VN Ren'Py Hillside [v0.15 First Half] [DarkBlue]

[SpikeZg]

Mc is more and more frisky with hand holding, maybe he should cool it a bit, we are not in a porn game right?... are we?
jk, the preview pics are giving me diabetes, soooo cute

 

[Walter Victor]

I'm waiting to see if the MC lifts both of them over the wall... at the same time.

I can definitely see why a lot of players will cringe at the thought of the MC (or anyone else) having sex with Emma. It's a natural reaction for anyone not into incest porn, or even for some of us who are. Myself, I'm not sure how I'll play it if we get to that point. I suspect I'll just suppress my guilt and play it. I just hope it's handled well, because it could become beyond creepy.

For that matter, and given his situation as hired protector, plus their utter vulnerability, wouldn't it be a little creepy for the MC to romance ANY of the Lloyds? At least until after his job is complete. [And yes, I have a path with Lucy.]

 

[Avaron1974]

I'm assuming because of the letter in the locker that she mistakenly thought was from him she believed he had feelings for her. I think the real hangup in general is due to the fact that Emma is supposed to be 18 but emotionally seems closer to 12. This essentially makes the majority of Emma's 'adult' situations feel a little off.

Personally I've written Emma off as a possible love interest in any way and have kind of just told myself that the +love points are really +father points lol

I can't view her as a love interest, it's just too creepy she acts far too immature.

The only one I will have my MC go for is the aunt, it's the only one that would work without being awkward.

Charlotte is too broken. For the games sake her and the MC will get it on eventually but for my sake I can't see it happening in my game. After what she's been through she'd never be able to have a normal relationship. Any problems would cause her to clam up and the slightest argument would have her run for the hills. She's just far too emotionally damaged to be a realistic choice.

Both of those need help. Emma needs to learn how the world works and she's been too sheltered so that's going to take years and Charlotte needs serious therapy and a major career change.

The other daughter I can't give zero fucks about, don't like her at all.

Just to note this isn't me complaining about the game, I enjoy the game, just don't see most of the characters as viable love interests.

 

[Ayhsel]

For that matter, and given his situation as hired protector, plus their utter vulnerability, wouldn't it be a little creepy for the MC to romance ANY of the Lloyds? At least until after his job is complete. [And yes, I have a path with Lucy.]

Emma: my eternal love aside, yes, it is kind of creepy the way she is now.
Charlotte: I don't think so. While MC taking advantage of his situation to romance her might sound creepy, you can make so that it is actually a healing process, where she sees that not all men are monsters.
Lucy: not at all.
Suzy: I am the one guy supporting a very love/hate relationship with her... so... maybe? if done correctly, I think it make total sense..

What it is is unprofessional more than creepy. He should be able to separate his clients from the set of women he fall for and remain cold headed to do a better job. And even if he does fall for them, he should not do anything while in the job. OBVIOUSLY, I hope he is not professional in that sense, as it makes for a better story, were his feeling cloud his better judgement and things become more personal and lines become blurry.

 

[Irgendwie Irgendwo]

For a moment the second picture looked like Emma standing there and the MC jumped her for a hug.

 

[SevenCostanza]

Oh, 100000% NEVER had any interest in romancing Emma. I'm assuming the emotionally-stunted behavior is supposed to be evidence of just how much Charlotte has coddled her growing up, but I agree that it really comes off as her being a child to the point where it's kind of creepy to even think about an adult man being with her. I remembered the letter thing after I wrote that comment, but even the letter alone isn't enough to explain her obsession. The shit with Zak is just... weird, and the fact that, so far, every character has been an enabler is driving me INSANE.

I've also tried to think of the +love points with her as +fatherly points but I'm worried if we get too many of them, we'll end up triggering sex scenes, so now I'm trying to find the balance of generally being nice to her but not being TOO nice to her lmao.

This was my fear too that advancing too far into the Emma path could affect the Charlotte path because of how attached she would get and have another break down. I'm assuming (hopeful) that isn't the case and as the relationship between Emma/Charlotte/MC evolves and depending on how you play it Emma will see the MC as more of a father and accept the MC and Charlotte being involved. The multiple mentions by Emma regarding the MC feeling like her father but also the feelings she gets from having her feet rubbed are really conflicting to what her role is/should be.

I can't view her as a love interest, it's just too creepy she acts far too immature.

The only one I will have my MC go for is the aunt, it's the only one that would work without being awkward.

