Hello everyone, welcome to the Our Home update status! In this post, we want to share what you can expect from the next Steam update and give you a glimpse into our process. As outlined in the Early Access details, our updates roll out quarterly. This approach lets us plan the scope of each release and the playtime youll enjoy. Based on our development capacity, we produce around 400 renders per month, translating to about 30 minutes of gameplay or reading. Over a quarter, thats roughly 1200 renders and 1h30 of new content. Our Home has a special trait: we believe every characters expression and line matters for deeper immersion. Thats why we craft about 1 renders per dialogue. Not everyone might notice this while playing, but its something we take pride in delivering for you.

Whats Ready So Far

Hello, amazing residents of Pinepool! We want to make the game even better, and for that, we need your feedback. We know Steam is your place, so weve prepared two options for you to participate: a quick survey right here, with 5 simple questions (just rate them from 1 to 5 in the comments), for those who want to answer without leaving the platform; and a more in-depth one, with 9 detailed questions, on a Google Forms for those who want to dive deeper (link at the end of the post). Choose whichever works best for you and help us decide the future of the game! Oh, and yeswe know you're all eager for more sex scenes (who isn't, right?). Don't worry, we're already working on it! [hr][/hr]

• How would you rate the prologue's impact in hooking you into the story? (1 = Didnt grab me, 5 = Got me immediately!)
• How much are you enjoying the character development? (1 = Very shallow, 5 = They feel like my best friends already!)
• How do you feel about the storys pacing so far? (1 = Too slow, 5 = Perfect, I cant stop reading!)
• How would you rate the dev teams support (speed, effectiveness, satisfaction)? (1 = Needs improvement, 5 = Fast responses, problems solved!)
• What are your expectations for the next update? (1 = Just dont break the game, 5 = Im counting the days!)

- Improved translation for all languages. - Fixed bug that prevented loading more images after accessing Higram's profile. - Resolved story inconsistency: an absent event, previously referenced in the MC's thoughts, will be included in future versions. - Added minor user interface improvements.

Hello, everyone! Were here with a new update bringing improvements. This isnt an update with new content, but rather tweaks and fixes to make your experience even more enjoyable. Lets dive into the details: New Features and Improvements

• Virtual Keyboard for Controllers Now, players using controllers have a virtual keyboard to make things easier. Whether on PC or Steam Deck, interacting is simpler without switching devices.
• Interface Font Adjustments Weve increased font sizes across the interface for comfortable reading, especially on Steam Deck, but also on other platforms. Everythings more legible and prettier!
• Landscape Photos on Mobile Added support for landscape photos on mobile, with automatic -90 rotation after capture. Your images now stay at the right angle effortlessly.
• Game Image Overhaul Weve adjusted 100% of the images to reduce texture sharpness, better aligning them with the characters ages. We found a post-processing issue that made skins sharper than intended;
  • What does this mean? Almost the entire game will need to be re-downloaded due to this massive fix. We apologize for the inconvenience, but the result is worth it: textures now match the vision we planned.
  • Going forward? Weve tweaked post-processing to prevent this from happening again.

• Fixed minor UI bugs to polish everything up.
• Adjusted message sorting! Contacts with the latest messages now appear first in most cases, keeping the timeline clear and improving the experience when a message arrives mid-event.

• Why now? With the image fixes due to unwanted sharpness, we decided to tackle this narrative revision early. It delayed the update a bit, but it felt like the right time.
• What changed? Nothing in the story itself we just refined the text to better reflect character personalities and align with the new prologue.
• Whats next? Moving forward, well only enhance images in this section, leaving the text as is. We believe the adjustments meet our goals.
• Do I need to replay? Not required, but if youd like to revisit the dialogues and share feedback, were always open to hearing from you!

Hello, players! Were excited to bring you an important update with some key changes to enhance your experience: New Hint System for Secret Images: Weve added a hint system to help you locate secret images! These hints will only appear while playing (outside the main menu) and can be accessed via the gallery in the Pause menu. Keep exploring those hidden spots!
Achievement Requirement Adjustments: Weve reworked some of the Higrams-related achievements to make them more achievable while still rewarding exploration. The photo requirement has been reduced from 100 to 50 photos, and the likes requirement has been lowered from 5,000 to 100 likes. Our goal with Higrams is to encourage players to dive into every detail of the renders and spark interest in future content for players across all versions. While the original metrics felt nearly impossible, these new values strike a balancechallenging but reachable over time. Translation Improvements: Weve made multiple enhancements to translations across all supported languages, ensuring a smoother and more accurate experience for everyone. Thank you for your continued support and feedback, which helps us shape the game for the better.

