No worries, it happens more than you would think! :D Glad you're able to access and play the alpha now, hope you enjoy!

Hi, what’s giving you trouble specifically? And are you looking at the most current alpha build post? The alpha build was last updated in August, so you’ll need the password from the August post! Hope that helps!

Thank you so much, I truly appreciate it!

If you could submit a bug report form with more details and a screenshot of what you see, that would really help! The bug report link is at the bottom of the game page!

Hm, that could be a bug--if you use the text list underneath the map instead of the map itself, does it work?

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! And I understand what you mean: it's expounded in later interludes, but the difference between MC's knowledge of Ket culture and Blade's is actually intentional; it's meant to highlight the differences between a child of immigrants who struggles with assimilation and a divorce from their heritage/their parents' culture, versus someone who was brought up in that culture but is deeply critical of it. I'll have to look at those early parts to see if I can make that clearer, but Ket!MC and Blade have more conversations about it as the game goes on! An Elf!MC who talks about the same thing with Tallys (or a Norm!MC who defends their people from her) will also have a different level of knowledge and perspective from a Hunter!MC, all depending on what their origin is and what exactly led their family to end up there! Hope that all makes sense!

Hi, most of the companions don't enter relationships or confess in the demo--that's later on in the game. But you can start to flirt with and romance Shery by picking options she enjoys! Her romance is a bit of a slow burn because she's so shy :) 

Thank you so much for playing, enjoying, and leaving such nice comments! It truly means so much! <3

Thank you so much for your kind words!! They really mean the world and are so encouraging :) So happy you happened to find the game and enjoyed it!!

Hi there, thanks for trying out the demo! There's no official guide or walkthrough yet, as I don't want to maintain one until I know the game is pretty finalized and complete, though I know there are some fan-made ones being shared on our Discord, where some people made personal documents that tracked stat changes in the early chapters. There's also a wealth of information to be found on Tumblr: if you check out the #game mechanics, #stats, or chapter tags on the blog, like if you have a question about a stat check or something in Chapter 1, visiting this link has all of the info about that chapter! https://www.shepherdsofhaven.com/tagged/chapter+1

Hope that helps!

Hi, thanks for this, the details help a lot! That'll be fixed in the next update! And in the future it would be wonderful if you could report bugs through the bug report form so I can keep track of everything! :) Thank you! 

Thank you so much!! Your kind words mean the world, thank you so much for playing and enjoying the game! 

Thank you so much for the kind words! <3 One day Halek may become an RO through DLC--that'll be decided through a vote on Patreon when the time comes! :) Glad that you're enjoying the game!

You need at least 20 Physique to succeed in that check!

Yes, the plan is for the complete version to be released on itch.io and Steam as a paid product when it's finished!

Thank you so much for your kind words, I’m so happy you’re enjoying the game!! 💖

Thank you so much!! 🥹 I hope you’ll find someone you enjoy romancing just as much haha!

Thank you so much for enjoying and leaving such a kind comment, I truly appreciate your support! 💖

Thank you so much, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!  💖 Did you have a favorite part? :D

Experiencing Lag on Google Chrome?

Note: we’ve implemented some fixes on our end to hopefully reduce the chances of this happening, but in case it still does, here are some tips below. Please keep in mind that this shouldn’t be an issue in the released version of the game, which will be a downloadable file, not an online browser game that relies on the internet!

Google Chrome recently updated how it manages GPU and CPU resources on its browser. If you notice drastic slowdown and lag while playing the game on Google Chrome, that’s because the browser devs decided to be very silly and make my life exponentially harder. Try this:

• Go to chrome://flags
• Disable “Accelerated 2D Canvas” and “GPU Rasterization”

Performance should improve; it fixed the issue completely for me. If it doesn’t, try this:

• Go to chrome://settings
• Search ‘acceleration’ and toggle off graphic acceleration

This didn’t help much in my case, but is a popular troubleshooting tip online. If none of this helps, try going through the Troubleshooting Guide if you haven’t already!

Playing the Latest Version of the Game

If you're seeing strange bugs, missing updated content, or broken assets, you may be playing an outdated, cached version of the game, or you happened to be playing while the game was undergoing an update. Your browser sometimes holds onto old files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to load things faster — but after an update where variables, content, or assets have changed, this can cause confusion, as you might still be playing on a cached version of, say, V.1.0.0, while everyone else is playing V.2.0.0!

To fix it, do a Hard Refresh to force your browser to reload the newest version of the game!

💻 On Desktop:

• Windows: Press Ctrl + Shift + R or Ctrl + F5
• Mac: Press Cmd + Shift + R
• Alternative: Type ?v=2 after the alpha build URL, which "tricks" itch.io into thinking you're playing a brand-new URL and breaks its habit of pulling from a cached version of the site

📱 On Mobile:

• Type ?v=2 after the alpha build URL, which "tricks" itch.io into thinking you're playing a brand-new URL and breaks its habit of pulling from a cached version of the site
• OR manually refresh the page twice
• OR close and open the browser tab
• OR (worst-case) play in Private/Incognito Mode to bypass cache

Don't worry! Your saved progress won't be lost by doing this. The game uses your browser’s local storage, which will stay intact during the refresh, so your saves are safe. This will just make sure you're seeing the latest version of the game, rather than an old cached version!