Charlotte is too broken. For the games sake her and the MC will get it on eventually but for my sake I can't see it happening in my game. After what she's been through she'd never be able to have a normal relationship. Any problems would cause her to clam up and the slightest argument would have her run for the hills. She's just far too emotionally damaged to be a realistic choice.

Both of those need help. Emma needs to learn how the world works and she's been too sheltered so that's going to take years and Charlotte needs serious therapy and a major career change.

The other daughter I can't give zero fucks about, don't like her at all.

Just to note this isn't me complaining about the game, I enjoy the game, just don't see most of the characters as viable love interests.

Personally not a huge fan of the Aunt or older sister. I always decline the aunt's advances after her breakdown and explanation of living in Charlotte's shadow and how everyone wants Charlotte and she's always the bridesmaid never the bride etc. I know it's a game but feels like leading her on and I'm guessing this isn't a harem type game and I feel guilty lol. I guess it's a credit to the writing/characters/story. The two daughters aren't even an option or on my radar besides being the father figure they need.

I'm assuming the Charlotte path would end with the MC finally winning over her trust enough that she can tear down some of her walls. I see your point about being broken beyond repair but I'm assuming that's been built up to highlight what a decent guy the MC is and how he's different etc. The constant back and forth of hot cold hot cold and breaking down her defenses illustrates this as well.

Besides Charlotte the only other person anything could happen with is Kaylah for me.

 

[Irgendwie Irgendwo]

This was my fear too that advancing too far into the Emma path could affect the Charlotte path because of how attached she would get and have another break down. I'm assuming (hopeful) that isn't the case and as the relationship between Emma/Charlotte/MC evolves and depending on how you play it Emma will see the MC as more of a father and accept the MC and Charlotte being involved. The multiple mentions by Emma regarding the MC feeling like her father but also the feelings she gets from having her feet rubbed are really conflicting to what her role is/should be.

Well, from what I've read (buried in the backlog here somewhere) you will only get one of the four love interests. Meaning, at some point certain choices will cut off all the other paths.

 

[Avaron1974]

I'm assuming the Charlotte path would end with the MC finally winning over her trust enough that she can tear down some of her walls. I see your point about being broken beyond repair but I'm assuming that's been built up to highlight what a decent guy the MC is and how he's different etc. The constant back and forth of hot cold hot cold and breaking down her defenses illustrates this as well.

Game wise sure she'll probably go that route.

I just don't see it personally.

After everything she's been through it wouldn't matter how much of a good guy the MC is, it's not a trust issue she's mentally scarred and would need serious psychiatric care.

After everything that had happened to her it would be damn near impossible for someone like that to ever have a normal relationship.

It will work for some of you obviously but I can't see it, it's just too weird. I like the game and the characters but the dev has gone to the extremes with both Charlotte and Emma that, in a realistic setting, would not be viable love interests.

Emma is too child like and has years of growing up to do, she's been too sheltered and still has a disney princess outlook on romance.

Charlotte would need a lifetime of therapy and would still struggle to hold down any sort of relationship.

These aren't trust issues she has.

She was beaten to near death in broad daylight with no one stopping to help her and the man that did it still trying to get to her. She was almost raped. She's been sexually harassed, groped and hit on by creeps her entire life. Being a good guy wouldn't even begin to fix those issues. Therapy and medication would.

I just can't see her as a love interest, she's just too far gone. It would feel forced and unnatural to me so i'll leave her to others.

I'll stick with Lucy.

 

[Blake45666]

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Charlotte heads for the sauna door. Can the MC convince her to stay and talk to him?
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Emma needs a big hug as she struggles to deal with the aftermath of the party.
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And Charlotte joins Emma and the MC for a run on their secret beach.
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goddamn this has me excited, definite signs that Charlotte is starting to warm even more up to MC, i love it

also glad to see a lot of people think the same way i do about the characters, romancing Charlotte really feels as a healing process or at least i hope it will be

I also adore Emma but have no interest in doing anything sexual with her, she just acts/looks too young. I am interested to see how that route will go for those who want to tho, to see if DB can make it so it's not insanely creepy (although that's my opinion, to each their own ofcourse)

 

[SevenCostanza]

Game wise sure she'll probably go that route.

I just don't see it personally.

After everything she's been through it wouldn't matter how much of a good guy the MC is, it's not a trust issue she's mentally scarred and would need serious psychiatric care.

After everything that had happened to her it would be damn near impossible for someone like that to ever have a normal relationship.

It will work for some of you obviously but I can't see it, it's just too weird. I like the game and the characters but the dev has gone to the extremes with both Charlotte and Emma that, in a realistic setting, would not be viable love interests.

