Progress is being made, but it is slow and steady. About to complete one major scene and will post a dev log.
Regarding the release date, there is no scheduled released date currently. Due to my living conditions, my software developement lifecycle is much longer than the typical AVN developer.
Hearts on Parole is a compelling story with twists and turns that include relatable characters (Byron included, which is not common in the AVN community) and good writing. Seriously good read.
Hearts on Parole will capture your heart with no chance for parole, hehe.
Everyone asks when and why but no one asks How's the game? In all seriousness, why game? Because I have a story I want to tell and share with everyone who might be interested.
Thank you, for your words of excitement (and first comment)! I do plan for it to be a rather intense and exciting story filled with twists and turns! Sometimes you don't know what truly resides in the heart of a person until they're faced with danger...
As for 'when', I plan to write the first development log today discussing that further, but in a nutshell, we are still early in development. So sometime early to mid 2026 would be my best guess.
Regarding the inclusion of that in the content warnings: It is only attempted by one of the antagonists of the stories, but fully prevented before anything occurs. That being said, even scenes that include attempts can be triggering and the topic is discussed so I would rather include that in the content warnings. That's why '(attempted)' is included.
I noticed some odd behavior when saving, and was able to figure out a solution. That being said, I figured I'd put the fix in here to help anyone else who noticed and wished to fix it within their own project. There are two behaviors I noticed:
If you have saveName off, when you save it will overwrite the previous name with the default (or blank), some might want to save a file, then turn off name save and then when you save it retains the name.,
If you save multiple slots (say for route purposes) when the dialog pops up for the second slot you are saving, the input will SHOW that you are saving the second name, but unless you make a change to the input (triggering the changed event) when you click save it will save the slot based on the FIRST slot's name (since that was when the changed event trigger).,
It was a little annoying to me, so I fixed it in my AVN, but thought I'd share it for those who want to add it into their AVN. Both of these issues can be fixed by changing two pieces of code. in the init python portion, add SetSaveName function to the init python within the save_load screen:
Basically, what this does is EXPLICITLY sets the store.save_name variable (which is used to save the slot name on save) before calling the FileSave action. With this small change, now if you "turn off" save name, when you save it will retain the slot's name AND if you are saving multiple slots it will ensure that you retain that slot's name and not accidentally save it based on a previously saved slot.
Take your time, I would much rather have a polished product over a rushed one! Thank you for being open and communicating with us, it is much appreciated!
TOO crazy? In my opinion Claire has already done some insane stuff. I have some theories, which I HOPE are wrong because if I am right then Claire may be too far gone (space placed for hiding spoilers):
1. Even though she claims she will, Claire makes no effort to help locate Noel for the MC. In my opinion this is because she actually does NOT wish for the MC to reconnect with Noel. The MC's philosophies are in conflict with Claire's and him having a powerful Dark One will inevitably cause conflict for her down the road.
2. Speaking of conflicting philosphies, Claire needed a way to remove Gabriel from the picture. Using Gab's compassion for the MC and Clara, Claire purposeful had her emotional goodbye with Clara infront of Gab. She knew Gabriel has a Martyr complex and would sacrifice himself for the sake of Clara.
3. By paying for Emma's father medical bills and her sibling's college bills, Claire controls the livelihood of Emma's family. Without any income apart from Claire, Emma can't just 'quit' or risk having her family's means of surviving being taken from them.
4. Speaking of Emma's dependency the way she did that is rather sus. After the emotionally tramatic congress incident (where Asrael was unmade and remade, which Nael has already mentioned is tramatic for both Companions and Dark Ones), she didn't even wait 1 minute to secure a verbal agreement to work with the High Order as their Spearhead. Emma was NOT in the proper mental state to make important decisions, and Claire knew that and took advantage of that.
5. The REASON Asrael made such a good Spearhead for Claire is also worrisome. Claire's philosophy of using Violence as a means of protecting the peace makes Asrael perfect for her. The phrase 'if a hammer is the only tool in your toolbox, then everything looks like a nail' comes to mind. Asrael (and as such, Emma) sees every problem as a nail that needs hammering. Combines with Asraels lack of non-offensive capabilities, Emma and Asrael have no means of perceiving Claire's deceptions. As such, the MC's (Ciarara) influence over Emma will be a HUGE problem for Claira moving forward.
