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

[Holy Bacchus]

Now you might say that isn't a fair analogy, because the obvious solution is to stop being a lying weasel and pick a manageable number of girls: endings with one girl ARE the standard game over (and endings with multiple girls are the perfect score equivalents). And for me that works just fine, so I'm inclined to say mission accomplished. But I do think the people who enjoy playing as a lying weasel in AVNs may have a valid point if they feel a little misled. As @Holy Bacchus mentioned, that's hardly uncommon behavior in this genre; these games are harmless fun, after all. So why did this game lead them to believe they could get away with it for so long only to pull the rug out at the end?

This game, whilst it has had things like psycho possessive Katie and other characters express some unwillingness to share, hasn't done, in my view, a particularly great job in dispelling the harem notion. It reminds me of games like The Visit, No More Secrets, and Acting Lessons where it was only at the end of the game where the preverbial rug was/could be pulled out from under the player with little indication that it would go bad if you made the wrong decision(s), relationship-wise. We here have the benefit of knowledge from the devs themselves that this won't end well if you pursue everyone or even a few, but it is easy to see how people can think that it just might work out when they don't know that.

Honestly, with the exception of Being A DIK, there aren't many games I can think of that do make it feel like you are going to have problems dating multiple women and I think it can be quite a difficult thing to do in this genre. Even the most despicable, duplictious, she-devil in a game will have their fans and people wanting to have an ending with them, even if the game were to make it abundantly clear that she and the MC are on opposite ends of the moral spectrum.

I don't think we needed to see Lily and Debbie making out if the MC turned them down.

Reminds me of another game where we didn't need to see that when the MC got rejected by 2 girls.

On a final note, I thought the new title screen was too busy. The pictures are nice, but there are a lot of them and don't draw the eye to the actual title - which compounds the problem by being in small, elaborate text, in a light color on a light background, in the upper right corner of the screen.

It's a lot different than what I was led to believe it would be. I made that title banner for them and was shown this quickly put together image of how it would look in a scene (this was without putting it in to DAZ and with appropriate lighting):

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I reckon there was supposed to be characters from the game, probably the main ones, sitting on and around the sofa, but I guess, for whatever reason, they decided against it and went with this odd scrapbook style instead.

 

[micojive]

After playing through the game again for the new update, I realized I just don't care for this game all that much anymore. I'm in the same camp as a few people in here, when it started it felt like a harem game, and to now find out the choices you made at the start completely screw over your ending feels bad.

The "choose your chapter" start feels like a dev had an o shit moment and is using that as a "fix" for people after they realized most people playing would have had there saves fucked. Not sure why so many games have such a hard time sticking the ending, tons of games (like this one) start off sooooo strong but just fall flat.

 

[Bailz]

After playing through the game again for the new update, I realized I just don't care for this game all that much anymore. I'm in the same camp as a few people in here, when it started it felt like a harem game, and to now find out the choices you made at the start completely screw over your ending feels bad.

The "choose your chapter" start feels like a dev had an o shit moment and is using that as a "fix" for people after they realized most people playing would have had there saves fucked. Not sure why so many games have such a hard time sticking the ending, tons of games (like this one) start off sooooo strong but just fall flat.

this never was going to be a harem, it gave enough freedom for you to get most of the content but that would come at a cost towards the end, it has been said countless times for almost 2 years now it is not an harem game try and catch them all at your on risk, there will be a few groups but mostly solo LI endings like it was always planned to be

 

[Avaron1974]

I know where you get that but that is exactly why I said and pointed out the clear statement made by the lawyer and that is that he has been in contact with that person ( physical or otherwise ) only merely twice and following everything so far it has shown that Elaine has been in contact with that lawyer more then twice so for that sole reason I absolved her.

I absolved Elaine because she was never cold to other people, even Bella points out how she treated the MC was unusual behaviour and brought on by his dad.

She was never cold to the MC, just stopped interacting with him. It was brought up in this update how they used to enjoy a meal together like an actual family, his dad put a stop to it.

She may have sent the e-mail but as far as anyone else has said, even the MC himself, she was never cold and manipulative just distant and ignorant.

After playing through the game again for the new update, I realized I just don't care for this game all that much anymore. I'm in the same camp as a few people in here, when it started it felt like a harem game, and to now find out the choices you made at the start completely screw over your ending feels bad.

The "choose your chapter" start feels like a dev had an o shit moment and is using that as a "fix" for people after they realized most people playing would have had there saves fucked. Not sure why so many games have such a hard time sticking the ending, tons of games (like this one) start off sooooo strong but just fall flat.

The devs have said, many, many, many times it was never a harem game.

They let you sleep with everyone to see if you'd get yourself in the shit. You were given the choices and there were always going to be consequences.

Even the girls in the game said they wouldn't share. The fact you ignored everything is on you.

