VN Ren'Py Thief of Hearts [v0.0.3] [MrDots Games]

[Alex027]

Highest Level Vault Code Is : 851375

Don't forget to thank me

Thanks bro

 

[Hexxy]

Why the hell would Vivian act like this? So it's NOT a "normal" scene. This way we are showing scenes which would not happen at that point during a normal story arc playthrough.

Respectfully, while that seems a fairly reasonable response, you have to create the groundwork for those types of scenes - ie. creating a dream sequence/unreliable narrator scenario. They didn't really do that here. Just kludging them together seems a failure of plotting, and kind of disrespectful of the players who spend money on the game [like I did as a Patreon until very recently].

And while we're on the subject of game construction, I should point out that I recently got an email from Patreon asking me if I was interested in resuming my recently-ended patronage. For reasons detailed below, I am not planning on doing that anytime soon. So, if anyone reading this is going to simply dismiss my comments as part of the pirate crowd, please recall that I - much like everyone else here, was at one time inspired to become a patron after seeing/playing the game here.

I recall several conversations with at least two of Dots' previous games regarding having something other than white women being possible love interests and Final Girls. While baby steps were taken in this regard with Yuki, there remained a bunch of cringey stereotypes that increased the 'ick' factor. The same applies to Victoria in that same game, full of Latina stereotypes; she runs a f--king taco truck, and her dad is a thinly veiled interpretation of Danny Trejo's 'angry, violent Mexican'. Ugh.

Mr. Dots' portrayal of people of color has been and continues to be dreadful, for the most part. Putting your Asian characters in a kimono and stuffing that kimono with as many Asian stereotypes as possible, as you did with Yuki in Sunshine Love, and making a secondary Asian character in that same game some big-chested version of a geisha-type Yuki was, quite simply, cringe-worthy and offensive, especially if one considers that historical animosity between Chinese and Japanese peoples which endures even today. I wish it ended there, but there are a lot of other issues in Dots' games where anyone of color is there as a side-chick distraction, not a potential love interest.

Only white women were potential long-term love interests. This has been true in *all* of Dots' games, allowing for interracial sexual relationships only as pointedly short-term.

As noted, I had pointed out these deficiencies several times.Each time, I was told by someone representing Dots that you were simply 'catering to what your players wanted', to what Dots himself "preferred"; that the next game would have more inclusion, more diversity. This claim of insisting that only white women is what your players want is in itself offensive, painting them as various shades of racist. Admitting that Dots prefers only white women as Final Girls in his games only increases the cringeworthy aspect of this.

And, despite the ongoing claims and promises of future diversity, Thief of Hearts appears to carry on that apparent tradition of 'whites-only' preference from as recently as the second update for ToH in that there continues to be no potential Long-Term-Interests with a woman of color. Indeed, there appear to be approximately zero people of color darker than white in the game at all.

The accumulated evidence that your dev team presents in the form of your games suggests that - when asked hard questions about diversity - offer only those soft, market-friendly doublespeak answers which champion diversity while having no real intention of offering women of color as valid love interests in your games..

So, when someone asks me if I chose to end my patronage of Dots' games over the lack of diversity, I'd have to say yes, but it's coupled with the fact that they promised to provide it before to keep their market while knowing full well that the game they promised diversity in had no actual diversity.

In short, they lied.

 

[Deleted member 4113116]

New Mr. Dots? I'm in

 

[OhGodNotAgain]

Respectfully, while that seems a fairly reasonable response, you have to create the groundwork for those types of scenes - ie. creating a dream sequence/unreliable narrator scenario. They didn't really do that here. Just kludging them together seems a failure of plotting, and kind of disrespectful of the players who spend money on the game [like I did as a Patreon until very recently].

And while we're on the subject of game construction, I should point out that I recently got an email from Patreon asking me if I was interested in resuming my recently-ended patronage. For reasons detailed below, I am not planning on doing that anytime soon. So, if anyone reading this is going to simply dismiss my comments as part of the pirate crowd, please recall that I - much like everyone else here, was at one time inspired to become a patron after seeing/playing the game here.

