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

[van321]

Jolina should still be somewhat believable. We've seen her falter on several occasions, and has shown genuine appreciation to the player and what he's done for her. Bella on the other hasn't shown anything.

In fact, I believe this is why Jolina is so insistent that MC should go ahead and speak with Elaine once her "confession" got interrupted by the call. If she was still conspiring with Bella, I think she would have tried to delay his speaking to Elaine or at least reinforce paranoia with a simple "be careful" or something like that. If I'm not mistaken, if their relationship is not high enough, MC does not actually interact with Jolina in that scene and just sees her and Bella handing out coffees to the new rush of customers, which is convenient...

 

[Geralt_R]

Kudos to the devs for making such a substantial update, the way I have set things up in my savegame I played for 2 1/2 hours or so (no Debbie date), which is more than just amazing when you consider the length of updates for many other games. I liked the LARP segment, I don't always enjoy the "table top RPG" side plots in other games, but the difference here is, it was "real", as in, the actual characters interacted, not fictitious RPG characters that happen to look like the actual characters. And the plot was zany and fun.

I liked the music, it's unobtrusive (which is important when you have to read lots of text). The sound effects were ok, but I don't think the effects for the girls (laughter etc) work that well, since, as others have pointed out, the voice chosen for the laughter doesn't necessarily fit the character(s).

The story was predictable, but that's not a bad thing, it would have made no sense to copy a page from M Night Shyamalan's playbook and to introduce some super edgy twist. So what you get is almost exactly what you expected. Though I had some faint hope Jolina may not be involved at all. However, things make sense, everything is consistent.
I am glad I was always very friendly with Elaine and gave her the house, felt like the right thing to do, no matter what the consequences are. To me it was always obvious that she's honest.

Also, the renders really look fantastic, top level, WTHI has come such a long way. Animations are also - for the most part- really good.

Now the only questions I have are... will Porsche/Elvira be an actual endgame option (given you have their contact now and they both seemed extremely interested) or will it always be a fling? They entered the scene pretty late, while I mostly ignored Porsche when she first appeared, I got her to know better this time and she's certainly yet another interesting character that could have been introduced earlier, now we are running out of time. And of course we already have quite a few plates spinning, well, in my case not as many. And finally, will not-ScarJo appear again?

Anyway, great job by the team. That was not just a substantial update, but a very entertaining one too. Nothing feels rushed here unlike some other games were you can literally tell the devs want to do something new after years of working on one game and try to end things as quickly as possible (or they launch a new project and then the other game is put on the back burner).

 

[Kukipett]

I was very pleased to see that what i was thinking about the plot was 100% accurate.
In fact this story is very well written, no big astounding surprise but just the right amount of doubts and mystery to make it good without falling into the over the top drama.
Of course every player who did pay attention to the details had seen it coming but it's ok like this. It became quite soon obvious who could be the third person because of the way she acted and the fact that there was no real other character who could be this person.
I would have been pissed if the devs would have mades some stranger suddently appear in the story, it would have killed the plot.

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[snakeplisskin]

I am curious how they plan to try and redeem Bella. I know Ace asked a little while back if we would.be able to possible forgave the 3rd gold digger. That makes me think they have something they believe will redeem her, but it would take some really wizardary for me at this point.

 

[acewinz]

Kudos to the devs for making such a substantial update, the way I have set things up in my savegame I played for 2 1/2 hours or so (no Debbie date), which is more than just amazing when you consider the length of updates for many other games. I liked the LARP segment, I don't always enjoy the "table top RPG" side plots in other games, but the difference here is, it was "real", as in, the actual characters interacted, not fictitious RPG characters that happen to look like the actual characters. And the plot was zany and fun.

I liked the music, it's unobtrusive (which is important when you have to read lots of text). The sound effects were ok, but I don't think the effects for the girls (laughter etc) work that well, since, as others have pointed out, the voice chosen for the laughter doesn't necessarily fit the character(s).