[h1=top]Hello, Our Home players!
We understand that some settings or features might not be immediately clear, so weve put together this official to help you navigate the core aspects of the game. While most of these details are already available in-game as tooltips when you hover over each function, this guide consolidates everything into one handy reference. Below, youll find detailed explanations of each feature, where to find them, and how they work. Our goal is to ensure your experience is as smooth as possible, whether youre a newcomer or a seasoned player. Lets dive in! [hr][/hr] [h2=main-menu]1. Main Menu
The Main Menu is the first screen you see when you launch the game. It contains the core options to start or customize your experience.
The Main Menu screen of Our Home

• Start: Opens a submenu with two initial options:
  • Start from Scratch: Begins a new adventure. You can choose between two gameplay modes:
    • Free-Roam: A fully open Free-Roam mode where you can explore events, actions, and secretsincluding exclusive easter eggswithout any grinding. You have the freedom to navigate and engage with the world at your own pace. While the mode is fully functional and provides a solid experience, were still working on enhancements, such as adding new events to make it even more engaging. You can switch to VN Mode at any time without losing progress (see details in the Game section).
    • VN Mode: A narrative-focused mode ideal for players who prefer a more streamlined reading experience while still retaining free-roam navigation within events. You can enable or disable this mode at any time, giving you full flexibility.
  • Load from Cloud: Retrieves your progress saved in the cloud, including nearly all game data: progress, relationships, unlocked locations, replays, secret images, phone contacts, character info, settings, and more. Please note that this is not an official Steam feature but a completely optional function weve implemented. Use it carefully to avoid any risk of disrupting your local save files.
• Load: Allows you to load a locally saved game to continue where you left off.
• Preferences: Opens the settings menu (detailed below).
• Gallery: Displays the secret images youve unlocked throughout the game.
• Replay: Lists available replays, letting you relive notable scenes.
• Help: Provides a submenu with explanations of controls and basic RenPy functions.
• Quit: Closes the game.

Game

• VN Mode: Enables/disables Visual Novel Mode, focusing on main events for a more linear narrative. Even in this mode, free-roam navigation within events is preserved. You can toggle between VN Mode and Free-Roam at any time without losing progress.
• Legacy Skip Time: Activates the older time-skipping system, allowing you to skip forward by 1, 2, or 3 hours instead of jumping directly to a specific time on the calendar. (Free-roam mode)
• Mini-games: When enabled, automatically skips all mini-games and marks them as completed. (Free-roam mode)
• Save Name: Allows you to manually name your save files.
• Transitions: Toggles visual transitions (images and videos) that indicate changes in time or location.
• Hover Navigation: Lets you move between environments in Free-Roam Mode by simply hovering your mouse over location-change buttonsno clicking needed. This speeds up exploration, but clicking still works if you prefer.
• Side Image: Shows a characters image next to the dialogue box when enabled.
• Particles: Toggles the particle system (e.g. floating dust) for added immersion. Disable for a cleaner screen or better performance on lower-end devices.
• Mouse Point: Sets the mouse cursor to your operating systems default style. Requires a game restart to apply changes.
• Hide Windows: Adds a button to hide all windows in the dialogue box.
• Proofreader: When enabled (requires internet), adds a button in dialogues and choices to report text or translation errors directly to the development team.
• Proofreader Interface: Similar to Proofreader but adds the reporting button to interface elements (e.g. Main Menu labels).

Dialogue

• Change Color of Dialogue and Choices: Adjusts the text color of dialogues and choices.
• Change Color of Thoughts: Adjusts the text color of character thoughts.
• Text Speed: Controls how quickly text appears.
• Dialogue Box Transparency: Sets the level of transparency for the dialogue box.
• Dialogue Text Size: Adjusts the font size of dialogue text.
• Character Name Size: Adjusts the font size of character names.
• Choice Text Size: Adjusts the font size of choice options.

Skip

• Skip Unseen: Allows skipping of unseen dialogue or scenes (use carefully to avoid missing key content).
• Skip After Choice: Continues skipping automatically after you make a choice.

Rollback

• Disabled: Disables rollback for a strictly linear experience.
• Left: Allows rewinding the game (scroll wheel or specific inputs) to review past dialogue.
• Forward: After rolling back, lets you move forward again to return to your previous point.

