VN Ren'Py Where the Heart Is [S1 v2024-09-06 BETA] [CheekyGimp]

[acewinz]

It definitely warrants a playthrough of its own, just for the inner monologue of the MC. If you pick every 'evil' choice, then the MC is basically hell walking on earth.

Some of the most memorable things the MC can do :

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Haha, you touched on an interesting point where Cheeky and I diverge slightly in our MC writing style. While Cheeky will heavily imply the MC's moral ambiguity when the player makes such choices, I have a tendency to verbalize them more in the inner monologue.

Cheeky prefers to avoid inner monologue as much as possible because he wants to leave those interpretations up to the player, but I feel it is necessary to do it a little so the MC doesn't come across as a total sociopath with more evil/selfish choices (although I guess some people prefer to play him like that? lol). I also will do it a bit more for comedy purposes. :d

 

[Skeltom]

Haha, you touched on an interesting point where Cheeky and I diverge slightly in our MC writing style. While Cheeky will heavily imply the MC's moral ambiguity when the player makes such choices, I have a tendency to verbalize them more in the inner monologue.

Cheeky prefers to avoid inner monologue as much as possible because he wants to leave those interpretations up to the player, but I feel it is necessary to do it a little so the MC doesn't come across as a total sociopath with more evil/selfish choices (although I guess some people prefer to play him like that? lol). I also will do it a bit more for comedy purposes. :d

Lol, the two styles are pretty obvious to me. It's also obvious that in that case I prefer Cheeky's writing. No offence of course but those edits I mentioned before are removing the MC inner monologue a lot of the time.

 

[acewinz]

Lol, the two styles are pretty obvious to me. It's also obvious that in that case I prefer Cheeky's writing. No offence of course but those edits I mentioned before are removing the MC inner monologue a lot of the time.

None taken. Although I bet more of the instances than you think were Cheeky, he tries to avoid it, but doesn't always succeed. In fact 2 of the 3 Harlaw mentioned were Cheeky.

 

[Geralt_R]

Cheeky prefers to avoid inner monologue as much as possible because he wants to leave those interpretations up to the player

My personal preference is to have some inner monologue, but I can understand why people would prefer no inner monologue so they can better self insert.
But I consider VNs novels with pretty pictures and a kind of omniscient narrator who at least sometimes reveals what characters (or at least the MC) think helps with the actual story part of the game. Maybe somewhat less so when like in WTHI you have so much agency, more so in games that veer more onto the kinetic side of things. But I do appreciate the inner monologue even in WTHI, even though you have so many choices. I want my MCs to be less of an empty shell.

Maybe in an ideal world there would be a menu setting for inner monologue, so people who want it will get it, people who hate it won't ever read a single thought by the MC or other characters.

 

[acewinz]

My personal preference is to have some inner monologue, but I can understand why people would prefer no inner monologue so they can better self insert.
But I consider VNs novels with pretty pictures and a kind of omniscient narrator who at least sometimes reveals what characters (or at least the MC) think helps with the actual story part of the game. Maybe somewhat less so when like in WTHI you have so much agency, more so in games that veer more onto the kinetic side of things. But I do appreciate the inner monologue even in WTHI, even though you have so many choices. I want my MCs to be less of an empty shell.

Maybe in an ideal world there would be a menu setting for inner monologue, so people who want it will get it, people who hate it won't ever read a single thought by the MC or other characters.

I'm just glad someone reads! While they aren't many, some of the complainers we do have tend to say they lean on the ctrl key. lol
I think there is some correlation there myself.

 

[Harlaw]

Haha, you touched on an interesting point where Cheeky and I diverge slightly in our MC writing style. While Cheeky will heavily imply the MC's moral ambiguity when the player makes such choices, I have a tendency to verbalize them more in the inner monologue.

Cheeky prefers to avoid inner monologue as much as possible because he wants to leave those interpretations up to the player, but I feel it is necessary to do it a little so the MC doesn't come across as a total sociopath with more evil/selfish choices (although I guess some people prefer to play him like that? lol). I also will do it a bit more for comedy purposes. :d

I love the monologues, especially the ones that are more 'out there'. Because imo, there is nothing gray about an MC that does those things, he's just straight up a bad person.

