VN Ren'Py Where the Heart Is [S1 Rev1] [CheekyGimp]

[felicemastronzo]

Agreed! I don’t like that either. The fact is the player should be able to avoid her (and any love interest they don’t like) even at the sacrifice of content. Instead, no matter what the player/MC is forced to spend time with certain people who we’d much rather never see again (Elaine). It makes sense that you see Katie, Jenna, and Monica as they live there. Bella, Elaine, and Jolina (I’ve stated my dislike of the Jolina situation enough) should be completely avoidable after the initial meeting.

not to hang out with them would perhaps have been too much, for the question of inheritance we have to deal with them, even if it is as a double game

but, narratively, Bella is presented to us as a friend, someone who in a hostile context had been kind to us, so defending her to Katie is consistent.

But Elaine is presented to us as the cause of all our problems, we can't forgive her the first time we talk to her directly... I repeat that in theory that scene comes after she has thrown away all our things from "her house" (or so Bella tells us). (or so Bella tells us)

there's a clear jump in Mc's attitude which is unjustified, not even if Elaine had welcomed us naked with ready-made vaseline.

This jump ruined, at least for me, the immersion in the story.

However, taking a step forward for the inheritance issue, for me the central point remains the one mentioned before: "did Elaine really throw our stuff away and Bella saved it?".

if it's true, Elaine loses all credibility, otherwise the cross falls on Bella (who along with Jenna has the attitude that makes me most uncomfortable in the game)

 

[duningtwo]

yes, was very sad when i couldn't keep telling elaine to go fuck herself. stranding her in town helped, though. when's the option to visit elaine at her house with katie in tow?

 

[MrFriendly]

not to hang out with them would perhaps have been too much, for the question of inheritance we have to deal with them, even if it is as a double game

I get hanging out with some of them. Bella, Monica and the girls, and some minimal contact with Elaine due to the inheritance only. And we can skip a lot of or all content with Debbie, Lily, Angel, Wanda, and Mabel... Jolina is problematic and I've let my thoughts be known about her so I won't beat the poor dead blonde horse anymore.

but, narratively, Bella is presented to us as a friend, someone who in a hostile context had been kind to us, so defending her to Katie is consistent.

True, but we aren't really told any of that until afterwards. So we are presented with a choice to defend Bella to Katie with little context. It's only later that we find out that Bella was trying to be friendly to the MC because of the shit he was going through. It is also creepy that she has the hots for the MC.

But Elaine is presented to us as the cause of all our problems, we can't forgive her the first time we talk to her directly... I repeat that in theory that scene comes after she has thrown away all our things from "her house" (or so Bella tells us). (or so Bella tells us)

there's a clear jump in Mc's attitude which is unjustified, not even if Elaine had welcomed us naked with ready-made vaseline.

This jump ruined, at least for me, the immersion in the story.

Overall, the MC thinks with his dick first, second, and third. His poor brain is probaby suffering from severe dehydration considering the number of times he has sex.

If he was more rational and less pervy the MC would ask more questions.
Why doesn't he ask Bella and Elaine separately if Elaine really was going to throw his stuff away? Or why doesn't he ask Zarah and everyone else if they knew his dad? What about having a look at his dad's financial records? Shouldn't he have access to those now as the Next of Kin? Shouldn't he be able to circumvent the lawyer and just see where his dad's money went?

However, taking a step forward for the inheritance issue, for me the central point remains the one mentioned before: "did Elaine really throw our stuff away and Bella saved it?".

if it's true, Elaine loses all credibility, otherwise the cross falls on Bella (who along with Jenna has the attitude that makes me most uncomfortable in the game)

Yep, complete agreement.

Elaine is seriously problematic because she is more of an antagonist to me and I don't see how he can just trust her considering she participated in his abuse for ~8 years.

 

[WhiteyG]

Elaine is seriously problematic because she is more of an antagonist to me and I don't see how he can just trust her considering she participated in his abuse for ~8 years.