Emma is too child like and has years of growing up to do, she's been too sheltered and still has a disney princess outlook on romance.

Charlotte would need a lifetime of therapy and would still struggle to hold down any sort of relationship.

These aren't trust issues she has.

She was beaten to near death in broad daylight with no one stopping to help her and the man that did it still trying to get to her. She was almost raped. She's been sexually harassed, groped and hit on by creeps her entire life. Being a good guy wouldn't even begin to fix those issues. Therapy and medication would.

I just can't see her as a love interest, she's just too far gone. It would feel forced and unnatural to me so i'll leave her to others.

I'll stick with Lucy.

It would feel a bit anticlimactic if this was the case. The story certainly has revolved around Charlotte and Emma the most and to basically disqualify them from decent endings would feel like a bit of a let down.

 

[DA22]

It would feel a bit anticlimactic if this was the case. The story certainly has revolved around Charlotte and Emma the most and to basically disqualify them from decent endings would feel like a bit of a let down.

Well Avaron is not saying it will not happen in game, actually she said it likely will be what dev will do. Just while Emma can grow up even if it likely will take some time, the idea that Charlotte could be healed by just a decent guy and love after her past and way she behaves is less likely.

Not to try to be SJW about it, but the kind of trauma's she had to endure and how she is shown to react to them over time makes quite a strong case for her needing some professional help to deal with them if this was real life instead of a game and overcoming the trauma's and how they made her behave and then she will still need to overcome some deep seated trust issues likely. For those you better hope there were some men in her early life that she did trust and never betrayed that trust like her father or grandfather.

It is sad but true, but the behavior of assholes does also tend to have influence on women for rest of us guys and does not make it easier to have a healthy relation with women. Just as our past has an influence on us if we ran into a few crazies, so does the past of a woman has an influence on her. Including all the assholes she met.

 

[despot444]

For those you better hope there were some men in her early life that she did trust and never betrayed that trust like her father or grandfather.

I mean I had abusive/pedo aunt, that didn't stop me loving my mother just because they are both woman. Problem would be generalization. In this case it's Charlotte doing, she definitely need professional help for her traumas. I also wonder what would happen if another woman in power (bi,lesbian etc) attacked her just because they can exert their power, total breakdown? Imagine trusting no one.

 

[DA22]

I mean I had abusive/pedo aunt, that didn't stop me loving my mother just because they are both woman. Problem would be generalization. In this case it's Charlotte doing, she definitely need professional help for her traumas. I also wonder what would happen if another woman in power (bi,lesbian etc) attacked her just because they can exert their power, total breakdown? Imagine trusting no one.

Like you said, things like that are individual and simple fact that your mother was a safe person could already have helped you some or a lot with overcoming your aunt. Charlotte has had quite the string of bad things happening to her by males and we are not shown any redeeming males in her past or her getting support she needed, so generalization almost becomes natural (and is a human habit anyway), among women she seems to have at least her sister, even if something like you said happens.

 

[HillsideVN]

MC and Charlotte getting together confirmed!
jk I don't think anyone expected otherwise

for real though is there anything people can do to volunteer their time/services to help the process of possibly getting more/faster updates? I know patreon/money is probably the best contribution but maybe others can contribute in other ways? Also just curious if you're willing to share the dollar amount you require to complete a chapter and if *someone* were to donate that amount how quickly a new chapter could be released?

Also just want to say considering the relative small amount of lewd content, the story/characters/game is probably one of my favorites so thank you for all your hard work!

Currently it is just me working on Hillside.

This is my first attempt at creating a visual novel and the problem is my lack of experience in organizing a project like this. There isn't really anything anybody else can do to help speed things up.

I am constantly trying to improve my workflow and change how I do things, but it takes time to iterate.

The last two updates have been larger than preceding ones, so things are improving. I also spent about 30% of my time during those two updates working on the 1080p upgrade. Now that work is complete I can focus all effort on creating the next update and trying to make it a little bigger than the last one.

 

[HillsideVN]

Is that bimbo version in the game or is it a joke?

It's just a joke.

 

[Avaron1974]

It would feel a bit anticlimactic if this was the case. The story certainly has revolved around Charlotte and Emma the most and to basically disqualify them from decent endings would feel like a bit of a let down.

She will have an ending, I did mention that. It's just my personal reasons why I won't purue her or Emma.

 

[Raptus Puellae]

Me want more Emma.. a pity a crucial scene was altered..