The story was predictable, but that's not a bad thing, it would have made no sense to copy a page from M Night Shyamalan's playbook and to introduce some super edgy twist. So what you get is almost exactly what you expected. Though I had some faint hope Jolina may not be involved at all. However, things make sense, everything is consistent.
I am glad I was always very friendly with Elaine and gave her the house, felt like the right thing to do, no matter what the consequences are. To me it was always obvious that she's honest.

Also, the renders really look fantastic, top level, WTHI has come such a long way. Animations are also - for the most part- really good.

Now the only questions I have are... will Porsche/Elvira be an actual endgame option (given you have their contact now and they both seemed extremely interested) or will it always be a fling? They entered the scene pretty late, while I mostly ignored Porsche when she first appeared, I got her to know better this time and she's certainly yet another interesting character that could have been introduced earlier, now we are running out of time. And of course we already have quite a few plates spinning, well, in my case not as many. And finally, will not-ScarJo appear again?

Anyway, great job by the team. That was not just a substantial update, but a very entertaining one too. Nothing feels rushed here unlike some other games were you can literally tell the devs want to do something new after years of working on one game and try to end things as quickly as possible (or they launch a new project and then the other game is put on the back burner).

Unless we see some incredible demand and our patreon stops sinking into a quagmire... followups with Porsche/Evie/Scarlett will probably be DLC things after we finish the game and hit steam unfortunately. But it was something we want to do. We love all our chars.

 

[acewinz]

Did anyone actually try starting the new game? it doesn't work

lol yeah, the renpy update broke our early game script. It is fixed (or should be) in the patreon version now, and for people who avoided the full update and just did the update patch over older versions I believe.

 

[kcaldw]

I am curious how they plan to try and redeem Bella. I know Ace asked a little while back if we would.be able to possible forgave the 3rd gold digger. That makes me think they have something they believe will redeem her, but it would take some really wizardary for me at this point.

I think that they are going to have Bella and Jo tell the MC that they did all this out of love and that they want him. So the MC is going to have to make a choice either to be with them and the money or go some other route. The only way that Bella can redeem herself is to go down to the lawyers office and sign away all legal rights to the will and then just go away.

 

[ImperialD]

The only problem, Dizzy shows more love and sex intetest in Jolina then MC, Jo says 'bout being disappointed by ex... So it seems Jo dumped Dizzy...
So I'm really doubt that scenario

who the hell is Dizzy ???

 

[acewinz]

I underestimated how much theory-crafting can go into the nature of how

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[snakeplisskin]

who the hell is Dizzy ???

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[snakeplisskin]

I underestimated how much theory-crafting can go into the nature of how

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I have to replay the episode first, i didnt allow either to stay at the beach house on my main save.

 

[kcaldw]

who the hell is Dizzy ???

Dizzy is Bella (aka greedy bitch)

 

[kcaldw]

I personally hope that after hearing what the 2 greedy bitches have to say to the MC he tells them that he hopes that they enjoy their blood money and tells them that he hopes that they both rot in hell for what they did to get that money and that he wants nothing to do with them ever again. Then I would like to see Jenna and Katie do everything they can to ruin not only Jo but Bella as well to where they wouldn't be able to show their faces in public ever again.

 

[mmmonsterkill]

episode pick seems to be broken on jolina (started ep 21) anyone know the console command to put her in relationship?

 

[Geralt_R]

will probably be DLC things

I suppose that makes sense, given how many characters we already have and how much ground there is still to cover. DLCs are fine and probably the best choice here.
But maybe stop introducing even more interesting characters in Ep 24? Just a suggestion, of course.

what the 2 greedy bitches

Bella may be one, but I think with Jo things are more nuanced, I don't think she's after the money, if she was she would have gladly accepted money from the MC to save her business. But she was very adamant about not wanting any money. Also, she tried to tell the MC several times about her past relationship with Bella, to come clean. I believe her feelings for the MC (if you are on her route) are genuine and that she's at best an uwilling accomplice or maybe Bella has something on Jo.
Bella certainly needs to come up with one heck of a story to redeem herself. At this point I don't see how I would forgive her for all her machinations and quite nasty schemes (discrediting her own sister and faking phone calls etc).