I was nice to Elaine from the beginning not because I thought the MC should forgive her or any bullshit like that. You keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The only way to get information out of her was to lull her into a false sense of security. Bella is a bit more of a mystery. I don't trust her either because she is either fucking over her sister or helping her screw over the MC. Either way that a clear sign she's not trustworthy. As far as Bella first interaction with the MC she was bringing his stuff over so whether it was going to be thrown away or not still seen as a decent act, but I would never take her side over Katie.

 

[felicemastronzo]

Overall, the MC thinks with his dick first, second, and third. His poor brain is probaby suffering from severe dehydration considering the number of times he has sex.

If he was more rational and less pervy the MC would ask more questions.
Why doesn't he ask Bella and Elaine separately if Elaine really was going to throw his stuff away? Or why doesn't he ask Zarah and everyone else if they knew his dad? What about having a look at his dad's financial records? Shouldn't he have access to those now as the Next of Kin? Shouldn't he be able to circumvent the lawyer and just see where his dad's money went?

Mc is a kid, normal he thinks with his dick (as in instinct). he finds himself an orphan and in the middle of a fight for a millionaire's inheritance against a visible and an invisible enemy, I don't know if I'd be more cold-blooded than him.

he never actually asks Elaine directly. Elaine apologizes for kicking him out but not expressly for that, which is far more serious as the alibi of the instinctual reaction would fall away, it would be a gesture thought out, threatened and finally carried out.

I have two thoughts:
1) I don't think there will be any agatha christie twists, and if I had to make a bet I would say that a generically loyal MC will get his share of the inheritance anyway and that there will be no painful betrayals for the inheritance (Monica to give an example)
2) if we exclude the adoptive family (Monica, the girls and Katie's friends) in my opinion all the other characters don't play fair

 

[MrFriendly]

I was nice to Elaine from the beginning not because I thought the MC should forgive her or any bullshit like that. You keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The only way to get information out of her was to lull her into a false sense of security. Bella is a bit more of a mystery. I don't trust her either because she is either fucking over her sister or helping her screw over the MC. Either way that a clear sign she's not trustworthy. As far as Bella first interaction with the MC she was bringing his stuff over so whether it was going to be thrown away or not still seen as a decent act, but I would never take her side over Katie.

Yeah, those two are really a frustrating situation. I don't want to fuck them but I do want to know what is going on. But then I don't find them trustworthy so I can't really believe what they say. But if I don't believe what they say then why keep them around?

 

[felicemastronzo]

I was nice to Elaine from the beginning not because I thought the MC should forgive her or any bullshit like that. You keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The only way to get information out of her was to lull her into a false sense of security. Bella is a bit more of a mystery. I don't trust her either because she is either fucking over her sister or helping her screw over the MC. Either way that a clear sign she's not trustworthy. As far as Bella first interaction with the MC she was bringing his stuff over so whether it was going to be thrown away or not still seen as a decent act, but I would never take her side over Katie.

perfect, but it should be explicit in the choices

"pretend to forgive her"

"pretend to accept her proposal"


etc..

 

[WhiteyG]

Yeah, those two are really a frustrating situation. I don't want to fuck them but I do want to know what is going on. But then I don't find them trustworthy so I can't really believe what they say. But if I don't believe what they say then why keep them around?

Pussy?
You still get some information and can catch them in a few lies. I'm sure by the end it will all make more sense.

perfect, but it should be explicit in the choices

"pretend to forgive her"

"pretend to accept her proposal"


etc..

Fair point but with the amount of choices already in the game I think the devs heads would explode if we asked for more.

 

[felicemastronzo]

Pussy?
You still get some information and can catch them in a few lies. I'm sure by the end it will all make more sense.