Sound

• Music: Controls the background music volume.
• Sound Effects: Adjusts the volume of SFX, including one-time sounds, moans, and loops.
• Mute Control: Adds quick mute/unmute buttons for audio channels in the dialogue box.

Video

• Display Window: Runs the game in windowed mode (useful for multitasking).
• Display Full Screen: Runs the game in full-screen mode for greater immersion.

Language

Relations

• Gallery: Displays unlocked secret images (accessible from the Main Menu).
• Replay: Lets you revisit specific scenes (accessible from the Main Menu).
• Help: Provides explanations of controls and basic functions (accessible from the Main Menu).
• Load: Loads locally saved games (available in the Main Menu or by pausing the game).

Weve rolled out some small improvements based on recent feedbacks

• Faster Character Responses on SMS: We saw in a review that the delay in character responses to the MC felt too long. The original 2-second delay was designed to mimic typing for immersion, but we shortened it to 0.5 seconds. This made conversations quicker and smoother!
• New Hint in "The Destination" Quest 'Back to the Orphanage' : We added an extra hint to clarify what to do next. We also mapped out other quests that might confuse players and plan to include more hints in future updates.
• Translation Improvements: We fixed minor issues across all languages. We collected some feedback on translations and made adjustments, with more refinements planned over time.

Weve rolled out a small update to enhance your experience! Heres whats new: Improved Turkish Translation: Fixed issues that could cause players to get stuck in certain parts of the game due to translation errors. Enhanced Discord Rich Presence: Updated the integration in-game status on Discord.

• Improved achievement syncing with Steam! You can now manually force a sync with a new button, and weve also added automatic checks when loading a save or accessing achievements through the phone menu.

Hello, players! In this small update, weve addressed a few key issues:

• Fixed translation errors in Spanish, French, Italian, Korean, and Polish dialogues that were affecting readability when buying clothes with Lorena.
• Added a button to manually force data synchronization with Steam, to try ensuring achievements are properly recorded, as some of you reported issues with automatic syncing.
• Thanks to everyone who provided feedback to help us spot these problems. Enjoy the game, and keep exploring!

Bug Fix: Fixed an issue with loading additional images in Higram.

[quote]Welcome, everyone! We're just hours away from launching Our Home on Steam in Early Access, and we cant wait to share this journey with you! First and foremost, a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us along the wayyour energy has brought us to this moment. Now, lets get to the good part: what you can expect from this release![/quote] [hr][/hr]

A Growing Experience: From Wishlist to Early Access

A Prologue Designed for Immersion

Behind the Creation

What to Expect in the Prologue?

Looking Ahead to 2025

A Modern, Intuitive UI

Launching Today

[quote]"Hello, everyone! Were thrilled to share how the universe of Our Home has grown over the past months. Weve worked hard to ensure your experience is richer, more engaging, and unforgettable. Here are the highlights:" [/quote]

More Story to Explore

New Characters and Dynamics

• Alexandra Blanchett The university dean is a standout figure. Her cunning actions make her an essential ally in Norahs plans, but she has her own agenda: to manipulate Samanthas investigation (and more) while steering the protagonists path. Were excited to see how her role unfolds!
• Karol Young, introspective, and burdened by a painful past, Karol brings a new layer of emotion to the orphanage and beyond. Initially subtle, her presence becomes increasingly crucial as the story develops.

Optimization and Polish

Prologue Revision

Ready for Early Access?

Hello everyone. This is our first post here, so I want to start by explaining to those who are not yet familiar with how our updates work. We divide our work development into quarters, and each quarter we release content for a character. Our average number of renderings per quarter is 1,050, and we usually create one render per dialogue, because we believe that each expression in a visual novel is important. The average reading time per quarter is 1h20m. Our initial plan is that each character, except for the key characters in the story, will have at least 2 versions, meaning they will be in focus for 2 quarters, but not necessarily consecutive quarters, by the end of the first chapter of "Our Home." At this moment, we have the following status.

• Juliana: 1 Versions.
• Emily: 2 Versions (Key character, which means she will have more versions than the other characters.)
• Marta: 1 Versions.
• Danielle: 1 Version.
• MC: ~3 versions (Key character, which means she will have more versions than the other characters.)

Welcome to Our Home

Characters, or the ladies you'll "adore" and the fellas you'll leave in the dust

The Environments

The Gameplay

The Choices

The Secrets

• OS: Ubuntu 16.04+
• Processor: 2.0 Ghz 64-bit Intel-compatibleMemory: 2 GB RAM
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: OpenGL 3.0
• Storage: 10 GB available space