 

[acewinz]

I suppose that makes sense, given how many characters we already have and how much ground there is still to cover. DLCs are fine and probably the best choice here.
But maybe stop introducing even more interesting characters in Ep 24? Just a suggestion, of course.

Will take it under advisement.

episode pick seems to be broken on jolina (started ep 21) anyone know the console command to put her in relationship?

$CDate, not sure if she is up to 8 or 9 by that point. But as long as it is high enough should be fine going forward.

 

[kcaldw]

I suppose that makes sense, given how many characters we already have and how much ground there is still to cover. DLCs are fine and probably the best choice here.
But maybe stop introducing even more interesting characters in Ep 24? Just a suggestion, of course.



Bella may be one, but I think with Jo things are more nuanced, I don't think she's after the money, if she was she would have gladly accepted money from the MC to save her business. But she was very adamant about not wanting any money. Also, she tried to tell the MC several times about her past relationship with Bella, to come clean. I believe her feelings for the MC (if you are on her route) are genuine and that she's at best an uwilling accomplice or maybe Bella has something on Jo.
Bella certainly needs to come up with one heck of a story to redeem herself. At this point I don't see how I would forgive her for all her machinations and quite nasty schemes (discrediting her own sister and faking phone calls etc).

Unwilling or not she should have just come clean. As for Bella I think that you're right that no matter what she says its going to be hard to forgive her. But in the end I see them making it a big choice to either believe their story and forgive them or telling them to both go to hell. Because I definitely don't see the MC just being with one of them if he ends it with the other. I think the choice will either be with them together with the money or to tell them to f**k off for what they did to get the money. Me personally if Bella has to cheat to get the money from the will that's on her because "Once a cheat always a cheat". And again I doubt that Jo was that unwilling in any of this scheme. If she had a problem with the scheme she could have gone to Elaine and told her what was happening or went to the lawyer and told him everything but she kept it a big secret. My big plan is still to have hacker Jenna ruin their entire lives and bankrupt them completely just to make them pay for everything that they have done.

 

[KingArthur101]

Yes, but the new game still doesn't work

Well here is my save at the start of a new game and my edited script.rpy

 

[hcguy]

But maybe stop introducing even more interesting characters in Ep 24? Just a suggestion, of course.

I can't believe it took until episode 23 to introduce the best girl in the game.

 

[Ariostebaldo]

Seeing how MC's father was trying to use the will to drive him apart from both Elaine and Monica, Bella's condition could be something similar to this.
Perhaps Bella's condition is to cut contact with Jolina and she intends to go on with this, that's why Jolina seems so bitter when she asks the MC if he puts people over money.

On the other hand, Jolina also asks how far the MC would go for love and if he would be willing to lie for someone he loved, even knowing it was wrong. This suggests that Jolina is deceiving the MC to help someone and it wouldn't make sense for her to help Bella if she was being abandoned.


Perhaps Donald was bluffing when he said that the money would go to dog care associations in case no one fulfilled their condition, and Bella's condition is actually that she will only receive her portion if the other recipients to fail. (in other words, Bella gets the portion from whoever fails.)

Everything falls into place, first Bella send the fake e-mail hoping that the MC will bound again with Monica's family and refuse to cut off contact afterwards. Then she keeps telling the MC how the house belongs him and not to Elaine and she had no right to kick him out. Bella keeps putting doubt in his head to induce him to not give the house to Elaine and make her fail her condition.

Considering how Bella seems to be trying to make the others fail, makes her an even worse person if she can get her portion without resorting to this.

It's still hard to figure why she kept throwing herself at the MC so much...