 

[hisstoryman]

Having followed this forum and the Patreon feed, I never got the impression that this was ever going to be harem. I remember Cheeky tinkering with the idea of certain main girls willing to share for a scene or two, but one man one woman seems to have been the intended trajectory from the start. With no siblings and mom dead I don't see a incest patch being a sensible thing unless the patch maker wants to do a lot of rewriting. However Cheeky mentioned possibly doing a fuck Patreon build with incest after the game is completed.

 

[troll822]

Downloaded Where the Heart Is [Ep.20] but at the end of EP-19 that was all.What happen to EP-20? This game was going well until now and hated to replay the 19th EP again. I am giving this game a 8 out of 10 stars but maybe more when it's fixed.

I had no issues with ep 20.

She may have sent the e-mail but as far as anyone else has said,

I am not sure that I would trust those pics after they have been doctored by two computer oriented women.

 

[Holy Bacchus]

After playing through the game again for the new update, I realized I just don't care for this game all that much anymore. I'm in the same camp as a few people in here, when it started it felt like a harem game, and to now find out the choices you made at the start completely screw over your ending feels bad.

The "choose your chapter" start feels like a dev had an o shit moment and is using that as a "fix" for people after they realized most people playing would have had there saves fucked. Not sure why so many games have such a hard time sticking the ending, tons of games (like this one) start off sooooo strong but just fall flat.

Honestly, even though this game was never intended to be a harem game or even one where you could "have 'em all" with little fallout but not end with all of them, I think it's really quite difficult to do any adult game and not have people wanting to end up with every single female character they fuck along the way.

The escapism of these games is so often predicated on the notion that infidelity and womanising will be rewarded and that even if it causes some friction/break-ups, it will always be salvageable, and it's hard to dispell that once it's ingrained in people's heads. You could make a game with just 2 LIs, have them say in absolutely clear English that they will not tolerate a guy who sleeps around and/or leads them on, and people will still hope for an ending with both of them.

Perhaps more games, including this one, should be including more consequential choices earlier on or perhaps even lean more into branching whereby you have to choose one girl over the other at certain points and this will determine your relationships, because one thing this game suffers from, which others do too, is that the MC can do pretty much everything with everyone in every episode one after the other, and because they can do that, it makes people feel like that can have everyone because no-one has to be left out or avoided and they're able to maintain all these relationships simultaneously. But if they couldn't do that and had to choose between one or the other throughout the game, then that could maybe go some ways to making it clear you can't have them all because your time is being split between them.

 

[mannice431]

There's no new Zarah scenes in this update right?

 

[Holy Bacchus]

There's no new Zarah scenes in this update right?

No.

 

[micojive]

this never was going to be a harem, it gave enough freedom for you to get most of the content but that would come at a cost towards the end, it has been said countless times for almost 2 years now it is not an harem game try and catch them all at your on risk, there will be a few groups but mostly solo LI endings like it was always planned to be

Thats fine if that is what the dev said, but to be frank there are 1100 pages of comments, and this site isnt the most user friendly for searching.

Just from playing the game, until chapter 19/20 there isn't a time where any of the girls are flat out refusing sharing. There are no consequences in playing, by fooling around with everyone and you can keep every path open, even now in chapter 20 nothing is closed off.

Out of all the girls Katie is the only one who has shown to be against it, and even then you have a fucking 4some with her 2 best friends. So no, playing this game is plays exactly like a harem game. The only reason to say otherwise is because of some comments made by the dev, not by the gameplay. So yea if people get put off by that its really not some crazy thing players are reaching for. In 2 years of updates, in the actual gameplay there has been nothing shown that would lead a player to believe the harem is a bad path and wont happen.

 

[troll822]

IJolina is still a suspected gold digger, I wonder if she didn't video the little session with the MC and Jenna to use later.

Jolina and Bella are both gold diggers. Whether one of them is the 3rd woman (I would suspect Bella) is not known. However, one doesn't have to be the 3rd woman to be a gold digger.

 

[Bailz]

Honestly, even though this game was never intended to be a harem game or even one where you could "have 'em all" with little fallout but not end with all of them, I think it's really quite difficult to do any adult game and not have people wanting to end up with every single female character they fuck along the way.

The escapism of these games is so often predicated on the notion that infidelity and womanising will be rewarded and that even if it causes some friction/break-ups, it will always be salvageable, and it's hard to dispell that once it's ingrained in people's heads. You could make a game with just 2 LIs, have them say in absolutely clear English that they will not tolerate a guy who sleeps around and/or leads them on, and people will still hope for an ending with both of them.