And if you give the players the option to play a morally negative character like that, than I think you really only have 3 options:

Either MC acts like a soulless automaton, totally detached from his actions
Or he acts all angsty and guilty who tries to self justify his bad behavior
Or he just embraces the fact that he is a piece of shit, and just enjoys the ride for however long it goes on.

I'll always prefer the third option.

 

[Skeltom]

None taken. Although I bet more of the instances than you think were Cheeky, he tries to avoid it, but doesn't always succeed. In fact 2 of the 3 Harlaw mentioned were Cheeky.

Huh, I keep a lot of it it if it's important to the story and whatnot. I just don't like the inner monologue that's not. The little one word place holders for images and stuff. (Shit!), (Wow!) (Fuck!) that I don't like to keep seeing. And the action text like *Sitting up* and *Walking over*, stuff that I can see happening that I don't think needs explaining. It just bugs me personally. That stuff almost always increases at the latter half of the episodes when I think you two switch in the writing at some point. I don't know who is doing what writing and I could be wrong but that's how it looks to me, one of you uses it a lot more.

 

[acewinz]

Huh, I keep a lot of it it if it's important to the story and whatnot. I just don't like the inner monologue that's not. The little one word place holders for images and stuff. (Shit!), (Wow!) (Fuck!) that I don't like to keep seeing. And the action text like *Sitting up* and *Walking over*, stuff that I can see happening that I don't think needs explaining. It just bugs me personally. That stuff almost always increases at the latter half of the episodes when I think you two switch in the writing at some point. I don't know who is doing what writing and I could be wrong but that's how it looks to me, one of you uses it a lot more.

Haha, you are hitting us both. We don't switch off halfway through an Ep or anything. We usually write whole scenes and in some cases the same one if it is big enough. But I can tell you most of the actions described in dialog are probably me, I tend to use that when I don't feel the transition was smooth for one reason or another or to emphasis an action (Cheeky isn't a fan of that same as you). But the "(Shit!), "(Wow!), etc stuff is usually Cheeky.

 

[Skeltom]

Haha, you are hitting us both. We don't switch off halfway through an Ep or anything. We usually write whole scenes and in some cases the same one if it is big enough. But I can tell you most of the actions described in dialog are probably me, I tend to use that when I don't feel the transition was smooth for one reason or another or to emphasis an action (Cheeky isn't a fan of that same as you). But the "(Shit!), "(Wow!), etc stuff is usually Cheeky.

Well, there're gone in my game now anyway . The actions are gone outright and the one words are replaced by pauses of various lengths.

 

[Geralt_R]

While they aren't many, some of the complainers we do have tend to say they lean on the ctrl key. lol

This is something I just can't understand. If you are that thirsty for adult scenes... there are way better options than watching animations in a VN that cannot even remotely compete with the actual thing you can easily find elsewhere. Also, in a good game the scenes only unfold their full impact because of the build-up, the story and the way characters are portrayed, watched in isolation the scenes are just meaningless acrobatics.

 

[Ghostload]

 

[DaimonFey]

The act was consented

View attachment 1995340

Roger consented sex with Katie not Sammy. If this case would end in court then most likely Sammy and perhaps Katie would end up in jail

 

[felicemastronzo]

Haha, you touched on an interesting point where Cheeky and I diverge slightly in our MC writing style. While Cheeky will heavily imply the MC's moral ambiguity when the player makes such choices, I have a tendency to verbalize them more in the inner monologue.

Cheeky prefers to avoid inner monologue as much as possible because he wants to leave those interpretations up to the player, but I feel it is necessary to do it a little so the MC doesn't come across as a total sociopath with more evil/selfish choices (although I guess some people prefer to play him like that? lol). I also will do it a bit more for comedy purposes. :d

In my opinion it depends quite a bit on the situation.

an escapade can also be left to the player's interpretation (e.g. Theresa, Wanda, Zara..), whereas there are 'big' betrayals that leave one a little bewildered if they do not generate any reaction (the perfect example is the scene of the TV evening with Jenna and Katie)

 

[Deicidium]

How is Roger going to be related to MC in the incest patch? Something something inquiring minds ...

