Dorm House - v0.25 Weight Gain Visual Novel

[Madxen77]

Hello peeps!

My name is Madxen, and this is a visual novel game I’ve been working on called Dorm House.

Version .25 has landed- and there is a lot more to do! I’ve introduced the college itself in this update, and while it is bare for now, I’ll be adding to that as well. I’ve followed previous advice and am continuing to update old content as well as adding new stuff in. The five housemates will be getting more to do as I continue along; I’m continuing to build more content with each of them. Becca will be receiving increased focus in the near future! I’m currently only releasing the windows and linux version; I’m making sure the mac version is fully tested before dropping that one.

Thanks as always for the feedback! I’m getting a lot of it, and I appreciate the help in both ideas for the game as well as pointing out bugs that I’ve missed.

Previous Content Rework:

• Updated Intro Scene

• Updated Priya Flirting

• Updated Zoe Flirting

• Updated Zoe Talk Lines

• Updated Zoe Location Lines

• Reduced Mindy’s requirements significantly. Stage 5 can be reached in only 21 days.

• Fixed Lily’s bra size in her descriptions to match they actually are.

• Fixed Lily’s description in the hospital scene- she is only wearing one gown, not two.

• Fixed issue where leaving the buffet didn’t open the city map.

Current Character New Sprites/Stages:

• Becca: 20 new images. Full and Overfilled Sprites for Stages 0-9

• Zoe: 20 new images. Full and Overfilled Sprites for Stages 0-9

• Lily: 20 new images. Full and Overfilled Sprites for Stages 0-9

• Priya: Nothing. Girl already had the most sprites, have to spread the love!

• Mia: 12 new images. Full and Overfilled Sprites for Stages 0-2. Cafeteria outfit for stages 0-6.

• BuniBlu: 22 new images. Stages 7-9, and new bikini haul streams at stages 4, 5, 6, and 8.

• Work Customers: 6 new images. One new stage for each.

• Tia: 15 new images. Stages 2-6.

• Penny: 10 New images. Stages 2-6

• Gina: 1 New image. Stage 9

New Character Sprites/Stages:

• Harper:1 Stages, 2 Images

• Regina: 1 Stage, 2 Images

• Maria: 1 Stage, 2 Images

• Kristy: 1 Stage, 2 Images

• Tara: 1 Stage, 2 Images

• Bella: 1 Stage, 2 Images

• Katie: 1 Stage, 1 Image

• Sarah: 1 Stage, 1 Image

New Content:

• Event list is now available in the menu! This will help track what content is left in the game, and helps you know if you missed anything.

• Can Call a girl to the beach. Increasing your relationship level increases the chances - don’t bother trying at negative levels! This will be implemented everywhere in the future.

• Fixed where a girl’s suspicion goes up while eating a food that has both a like and dislike tag. Now suspicion only increases if the food has a dislike and no likes.

• Suspicion changes now display on screen

• 10 New Types of Food, available for purchase at the College Cafeteria.

New Locations:

• College Map

• College Gymnasium

• College Atrium

• College Cafeteria

• BuniBlu’s Apartment

New Events:

1. Summary

   Becca/Lily Beach First Weekend

   Mindy Stage 4/Zoe Event

   Zoe Stage 2 Button Bursting Event

   Lily/Sarah Park Painting Event

   Priya Stage 4/Zoe Event

   Harper Stage 0 Introduction

   Harper Stage 0 Gymnasium

   Harper Stage 0 Cafeteria

   Harper Stage 0 Practice

   Harper Stage 0 DormHouse Visit

   BuniBlu Stage 4 Swimsuit Haul

   BuniBlu Stage 5 Swimsuit Haul

   BuniBlu Stage 6 Swimsuit Haul

   BuniBlu Stage 7

   BuniBlu Stage 7 Email

   BuniBlu Stage 7 Text

   BuniBlu Stage 7 Meeting

   BuniBlu Stage 7 Chubhub

   BuniBlu Stage 8

   BuniBlu Stage 8 Swimsuit Haul

   BuniBlu Stage 9

   BuniBlu Stage 9 Apartment Visit

   BuniBlu Stage 9 Good Time Visit

   Tia Stage 2 Event

   Tia Stage 3 Event

   Tia Stage 4 Event

   Tia Stage 5 Event

   Tia Stage 5 Buffet Event

   Gwen Restraint Cola Event

   Tia Stage 5 Restraint Cola Gift Event

   Tia Stage 5 Buffet Event 2

   Tia Stage 6 Event

   Abby about Gina Stage 8 Event

   Penny about Gina Stage 8 Event

   Gina Stage 8 Painting Gift Event

   Gina Stage 9 Event

   Penny Intro Scene

   Penny Stage 2 Event

   Penny Stage 3 Event

   Penny Stage 4 Event

   Penny Stage 5 Event

   Penny Stage 6 Event

Upcoming Content:

• Gossip Reworking

• Harper Story Continuation - future housemate!