Fair point but with the amount of choices already in the game I think the devs heads would explode if we asked for more.

but choices don't take intentions into account, if you forgive her for the game JUSTLY you have forgiven her, if you accept an invitation from her, then you have to go there... in this way you slip to the side of the one who is in the wrong, and towards Elaine how can this be?

 

[duningtwo]

looking forward to the animal hospital ending that puts elaine and bella in the doghouse.

 

[WhiteyG]

but choices don't take intentions into account, if you forgive her for the game JUSTLY you have forgiven her, if you accept an invitation from her, then you have to go there... in this way you slip to the side of the one who is in the wrong, and towards Elaine how can this be?

I get what you are saying but to me that is on the player. I know that I'm only pretending to forgive her. I feel like they put enough dialog in there showing the MC doesn't completely trust Elaine no matter what choices you've made. And the devs would still have to add more variables and dialog for those who are pretending to forgive her and those that are forgiving her. Yes perhaps the scenes would be similar but dialog would have to be slightly different and inner monologue would be completely different. And this game doesn't do a lot of inner monologue (thank you for that by the way devs I hate it when games want to retrace all the shit I just watched by having the MC ramble on with an inner monologue) but that would probably have to change if we had the pretend to forgive option.

 

[Deleted member 1571716]

yes, was very sad when i couldn't keep telling elaine to go fuck herself. stranding her in town helped, though. when's the option to visit elaine at her house with katie in tow?

Why just Katie? Katie and the girls have been fighting together for years. Wait till Elaine and Bella are home together and take the entire crew. Tell Katie to behave herself(because we ALL know how well she listens. ) and let the fun begin! Ahahaha

 

[Avaron1974]

I forgave Elaine.

Way I saw it she was in a relationship, down the line his son was brought in, the person she was in the relationship with told her to ignore him so she did.

She wasn't there for the kid, she was there for his dad.

 

[MrFriendly]

I forgave Elaine.

Way I saw it she was in a relationship, down the line his son was brought in, the person she was in the relationship with told her to ignore him so she did.

She wasn't there for the kid, she was there for his dad.

It says a lot about her as a person if the guy she is dating can be a complete asshole to his son and tell her to be a bitch to that son and she's fine with it. Only regrets it, conveniently, when the dad is dead and money starts mattering. Suddenly she wants to be nice to the kid and repair her relationship. She even tries to sabotage the MC's relationship with Monica and the girls. I just don't see any reason, besides wanting to fuck everyone of the women, to forgive her.

 

[mrrxy]

Episode 20 is currently developing right?

 

[Hellkinglucifer]

I forgave Elaine.

Way I saw it she was in a relationship, down the line his son was brought in, the person she was in the relationship with told her to ignore him so she did.

She wasn't there for the kid, she was there for his dad.

Wow just wow this kind of reasoning is why the world has gone to shit already. so you mean that she was there only for his dad excuses the fact that she was accomplice to a crime called child neglect. Only a bitch would accept to do what elaine did to the mc just because his dad said so. She is a gold digger that would sell her own children for money and i hope we get an ending where she ends up on the street penniless. An ending where she died a horrible slow death would be better but cheeky is too much of a nice guy for that

 

[bluezinx]

Episode 20 is currently developing right?

Probably not. No releases in 2021

 

[acewinz]

Probably not. No releases in 2021

Yeah, not like we've posted actual teasers and updates or anything... or have a dozen in-house beta testers who also frequent these forums. Sounds very sus to me.

 

[MrFriendly]

Yeah, not like we've posted actual teasers and updates or anything... or have a dozen in-house beta testers who also frequent these forums. Sounds very sus to me.

Teasers? Updates? Beta testers? What?

You deflect too much... I’ve got my eye on you “Ace” (bet you’re not even an Ace, you’re probably a Jack).

And yeah last I heard it’s a bit delayed because of some renders and another disappearing artist? (You do know that you make people “disappear” after they do the work for you). I have faith in you and Cheeky.

 

[joe2012]

There's a dev update on his patreon....can someone post it here?