Perhaps more games, including this one, should be including more consequential choices earlier on or perhaps even lean more into branching whereby you have to choose one girl over the other at certain points and this will determine your relationships, because one thing this game suffers from, which others do too, is that the MC can do pretty much everything with everyone in every episode one after the other, and because they can do that, it makes people feel like that can have everyone because no-one has to be left out or avoided and they're able to maintain all these relationships simultaneously. But if they couldn't do that and had to choose between one or the other throughout the game, then that could maybe go some ways to making it clear you can't have them all because your time is being split between them.

but thats not the devs fault they only gave the option its up to the player to choose to try and catch them all or not and if they try and it all comes crashing down then its the players fault, because they have been told over and over again both on here and in game that it is not an harem, most of the girls in game have told the MC they will not share him so what do players expect to happen if they try and fuck around on a girl who has said that, i have 5 saves where i have only slept with the girl im chasing there is no need for every game to be an harem if people cant make a choice in LI then thats on them

 

[Gold613]

I absolved Elaine because she was never cold to other people, even Bella points out how she treated the MC was unusual behaviour and brought on by his dad.

She was never cold to the MC, just stopped interacting with him. It was brought up in this update how they used to enjoy a meal together like an actual family, his dad put a stop to it.

She may have sent the e-mail but as far as anyone else has said, even the MC himself, she was never cold and manipulative just distant and ignorant.

That too is correct you are right, I figured that much too myself specially indeed from what I remember. But that indeed added with the rest only absolves her more. I just double checked like 15 min ago the conversation word for word in terms of both the fortune teller and the lawyer convo from ep19.

The mention of a mother figure who wants to tell you something but she cannot, Her specific wording and I quote " I see many years in the cold...separation from you MC. You were kept apart but it was the fault of another. But now she wants you in her life. And in her home. And you are most definitely in her heart. But I see her surrounded by the money with the money connected to her house... "

So yeah like I said the main issue is she clearly wants the house and nothing else and from what she has told before she would willingly give up everything and give it all to the MC so long as she gets the house. So her being cold and deceitful and manipulative all is out of the question as indeed confirmed as you said by Bella and the MC and actions as well as what the fortune teller has said. That brings me to the part of where the fortune teller said she wants to tell you something but she cannot.. which moves us to the lawyer. I quote a part of him " In fact for some of the beneficiaries, it would actually make things null and void if they share their conditions with another beneficiary " So to correct myself it seems that while they can technically talk about the will some of them cannot talk about their conditions so that does make it seems to add that Elaine is one of the few that cannot speak about her conditions.

And another reason why I also don't think she is the problem and the one who knows all the conditions is because iirc ( feel free to correct me on this ) Neither Elaine nor the MC knew there was a third party and from what the Lawyer spoke it seems that the third party knows about ALL the conditions and knew of her other 2 competitors. He also makes it clear by stating and I quote " You are playing poker against someone who can see your hand and the hands of everyone else. And from my observations, this particular player is a very cold, manipulative, deceitful and... " He does however point out that is merely him sharing his personal feelings based on just two meetings he had with that person so he might be unfair about the situation.

So a quick question to you, Avaron1974 we both agree about Elaine, but can you tell me maybe where everyone is getting this whole Jo and Bella working together deal from ? And point me in the right direction on that ? And also do you by chance remember which Ep it is where the MC sits in his room to hear about his conditions and terms of his will ? I want to have a full check on that. Thanks in advance.

 

[Bailz]

Thats fine if that is what the dev said, but to be frank there are 1100 pages of comments, and this site isnt the most user friendly for searching.

Just from playing the game, until chapter 19/20 there isn't a time where any of the girls are flat out refusing sharing. There are no consequences in playing, by fooling around with everyone and you can keep every path open, even now in chapter 20 nothing is closed off.

Out of all the girls Katie is the only one who has shown to be against it, and even then you have a fucking 4some with her 2 best friends. So no, playing this game is plays exactly like a harem game. The only reason to say otherwise is because of some comments made by the dev, not by the gameplay. So yea if people get put off by that its really not some crazy thing players are reaching for. In 2 years of updates, in the actual gameplay there has been nothing shown that would lead a player to believe the harem is a bad path and wont happen.

Katie, Bella, Monica and i think Angel all say they will not share the MC, and the devs from the start have said no harem

 

[micojive]

Katie, Bella, Monica and i think Angel all say they will not share the MC, and the devs from the start have said no harem

They might say it, but the sure as hell don't believe it when they are having 3somes or more with him lol...

 

[Conklingc]

Honestly, even though this game was never intended to be a harem game or even one where you could "have 'em all" with little fallout but not end with all of them, I think it's really quite difficult to do any adult game and not have people wanting to end up with every single female character they fuck along the way.