 

[Chronos169]

And again this tiny, beautiful details, like the sweat on Charlies Skin (RRRRRrrrrrrr my kind of kink.....), and how they are holding Hands (or MC tries to hold her, we will see).
And this some sort of 3D Effect in the Picture with Emma.....

 

[Irgendwie Irgendwo]

Well, I am pretty sure Char's story will involve some miraculous healing, but a first step would be to finally get her to talk. After all, Lucy said something along the lines that she wouldn't even talk to a psychologist. MC could at least get her to open up a little and prove to her over and over and 500 times over again that he is a decent guy, and along with professional help we will get somewhere.

In any case, same as Emma, who has some serious growing up to do, the best solution for a relationship with either of them would be a time jump after the stalker (Emma) / various attackers (Char) situations are dealt with.

 

[Ayhsel]

Run out of likes.

Disclaimer: I love the story and love the characters. My comments are from a critic point of view, but nonetheless made with lots of love! In fact, this is one of those stories I love so much I almost always end up starting over, and while my comments are on the "believable side of things" I think it is a mistake to always criticize a novel for it realism. A novel should be mainly criticized for its plot, for the inconsistency of their characters and for the use of deus ex machinas.


There are a few problems if you will with the setting.

Charlotte: The biggest problem with her we all now what it is. She is clearly a woman living in fear given her past experience. But from a non literary point of view, it really made more sense for her to hire a female body guard, regardless of MC being the best. In fact, given how rich she is, she could arguably hire two, MC and the female he spoke of. The second one would be the one close enough to Emma, living with them while MC would be the organizer, protecting them from the distance. Not only this would make more sense to the likes of Charlotte, it would also be more effective as a mean of protection.
There is a problem, if you will with this argument. It only seems worth it once you know that the threat is big enough. But if the threat is not big enough, you don't need the very best bodyguard in the industry.
Having said that, I disagree with most claiming Charlotte is simply out of the picture given her past. I do believe that the relationship with the MC can be part of a healing process for her. The problem would be "oh I fall in love with MC. Magically, all my problems are gone". That would definitely be a poor approach.
MY TAKE on the matter would be something like this: the current situation with Emma forced Charlotte to acknowledge her problems, realizing how much her problems have hurt her children, in particular Emma (more on this below) and her own inability to become happy. Also, the idea of a finally a good guy that is there without trying to take advantage of her open up her mind in how unfair she has been and make her realize even further that her disposition is not natural. These fact would take her to require the help of a psychiatrist. Now, with a little of innovative disposition, the specialist sees the presence of MC as a catalyst to further help Charlotte grow and heal, making their connection grow not as a cause for her healing process, but as a consequence of it.
On a related topic, I dislike what many claimed that the last update was bad in the sense that it seemed that the character went back, in particular Charlotte. As I said above, no behavior from MC can heal her. So she reacting the way she is actually make sense. And it could lead to she realizing her problems are bigger than what she thought.

Emma: I have already gone several post about how Emma should be younger for everything to fit better. This is really the only one correction you need to make her work perfectly in the novel (15 years old Emma acting like a 11/12 years old). At the same time, that correction would make her what many of you are claiming: not romanceable. While I totally love the cutie, even myself feel many more times a father's kind of love intead of a "daddy" towards her. So, in the end, she really does not need a lover, she needs someone that would love her and protect her while at the same time helping her grow up and develop into the the best person and woman she can be, something that her mother has failed to do so by sheltering her. MC could become a father figure that lets her bloom.
EDIT: just to be explicit, I am not saying that she has to be removed as a LI. I am only saying that the way she is presented does not trigger lover but father's love. This can totally change as she matures. I will personally pick her route regardless of what happens with her.

Lucy: I think all is good with her. In fact, a MC that prefers her over her sister would be totally good given her inferiority complex. I also would like to further explore this problem in a realistic but not low kick way. That is, I don't want suddenly Lucy becoming a villain, but it would be nice to see her inferiority complex plays a few more times.

Suzy: As my second favorite characters, I have also written a lot about her. I think she can do for a fantastic rival heroine. Love and hate relationship. I don't want to repeat myself (that is new!) so if anybody wants to further discuss it I can search for my posts. But I definitely think she is one of the most intriguing ones. Besides, her behavior could be a consequence of her upraising too such as a Emma, but with a different result, as she was less sheltered and probably had a better grasp on the world. Also, her official age does make sense, unlike Emma, if you will.

Can't wait to see what happens next. Those previews are great!

Me want more Emma.. a pity a crucial scene was altered..

Me too!! Which scene are you talking about'?