I recall several conversations with at least two of Dots' previous games regarding having something other than white women being possible love interests and Final Girls. While baby steps were taken in this regard with Yuki, there remained a bunch of cringey stereotypes that increased the 'ick' factor. The same applies to Victoria in that same game, full of Latina stereotypes; she runs a f--king taco truck, and her dad is a thinly veiled interpretation of Danny Trejo's 'angry, violent Mexican'. Ugh.

Mr. Dots' portrayal of people of color has been and continues to be dreadful, for the most part. Putting your Asian characters in a kimono and stuffing that kimono with as many Asian stereotypes as possible, as you did with Yuki in Sunshine Love, and making a secondary Asian character in that same game some big-chested version of a geisha-type Yuki was, quite simply, cringe-worthy and offensive, especially if one considers that historical animosity between Chinese and Japanese peoples which endures even today. I wish it ended there, but there are a lot of other issues in Dots' games where anyone of color is there as a side-chick distraction, not a potential love interest.

Only white women were potential long-term love interests. This has been true in *all* of Dots' games, allowing for interracial sexual relationships only as pointedly short-term.

As noted, I had pointed out these deficiencies several times.Each time, I was told by someone representing Dots that you were simply 'catering to what your players wanted', to what Dots himself "preferred"; that the next game would have more inclusion, more diversity. This claim of insisting that only white women is what your players want is in itself offensive, painting them as various shades of racist. Admitting that Dots prefers only white women as Final Girls in his games only increases the cringeworthy aspect of this.

And, despite the ongoing claims and promises of future diversity, Thief of Hearts appears to carry on that apparent tradition of 'whites-only' preference from as recently as the second update for ToH in that there continues to be no potential Long-Term-Interests with a woman of color. Indeed, there appear to be approximately zero people of color darker than white in the game at all.

The accumulated evidence that your dev team presents in the form of your games suggests that - when asked hard questions about diversity - offer only those soft, market-friendly doublespeak answers which champion diversity while having no real intention of offering women of color as valid love interests in your games..

So, when someone asks me if I chose to end my patronage of Dots' games over the lack of diversity, I'd have to say yes, but it's coupled with the fact that they promised to provide it before to keep their market while knowing full well that the game they promised diversity in had no actual diversity.

In short, they lied.

Well then, I guess "These games aren't for you" That sound familiar? Don't bring this shit here.

 

[Hyperserver]

Well then, I guess "These games aren't for you" That sound familiar? Don't bring this shit here.

well - compared to other user over here, Hexxy is respectful and polite.
He doesn't just rage like others and gives his opinion in a civil manner.
There is no reason to respond like that (at least not to him).
Every one is free to voice his thoughts as long as he isn't insulting or inciting.
I respect his point of view and wish you can do the same.

 

[OhGodNotAgain]

well - compared to other user over here, Hexxy is respectful and polite.
He doesn't just rage like others and gives his opinion in a civil manner.
There is no reason to respond like that (at least not to him).
Every one is free to voice his thoughts as long as he isn't insulting or inciting.
I respect his point of view and wish you can do the same.

That wasn't just aimed at him. I don't want to see that argument start clogging the site. I see enough as is.

 

[Hexxy]

Well then, I guess "These games aren't for you" That sound familiar? Don't bring this shit here.

Oh, I'm sorry. Was this area just for posting gushing praise, or was this a discussion area for people to talk about the game and the developer?

The single thing that I dislike about the game is what - imho - prevents the game from being as good as it could be. So, what is your problem with me talking about that?

 

[Hexxy]

That wasn't just aimed at him. I don't want to see that argument start clogging the site. I see enough as is.

Can you clarify for me what ''that'' argument is? I want to make sure I don't misinterpret your comments.

 

[Juerhullycin]

not every game can be harem or 3-4some.

then don't advertise it as a harem game?

 

[OhGodNotAgain]

Can you clarify for me what ''that'' argument is? I want to make sure I don't misinterpret your comments.

On a site that features rape, bestiality, gore, Vore, Lolis etc. Arguments about diversity and inclusion are the last things I expect or want to see, because its everywhere else.