Shepherds of Haven is made in Twine Sugarcube 2 and compiled as an HTML5 game file. When it's released to storefronts, it will be a downloadable file, meaning that it won't be affected by website or internet-related issues: it will run as a local game file, independent of any specific website. However, until then, the demo versions will be hosted as online browser games, which come with their own unique considerations. Below are some of the most common issues you may encounter. 

Game Launch Errors

1. Error: No Storage Adaptors Found

This error occurs when the game cannot access your browser's local storage. Possible causes include:

• Cookies are disabled in your browser settings.
• Privacy extensions or ad blockers are blocking local storage.
• Incognito mode or private browsing are preventing storage access.

How to fix:

• Enable third-party cookies in your browser settings.
• Whitelist the game page in your privacy or adblock extensions.
• Try playing in a different browser.
• Do not run the game in Incognito Mode or any other private browsing mode.

2. Error: Cannot Read Property ‘toLowerCase’ of Undefined

This error is often caused by pop-up blockers, especially in Chrome.

How to fix:

• Disable pop-up blockers on the game’s page.
• Try running the game in a different browser.

3. Error: LocalStorage Quota Exceeded

Your browser does not have enough space in its local storage. This often happens if you have multiple Twine or HTML games with many saves stored in the same browser.

How to fix:

• Use Hiev's Local Storage Manager to backup or clear older Twine saves. 
• Download Saves to your device instead of relying on browser saves.
• Clear your cache and browser history (WARNING: this will delete all existing browser saves).
• If the issue persists, switch to a different browser and transfer your saves using Download Saves.

4. Long Load Times, Lagging, or Missing Images

This issue is most common on Chrome and Edge. This is often due to how these browsers handle resources, how itch.io's hosting environment works (it may do things like throttle bandwidth when too many people are attempting to access the game at one time), how the site pulls assets from its directory, or other causes. 

How to fix:

• Try refreshing the page or exiting the browser and relaunching the game. If that doesn't work, try restarting your device entirely. 
• If the issue persists, switch to another browser, such as Firefox.

The game will still be playable, but some background images may not display properly.

Save Issues

1. Deleted or Missing Saves

If your saves disappear, it is likely due to an issue with your browser or its extensions. This is a common issue on iOS, as iPhones automatically clear cache data after a certain amount of time. Unfortunately, I don't have any control over this. 

⚠ Clearing your browser history, cache, or cookies will delete your browser saves!

Identifying the cause:

• Does it happen after closing the browser? → Likely a cache-clearing issue.
• Does it happen randomly and frequently while playing? → Could be a browser extension, quota issue, or device-specific behavior.
• Did it happen once randomly while playing? → You might have been playing while the game was updating. 

Troubleshooting: 

 Ensure Your Browser Supports Persistent Storage:

• Check if your browser is clearing data automatically.
  • Chrome: Open chrome://settings/content/siteData → Check if "Clear site data when you close all windows" is enabled.
  • Firefox:  Check if "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed" is enabled.

Disable Browser Extensions That Might Interfere:

• Temporarily disable adblockers/privacy extensions, then test saving again.
• Extensions like uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, Ghostery, and NoScript can interfere with local storage.

If Using iOS:

• iOS devices automatically clear local storage after a certain time period or when storage is low.
• Using Download Saves instead of browser saves is the most reliable method of preventing saves from being wiped.

If saves continue disappearing, it might be a device-specific issue. In that case:

• Try on a different device to see if the issue persists.

How to Prevent Lost Saves

• Use Download Saves to store your progress directly on your device. It is strongly recommended that you do this periodically in any case, in the event something happens to your browser cache (where browser saves are stored). 
• If playing on desktop, try using the itch.io desktop app instead of a browser.
• If your saves disappear frequently, switch to a different browser. Firefox seems to be more reliable when it comes to long-term saves. 

2. Download Saves or Upload Saves Not Working

This is likely due to your browser's security settings. Download Saves works only if your browser and device are configured to accept downloads from websites; for example, your browser may be blocking pop-ups, disallowing cookies from third-party websites, or restricting downloads or uploads. Every browser and device have different default settings, but here are some general ideas:

Check Your Browser's Security Settings

Chrome:

• Go to chrome://settings/content/automaticDownloads
• Ensure "Sites can ask to automatically download multiple files" is enabled.
• Check that the browser isn’t blocking downloads from the game page (look for a warning at the top/right of the screen).
• Check that the browser isn't blocking pop-ups or cookies from third-party sites. 
• Go to chrome://settings/content → Scroll to "Additional permissions" → Make sure "Automatic downloads" and "File access" are enabled.

Firefox:

• Go to about:config
• Search for browser.download.alwaysOpenPanel and set it to false.
• Search for privacy.file_unique_origin, and set it to false.

Safari (Mac & iOS):

• Go to Settings > Safari > Downloads and make sure downloads are allowed.
• If it still doesn't work, try using a different browser.