6. Though it hasn't happened (yet), by moving Clara into High Order HQ under the guise of 'protecting' her, she now holds 'hostage' someone that is VERY important to the MC.
7. Speaking of Clara being under Claire's 'protection', let's talk about her dependency in her mother. As I mentioned, she is essentially an insurance policy against the MC. To be an affectice 'hostage', though she needs to be weak and dependent. She has been a companion for ~6 to 12 months at the end of chapter 9. Once she found out she was a companion, did not once encourage her to train and get stronger. Rather she focused on sheltering her to keep her an affective hostage.
I absolutely enjoy the game and just got done re-playing in preperation for Chapter 10. I'll try to be vague here to avoid spoilers, but I really worry for Clara and Emma and hope they get some much needed character development.
Question though: How do I join the Discord? All links I can find (Within the game, itch, et cetera) appear to be expired.
Solid foundation for a great story. I love story rich thrillers and can't wait to see where the story goes. Also a noticeable improvement on character models compared to previous VNs.
Just my personal preference, but I personally hope that Kallie and Laura's story doesn't lead towards cheating, considering Kallie is engaged and Laura is married.
I know Chapter 2 was just released (absolutely loved it, btw), so I am not going to ask "when" Chapter 3 will be released. My question is regarding whether or not the release cycle between Chapter 1 and 2 (~ 6 to 7 months) is what you are aiming moving forward?
That makes sense and thank you for the detailed response. There are definitely two different release cycle preferences hence why I didn't really call it a 'complaint', per se. And if the longer/ meatier releases were voted on then all is fair and I'm fine with it.
Also, I am glad he is taking into account burnout and making time for himself, of that, we can agree on.
Considering Alexandra has a cameo in My Bully is My Lover as well, that wasn't surprising. More of a pleasant surprise, if anything. Does anyone recall whether or not this is the first cameo from another game within Eternum?
One of the best visual novels out there and I recommend it to everyone! Eternum does a wonderful job at pacing the story, which is incredibly intriguing. The characters and dialog are well written and likeable. Not to mention the combination of renders, animation and audio are top notch.
The only real 'complaint' (if you can call it that) is regarding the release cycle. I understand wanting to end releases on cliffhangers or ensure releases contain meaningful story progression and character development, but waiting 6 to 9 months between releases can be painful.
Sometimes I wonder if having much smaller releases every 3 to 4 months would be better. Often times I end up having to replay the story before every release to re-familiarize myself with the plot. Again, not really a complaint, more than likely just an observation that stems from my impatience for such a wonderful visual novel.
What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
For a serious question (though some might argue one must always take Monty Python seriously): how often do you find it necessary to create your own props that can't be found in Asset Packs?
An absolute solid foundation for a visual novel. My favorite AVNs are ones where the story is just as important as the H-Scenes. I feel as though many AVNs use the story only as a thinly veiled excuse for setting up traversing from one sex scene to the next. I am happy that is not the case with Wild Cats!
The characters are well designed and the dialog is well thought out. It is refreshing to have a MC that isn't a self insert and contains depth and the capacity for character development moving forward.
I know the first two paragraphs have focused on story and writing, but that is not to say that the renders and animations are lacking. The graphics for this AVN are also top notch. The characters and set pieces are all beautiful.
The only question I have is regarding the routes. I know there are three 'routes' (Romantic, Friendship and 'Bad'). I was wondering if (at this point in the story) it is currently possible to permanetly lose a route? With out spoiling, only reason I asked is because if you 'politely decline' Lexi her reaction feels like you 'lose' her route completely. This could probably be allieviated with a Character / Stats screen.
All-in-all I am excited to see the direction this story heads in!
As a person who struggles with anxiety and feels 'bad' when being 'forced' to commit BDSM, I really, REALLY appreciate the way Stormside handles this with multiple routes. With the romance routes, I feel like I am legitimately 'saving' the girls from crueler punishments and can enjoy the story and the (romantic) relationships that develop.
Note: I am notjudging anyone who appreciates those routes or who enjoys BDSM. This is purely based on my personal preferences.
My own preference is that I appreciate a reliable development life cycle. What I mean is focusing more on having a consistent time between each update rather than the size of those updates. Not sure if that makes sense.
