much younger and adventuristic girls when their long term project falls off because of their nonexistent character IRL - they lose themselves in so much Macho Bravado Scripted Plot armor during filming, they are absolute bridezilla assholes IRL.

i guess what i'm trying to say is that it'd be nice for the friendship route to actually be friendship, rather than just being the romance route with the sex filed off.

Even Jaime Fox tryina be a respectable father admist he pines for 20yolds that keep hitting on him and he himself feels icky still talking to them once he finds out ... but this is just the Diddle effect: thirsty guys taking advantage of adventurous young girls try to walk away because of the Epstein and Diddler massive media disasters.
On the other hand we got Ariana Grande and cintia Arrivo - absolute home wreckers who got no morals of self esteem and simply shag whomever they like for whatever longer or shorter months span of time before walking off into another project and finding other sex tools of a man or a woman to get off on.

 

[dexterousgecko]

This makes zero sense in this kind of setting: MC is the Road House Beef Cake all the sweethearts have bleeding hearts for - this is adamantly and excessively explained all over the plot and it hits players over the head every time they wander off into their own selfish fantasy, removed from the game story, personality of MC and that of the girls. There are plenty of shows and movies where ”friendships” are pure sexual to fill in the silence of a rushed relationship, but today guys and girls are much more transactional with Leo Di Caprio, Brad Pit, Mel gibson, almost all the so called greats of making girls panties twist and shout ”Mercy!” in theaters going for much younger and adventuristic girls when their long term project falls off because of their nonexistent character IRL - they lose themselves in so much Macho Bravado Scripted Plot armor during filming, they are absolute bridezilla assholes IRL.

Even Jaime Fox tryina be a respectable father admist he pines for 20yolds that keep hitting on him and he himself feels icky still talking to them once he finds out ... but this is just the Diddle effect: thirsty guys taking advantage of adventurous young girls try to walk away because of the Epstein and Diddler massive media disasters.
On the other hand we got Ariana Grande and cintia Arrivo - absolute home wreckers who got no morals of self esteem and simply shag whomever they like for whatever longer or shorter months span of time before walking off into another project and finding other sex tools of a man or a woman to get off on.

Nothing to say other than your writing is REALLY difficult to understand. I have no idea what point you're making. Are you saying that "it's normal to go on non-sexual dates in this setting"?

 

[MorallyLucky]

You're welcome. Personally I think you're crazy for not wanting to date either of them, but, hey, I know people have different preferences.

Also imagine going a full friendship route when the MC's entire goal rn is to have kids

 

[Canto Forte]

Alec Baldwin seven kids with a girl 20 yo his junior just like that, Mel gibson small baby with a 20yo nobody heard of actress - kids are what makes old guys tick IRL today, not a joke, actual reality.

Are you saying that "it's normal to go on non-sexual dates in this setting"?

IT is reality for girls to seduce much older guys for a transactional relationship while MC amasses close touchy feely pity partying girls who are having a blast to his expense. Messing with the heads, hearts and minds of guys has been the go to game plan for self absorbed young girls for eaons.

Also imagine going a full friendship route when the MC's entire goal rn is to have kids