The escapism of these games is so often predicated on the notion that infidelity and womanising will be rewarded and that even if it causes some friction/break-ups, it will always be salvageable, and it's hard to dispell that once it's ingrained in people's heads. You could make a game with just 2 LIs, have them say in absolutely clear English that they will not tolerate a guy who sleeps around and/or leads them on, and people will still hope for an ending with both of them.

Perhaps more games, including this one, should be including more consequential choices earlier on or perhaps even lean more into branching whereby you have to choose one girl over the other at certain points and this will determine your relationships, because one thing this game suffers from, which others do too, is that the MC can do pretty much everything with everyone in every episode one after the other, and because they can do that, it makes people feel like that can have everyone because no-one has to be left out or avoided and they're able to maintain all these relationships simultaneously. But if they couldn't do that and had to choose between one or the other throughout the game, then that could maybe go some ways to making it clear you can't have them all because your time is being split between them.

I agree with your thoughts to a degree, but I'm one of those that doesn't want a multi-save game so if there's branching where you miss some of the material I just drop the game. In the long run there are too many fans that want different results, so no matter what the developers choose people will complain.

The harem/no harem argument goes around a lot and that's actually something I don't care about either way (the final explosive confrontation/harem group occurs at the very end of the game and then it's all over anyhow). I like there being a story beyond the porn but don't want to have to choose to see one side of the story over the other (or one of 3 or more possible branches). On the other hand I know there are people who want to play the game over and over and see just one of a possible set of stories each time and accept there's no way for a developer to make both of us happy.

 

[acewinz]

Downloaded Where the Heart Is [Ep.20] but at the end of EP-19 that was all.What happen to EP-20? This game was going well until now and hated to replay the 19th EP again. I am giving this game a 8 out of 10 stars but maybe more when it's fixed.

If the pirate links for the game are giving you trouble you could always try the legitimate ones on our patreon... Also we have a quick start on the menu... No need to replay any eps anymore.

 

[micojive]

I agree with your thoughts to a degree, but I'm one of those that doesn't want a multi-save game so if there's branching where you miss some of the material I just drop the game. In the long run there are too many fans that want different results, so no matter what the developers choose people will complain.

The harem/no harem argument goes around a lot and that's actually something I don't care about either way (the final explosive confrontation/harem group occurs at the very end of the game and then it's all over anyhow). I like there being a story beyond the porn but don't want to have to choose to see one side of the story over the other (or one of 3 or more possible branches). On the other hand I know there are people who want to play the game over and over and see just one of a possible set of stories each time and accept there's no way for a developer to make both of us happy.

Eh, this has turned into the exact kind of a game that a decently done mod can make 10000x better. Not locking you out of paths and letting you see all the scenes in one playthrough.

I get it from a devs perspective, multiple routes and all that...but I just don't want to replay the same 95% of a game 5 times just to get all the individual scenes.

 

[Gold613]

Jolina and Bella are both gold diggers. Whether one of them is the 3rd woman (I would suspect Bella) is not known. However, one doesn't have to be the 3rd woman to be a gold digger.

Jolina if she was a GD would have jumped at every opportunity that she got presented from the MC to back her up financially so I doubt that she is a GD. Also her business is failing and she is having an Epic meltdown with everything going on. Last thing I think is her wanting to actually close shop but seemingly is in a desperate situation yet declined a second offering to receive financial help. Not sure how that would make her a GD specially that she had to degrade herself to the point of maybe working at some place where her body will be providing the income for her. And you are right the third person does not have to be a gold digger perse however from the game and so far everything that has been given and pointed out it is made clear that Elaine is not a GD either. So that means the GD is the third person. And no one knows who the third person is and if I was in MC his situation I would be frustrated as hell because as far as I know I myself and Elaine are 2 and we both know about each other but neither know anything about who and what the third person is but would clearly upset both the MC and Elaine. So I am trying to see if there is anything that gives something about Bella's background and or up bringing. Some are pointing out at Theresa but I doubt Elaine knows Theresa and MC only learned and got to know her because of Dog boys action and Jo introducing her. So she falls off for me too.

 

[Avaron1974]

So a quick question to you, Avaron1974 we both agree about Elaine, but can you tell me maybe where everyone is getting this whole Jo and Bella working together deal from ? And point me in the right direction on that ? And also do you by chance remember which Ep it is where the MC sits in his room to hear about his conditions and terms of his will ? I want to have a full check on that. Thanks in advance.

I will go through it and check which episode it is but there is a moment where you check Jenna's PC and it has several pictures on it, 2 of which are taken in the same kitchen with 1 picture showing Bella and the other showing Jolina and both also had the same laptop in frame.

There are also little coincidences like Bella finding the USB stick and not long after Jolina finds out she was hacked.

I am not sure that I would trust those pics after they have been doctored by two computer oriented women.

I didn't think about that, that's a really good point.

If Jo is working with Bella it would be in both their interests to make Elaine out to be the bad guy again.