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Date, create, and share!

Assuming the role of a male high school student in Japan, the player will meet, interact with, and date a number of female characters with the goal of winding up with one of them at the end of a 101-day calendar. Yeah, you've seen this all before...or have you?

In other romance sims, there's little reason to replay the game again once you've pursued all the characters you're interested in. But Heartache 101 allows for a variable female cast. The number of characters in the game is completely open-ended!

You can create new characters and add them to the game, share them with other users, and add characters created by other users. You can create the images for custom characters from a template, or use images you created yourself, or images from any source. (only "standing" images of characters can be imported; there is no event CG in the game) A simple scripting language is provided for writing story events. You can also customize some of the music.

The game system itself is in part a visual novel interface with gameplay that include conversational decision-making, board game-like mechanics, stat management, financial management, and more.

Latest Blog

New game forthcoming, some might like to know



Since I've been asked many times if I would ever make a sequel to Heartache....

Well this is not a sequel. In very many ways it's radically different. But some might find that it partially retains a bit of the same feel?

So I'm posting the first public screenshot here, and whoever is interested, look for a game page up in the next week or two with the title "Where One Citizen". Game is not complete yet, but after 10 years of development it's about time to start showing it!

Posts

Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
There's two links on the same line for material_m. To stress:

Helpful things:

--> Medium build girl, the .psd that was used to create the built-in characters, is available with layer names in English.
oh, I didnt even notice that was a link XD mb, switching between day shift and night shift is a bitch.
watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
This is quite a nice game!

So who are the more popular characters? Was there ever a vote on this?
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
There was a vote for favorite characters among the original cast...


Which built-in character is your favorite?
Riho
35 30.4%
Akari
31 27%
Tsubasa
13 11.3%
Miki
10 8.7%
Shihoko
10 8.7%
(secret character)
7 6.1%
Keika
6 5.2%
Hinami
3 2.6%

Number of Voters : 115
First Vote : Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:25
Last Vote : Saturday, 09 June 2012 06:27

...and for characters that I've made...

Which character created by Marrend is your favorite?
Come on! Just one more!
12 30%
Terakado Shoko
9 22.5%
Nemoto Mayu
6 15%
Shirazu Izumi
4 10%
Umehara Joruri
4 10%
Mitsuya Masako
3 7.5%
Momotami Ruri
2 5%
Kuwabara Emiko
0 0%

Number of Voters : 40
First Vote : Saturday, 09 June 2012 19:43
Last Vote : Saturday, 21 July 2012 15:41

...on the game's external-to-RMN website. However, maybe it might be an idea to poll for favorite overall character. What's everybody's thoughts on this?
I'm game, but I still need to clear a lot of the custom content.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Given how many characters there are, a top three (five?) picks might be cool. Though, I'm not sure how to implement that, outside of comments!
Zakariya
Every misdeed has its own punishment, and every good deed has its reward.
1174
author=Marrend
Given how many characters there are, a top three (five?) picks might be cool. Though, I'm not sure how to implement that, outside of comments!


Perhaps post it in a status?

I know who the most disliked character will be eventually.
author=Marrend
Given how many characters there are, a top three (five?) picks might be cool. Though, I'm not sure how to implement that, outside of comments!

Letting people pick their top 3 or even 5 would be my suggestion, too.

And to quote inja6398: "I'm game"
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
The move I'm thinking about is something along the lines of this survey. I dunno about using Google Forms, but, it would essentially be a list of all the available characters (so far) and ask people to fill in their vote for top five, or whatever.

The list of available characters would probably be pulled from the OCCD listing, plus the original cast.

*Edit: Though, if I had the wherewithal, something like that might make a cute blog.

Riho: Take that, sis! I'm winning!
Shioko: Well, shoot. I guess I'm going to have to step up my game.
Riho: W-what do you mean by that!?
Tsubasa: Don't forget, everyone! A vote for Tsubasa is a vote for justice!