 

[Juerhullycin]

On a site that features rape, bestiality, gore, Vore, Lolis etc. Arguments about diversity and inclusion are the last things I expect or want to see, because its everywhere else.

im as done with the woke crap as the next one, but if he's (was) a donor and talked with the devs multiple times about it and they told him it would happen but it never did, than he has a valid argument to complain about them.

 

[OhGodNotAgain]

im as done with the woke crap as the next one, but if he's (was) a donor and talked with the devs multiple times about it and they told him it would happen but it never did, than he has a valid argument to complain about them.

They should handle it with them, in DMs.

 

[Juerhullycin]

They should handle it with them, in DMs.

as if they listen either way.

 

[enfuego]

Arguments about diversity and inclusion

he is literally just asking for better variety in porn game lmao, I cannot fathom getting upset about this in the way you seem to be leaning.

 

[Hexxy]

then don't advertise it as a harem game

On a site that features rape, bestiality, gore, Vore, Lolis etc. Arguments about diversity and inclusion are the last things I expect or want to see, because its everywhere else.

Ahh, I thought as much, but thanks for the clarification, OGNA.

So, the point of this channel is to differentiate it from all of those other channels - channels that feature rape, bestiality and the rest. Imo, this game is much more accessible precisely because of its avoidance of extreme festishes. It's mainstream, which some people interpret as ho-hum vanilla, but it also means an appeal to a wide swath of players, which helps Dots and his crew make bank.

And there isn't a damn thing wrong with that.

My sole issue is that after the disapointing lack of Final Girls being anything but white gals, coupled with the promises of more diverse choices of Love Interests and Final Girls to be non-Caucasian in the game following Sunshine Love, this game has precisely zero women of color. I don't know what made Dots and his team backpedal on that promise, but it is really disappointing, considering how may potential players dig interracial sex [that, for a change, doesn't involve some white gal getting triple-teamed by BBC].

I don't expect that a comment left here on a pirate site makes any dent on how Dots chooses his content, but I do expect that if a promise was made regarding diversity, that diversity should be obvious. That it isn't is what taints this game, at least for me.

 

[Hexxy]

as if they listen either way.

I would disagree with the idea that this is a discussion or topic that should have to hide behind closed doors...unless there is a financial reason why it needs to be.

 

[OhGodNotAgain]

he is literally just asking for better variety in porn game lmao, I cannot fathom getting upset about this in the way you seem to be leaning.

If that's all it was, I wouldn't have a problem. The post came across as needlessly political.

I would disagree with the idea that this is a discussion or topic that should have to hide behind closed doors...unless there is a financial reason why it needs to be.

To avoid devolving into off topic political arguments. I imagine most don't want to deal with that shit here.

 

[Hexxy]

If that's all it was, I wouldn't have a problem. The post came across as needlessly political.


To avoid devolving into off topic political arguments. I imagine most don't want to deal with that shit here.

I am not sure that asking why planned diversity wasn't implemented [as well as why it appears to have gone in the opposite direction] is a political discussion.

I mean, if you personally have issues with perceived 'wokeness' [for non-Americans, woke/wokeness is a recent disparagement used by conservatives to dismiss issues of equity, representation and other stuff], then that would be something you can endeavor to keep out of the conversation if its presented by others.

This isn't about politics; its about promises made; I supported this and earlier Dots games based on that promise.

As well, its about the utter lack of the 85-90% of the world's population that isn't White. I guess someone might see that as a political issue, but that would seem to be a significant misapprehension of the discussion.

 

[Hexxy]

im as done with the woke crap as the next one, but if he's (was) a donor and talked with the devs multiple times about it and they told him it would happen but it never did, than he has a valid argument to complain about them.

I was indeed [until recently] a donor/supporter, and this was a conversation addressed in both Melody and Sunshine Love game pages, and on the Petreon discussion groups [as much as was allowed, until warned off the topic]. This isn't a new problem by any definition.

 

[Old Grumpy Wolf]

Just found this game and realized it's a Dots game... Anyone know what the future tags will be?