• Volleyball Team Content

• Sarah Content

• More Housemate Events

• More feeding dialogue

• Becca Beach Content

Link to the itch.io page here!

[PaPaNa]

Not bad. I assume The park and the beach doesn’t have any content as of now?

I know this is an early build but here are some things that came to my mind:

• The suspicion system doesn’t exactly make sense right now. It goes up if you try to feed “wrong” things but I think it goes back down way too easy now. You could also expand the use of it by having some of the player’s other actions effecting it. Also how does the suspicion meter at the top bar work?
• There should be some limit how much you can feed a character in a day. Now you can feed a single character multiple times in a row. That if something should make the MC seem suspicious.
• Working gives $40 instead of the $50 it says on the text.
• I think end of the day should bring player back to his room. Now you remain where ever you are despite running out of energy and the day changing.
• The apartment could have common areas to visit where you could randomly encounter some of the girls hanging out there.
• I hope the gym is somehow going to be a part of the story since there is a clear weight loss mechanic implemented already.
• As of now the game play is pretty straightforward. Now I know this might not be a popular opinion but I would like if there would be a bit of more challenge in it. Like fattening up every girl wouldn’t be as easy as now. Some would require different tactics than others. I would also welcome some drama between the girls.

• When Priya reveals to be in to this, why her suspicious meter still gets up with “wrong” feeding after this gets revealed since she like asks player to continued doing it. Also, you could get a nice plot element about her helping the player. Or, even better, a rival for the player.

• At later stages the flirt option seems quite sexual which I find feeling a bit strange right now since there isn’t much lead from MC<->character relationship deepening towards that. I think this could benefit from some polishing to make it feel more natural progression.

[Madxen77]

Hey there! Thanks for the feedback. I’ve actually addressed a lot of the mechanics you mentioned in my new version 0.21 I plan on dropping tomorrow. I noticed a lot of the things you’re seeing as well, and now that the game has content, I want to start tweaking the systems.

• I reworked a LOT of the suspicion system; I didn’t want it to be hard, but I want it to be something that does require attention. I’ve increased the ways suspicion goes up, and made it more difficult to lower quickly. I’m also introducing a hunger mechanic, which will limit the amount a girl can be fed a day (and if she’s overfed, suspicion increases).

• Like you said, Priya should be the exception. I’ve already taken away her suspicion mechanics once she hits Stage 2, since she’s very much in on it.

• Someone mentioned the money to me on itch and said I’m taxing them. To be honest, that’s a mistake on my part; I updated the code to reduce the amount of money made in a day, but forgot to adjust the string.

• The end of day is supposed to bring the player back to his room, and I’ve fixed that in the new version

• The weight loss mechanic is really there to just have it for now; similar to how I’m starting to dial in the weight gain, I really just wanted it there as an option. Along with the gym, I plan on utilizing all locations more; most (if not all locations) will have a minor character associated with that location that will have unique ways to get them to gain weight as well.

• I also added a chance for a random housemate to appear at every location. There’s not much to do with the housemate for now at unique locations for now, apart from seeing them more in the world.

• Dialogue and relationships with the housemates in general is something I’m tweaking each version. I like how the personalities for Priya, Becca, and Lily have turned out for the most part, but there is a lot of inconsistencies as well. Events will be more frequent, which will showcase the evolving relationships with each of the housemates (as well as the minor characters)

• There’s a lot more planned as well. I’ve been having a LOT of fun with this project, and I appreciate you letting me know what you think!

[Madxen77]

Version 0.21 is out! This added more depth to the game by building and replacing a lot of the mechanics. Housemates are now randomly found in other locations, Mia’s sprites have been completely reworked, and there are more characters and events to be seen!

[metyu91]

well done. i love the game and cant wait for more

[sdirishpirate72]

It’s turning into indulgences and I’m here for it

[Madxen77]

Thanks! I’m having a lot of fun with the project and I plan on taking it as far as I can

[Madxen77]

I don’t think there’s higher praise you can give, thanks!

[jameswoods809]

Hey Madxen. I first played version 0.20 the other day, and left some feedback on itch, but now that you are on the weight gain forum, I will move my future comments over here. I played 0.21 and here are my thoughts around it.

Sprite stages & weight numbers - I understand this could be a perspective thing, but there is not much of a difference in physical changes when the girls move up in stages at least to me. In my playthrough, Becca at stage 9, she weighs 372 lbs., but to me she is underweight based off her sprite. I feel the same way around the other girls as well.

Writing - I really enjoy the MC monologues when they see the girls gain weight and how the girls react to it. What you have done so far between the events with Becca/Lily, Becca/Priya, MC/store clerk, etc. have been great.

Right now, the store clerk is my favorite girl. If I could make a request, that she gets upgraded to a main story roommate.

I really like what you have going so far with this VN, keep it up! I can’t imagine how difficult it is to make these type of games, but I appreciate the time and effort you put into it.