I dunno. I've done some crazy things in my life, but, that might be a little much. Especially since I don't know the characters that well!
author=Marrend
The move I'm thinking about is something along the lines of this survey. I dunno about using Google Forms, but, it would essentially be a list of all the available characters (so far) and ask people to fill in their vote for top five, or whatever.

The list of available characters would probably be pulled from the OCCD listing, plus the original cast.

*Edit: Though, if I had the wherewithal, something like that might make a cute blog.

Riho: Take that, sis! I'm winning!
Shioko: Well, shoot. I guess I'm going to have to step up my game.
Riho: W-what do you mean by that!?
Tsubasa: Don't forget, everyone! A vote for Tsubasa is a vote for justice!

I dunno. I've done some crazy things in my life, but, that might be a little much. Especially since I don't know the characters that well!
How one sees them is subject to interpretation, I think.

In my opinion your exchange between Riho and Shihoko should be close to the mark. Maybe Shihoko should be a little more surprised to rank lower then her sis ...

Tsubasa would probably see her self way above such unproductive nonesense. Most of her stories depict her as being focused on following in her dads footsteps and not on how people see or even rank her.


watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
Question:

1. What is Masashi's last name?
2. What is Takuya's last name?

Which got me thinking: Do guys have last names in this game?!
Zakariya
Every misdeed has its own punishment, and every good deed has its reward.
1174
author=watermark
Question:

1. What is Masashi's last name?
2. What is Takuya's last name?

Which got me thinking: Do guys have last names in this game?!


Very few of them do, and most of the males with last names are in the "custom content" stories.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
I don't think flowertheif ever gave guys in his content family names. I could easily be proven wrong on this point, though. I mean, how long was it until we discovered the "Hayauchi High" comment from Miki's content?
Zakariya
Every misdeed has its own punishment, and every good deed has its reward.
1174
author=Marrend
how long was it until we discovered the "Hayauchi High" comment from Miki's content?


It takes much sooner if you look in the files. :P

That name is easy for me to forget. XP
I don't want to be a bother or anything, or know if I'll get a reply here. But, I do have one request or rather a question?

About Takuya... will there be more male characters or something? I don't mind a lil yaoi if you know what I'm saying. But from what I've read he's not complete and there is currently no plans for a dateable male character right now or never?
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
To the best of my knowledge, there's no male characters that are published (outside the aforementioned Takuya), or even in the works.

Though, if it's any consolation, there is this screenshot of Heartache featuring Hanamura Yosuke, from Shin Magami Tensei Persona 4. However, I don't know if the files involved were ever published.
author=Marrend
To the best of my knowledge, there's no male characters that are published (outside the aforementioned Takuya), or even in the works.

Though, if it's any consolation, there is this screenshot of Heartache featuring Hanamura Yosuke, from Shin Magami Tensei Persona 4. However, I don't know if the files involved were ever published.

Aaaaa, that's too bad. I do like the game though, so thumbs up for that.
watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
The name of the High School is never mentioned in the game right? I can't seem to find it anywhere. So I can make something up? The reason I ask is because I'm writing a fanfic on Heartache and would like to get canon facts straight.
author=watermark
The name of the High School is never mentioned in the game right? I can't seem to find it anywhere. So I can make something up? The reason I ask is because I'm writing a fanfic on Heartache and would like to get canon facts straight.
It is, in fact, mentioned in game. If you concentrate on Miki you'll have to help her become the school's announcer.

If you succeed, she'll greet the school in her first announcment. By name.

By the way: that very same announcment settles the question of when exactly the bet was made, too.

She says: "midterm exams will start next week". If we assume it's summer or spring during the game (suggested by the coloring of outdoor pictures) we're probably in the first term (i.e. between April to July), midterm would be somewhere around June 1st.

Since that announcement is made pretty late in her route (read: at least 50-60 days into that bet) it indicates that the bet occured very early in the school term.
watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
Thanks! And I just noticed Marrend's comment. Hayauchi High is it? Got it.