Not Roger, but Dog Boy.

 

[Deicidium]

Do characters meet in a church in the afterlife for the big reveal? Are there mysterious hatches involved? Time travel? No? Then I think you will be mostly fine
Unless Katie, Jenna or Monica are the the gold diggers, then you should all assume new identities and maybe find a lone hut in Antarctica without internet access, but I really don't think it will be like that.

The Gold Digger is Nutty for Jesus

 

[Geralt_R]

The Gold Digger is Nutty for Jesus

That's one of my theories... yes. But we'll see!

 

[lordofhirunds]

The Gold Digger is Nutty for Jesus

It would be counterintuitive, Donald with the power he had would never allow Therese to be the golddigger. He was able to create problems for Mc's mother as he could not create problems for a weak one like Therese?
I may also be wrong, but I do not consider it real, even if sometimes reality surpasses fantasy

 

[Harlaw]

It would be counterintuitive, Donald with the power he had would never allow Therese to be the golddigger. He was able to create problems for Mc's mother as he could not create problems for a weak one like Therese?
I may also be wrong, but I do not consider it real, even if sometimes reality surpasses fantasy

Yeah, I think that's just a misdirection. At this point I am certain that the third claimant is Bella, even if it's a bit on the nose. The whole game is littered with subtle and not so subtle references to Bella being the third claimant.

I know some people say that it's so obvious that it can't be her, but I disagree. Big reveals don't always have to make you go "Holy Shit! I did not see that coming", sometimes they can just be "Hmm. In hindsight this makes perfect sense". I'd say that's a whole lot better than having your "expectations subverted".

Also, the gold digger (the one who knows the conditions of all 3 claimants and sent the email to Monica) can not be anyone other than either Bella or Elaine because...

Spoiler

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[snakeplisskin]

Yeah, I think that's just a misdirection. At this point I am certain that the third claimant is Bella, even if it's a bit on the nose. The whole game is littered with subtle and not so subtle references to Bella being the third claimant.

I know some people say that it's so obvious that it can't be her, but I disagree. Big reveals don't always have to make you go "Holy Shit! I did not see that coming", sometimes they can just be "Hmm. In hindsight this makes perfect sense". I'd say that's a whole lot better than having your "expectations subverted".

Also, the gold digger (the one who knows the conditions of all 3 claimants and sent the email to Monica) can not be anyone other than either Bella or Elaine because...

Spoiler

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I have never thought it was anyone other than Bella, she has always been shady to me. I think the main reason there are so many theories is all the red herrings and the fact that we habe been waiting to find out who the 3rd is for a very long time now so doubts and second thoughts have had time to fester.

I am excited for the.next episode since we should be able to finally talk to Eliane and clear the air on some things.

 

[DaimonFey]

I have never thought it was anyone other than Bella, she has always been shady to me. I think the main reason there are so many theories is all the red herrings and the fact that we habe been waiting to find out who the 3rd is for a very long time now so doubts and second thoughts have had time to fester.

I am excited for the.next episode since we should be able to finally talk to Eliane and clear the air on some things.

Yeah I also believe that Bella is a gold digger. She is suspicious to the point that I can't belive that MC never thought that she is Dizzy. Evidences are everywere: she is bad with money, she has no problem spying on her sister which is betreyal so having sex with Donald shouldn't be surprising at all. Also Donald could be charming if he wanted to be, Zarah is perfect example( I think that he is guy she had spoken about) he said to her everything she wanted to hear and it worked until she learned that he has girlfriend and another lover. Theresa is another example although she hates him now, when she was young she was most likely completely smitten by him and Dogboy is most likely his son. If that is true then MC should get few millions for that fact alone. After all having such a brother can be traumatizing