[sdirishpirate72]

Yeah the weight stages need to be addressed, however understand it’s still early game development. I’m sure it’ll get fleshed out as it progresses

[Madxen77]

Thanks for the feedback!

I agree; the actual weight and what the sprites represent are two totally different things. That’s been dialed in a bit more in the next version, along with a reduction in how much most food feeds. I plan on adding stages 10 and up much later, but right now I want to continue fleshing out the housemates and other location specific characters.

The store clerk was the first non-housemate character I created to test the concept, and I loved how she turned out! I originally only planned on doing 2 stages and moving on to something else, but couldn’t stop. Do you feel as if it took too long to get her stages up? I’m definitely planning on adding more housemates in the future; Mindy definitely has a chance of being a character that moves in to the house.

The only thing that scares me about adding housemates is the gossip system. The gossip and suspicion system are two things I feel make what I do different than some of the other games in the weight gain genre, and I want to keep the gossip system going. However, if I add a sixth girl, that’s literally 1000 new lines of gossip dialogue- 500 for the girls at each stage talking about the new housemate, and 500 for the new housemate talking about the other girls.

I’ve already created 12 new events for the next version, and plan on doing more. I’ve got a grasp on all the housemates personalities (except Zoe- jury is still out on her), so creating events for them is much easier!

And thanks; I’ve already put 50+ hours into it, and I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface with what I want to do!

[BadIdea4]

@Madxen77

The only thing that scares me about adding housemates is the gossip system. The gossip and suspicion system are two things I feel make what I do different than some of the other games in the weight gain genre, and I want to keep the gossip system going. However, if I add a sixth girl, that’s literally 1000 new lines of gossip dialogue- 500 for the girls at each stage talking about the new housemate, and 500 for the new housemate talking about the other girls.

Reading this right here sold me on actually playing this game. In real life, gossip kinda annoys me; but it’s a real response people have to each other, and putting it in a game like this means the characters are seeing each other’s weight gain, and what is seen seems more real.

Edit: I saw a long character list on Itch and freaked out a little, but only five are major. Just putting in my vote to put more love and attention into them and their dynamics with each other before promoting more characters to that category. The big harem / dozens of love interests thing is not bad IMO, but it’s been done a lot more than medium-size casts.

[Madxen77]

Hope you like it! The gossip option is available to each housemate, and there is a unique line of dialogue for the housemate gossiping at each weight stage towards another housemate at each stage. It’s not fully fleshed out for Mia or Zoe, but it’s something I think helps the game feel more “alive” as characters grow.

But I agree, there’s more events and interactions I want to do with the five core girls (and redo some of their lines as I develop their personalities further) before I add more to that dynamic. The other characters all have different stages and their own events and arcs, but for the most part will be relegated to smaller roles.

[jameswoods809]

I did notice how much longer it takes for Mindy to move up in stages after she hits stage 3 and do think it takes a little too long from that point. Regarding the girls showing up in other locations, it would be nice to see them interact with the environment they are in outside of dialogue. For example, Becca in her early stages when she is at the store, she is shown from the side grabbing food off the shelf. In her later stages, it’s more difficult because her boobs are in the way. Or because of her fat ass, when she has to bend down, her ass knocks stuff over. Stuff like that.

[loopzoob89]

game looks reall cool! eager to see where updates take it

[rimean]

So how exactly do i lower suspicion with someone now and what kind of hint i’ll get that girl is becoming suspicious of me? Mia has been suspicious of me for over one week and i’ve no idea how to fix it.
Edit: it has been over 3 weeks now and she is still stuck at 5/5 of suspicion

[Madxen77]

Sorry! You’re the first to mention that; I realized that with how I had structured it, max suspicion never dropped!
I just posted the new version to Itch.io; If you max a housemate’s suspicion, there’s now flowers you can buy in the shop to lower her suspicion to the point you can interact with her.

[BadIdea4]

I haven’t played through the whole game, but I’ve brought Mia to max size and the rest a few stages together.

The housemates don’t seem to independently want or do anything. If I save and go talk to them, I get one conversation, and if I load, go pass time outside the house for a month, and then talk to them, I get the same conversations. Why is there nothing going on in their lives?

The housemates gossip could shine more. They all have the same attitude to WG. No-one’s judgmental, no-one’s into it, everyone’s just noticing each other gaining weight with a kind of amused, disinterested compassion. And credit where it’s due - I haven’t seen much of that before, so thanks for adding it to the WG game space. But when all five of the housemates are doing it, it feels inhuman.

Speaking of gossip and initiative, the housemates gossip only when I prompt them. They should occasionally just tell me these things! Sometimes when I want to gossip they should want to do something else! Some of them should like it more than others, etc etc.

The structure of the game is too grid-y for my taste. I can do the same things with every housemate. They gain weight according to the same schedule. If one does something special at stage 2, I expect they all will, and if she doesn’t, they won’t. The outside locations show more variety - the library/store fetch quest is one kind of thing, the gym and school are another. And because, like many gamers, I will try to go through all the content, I find myself moving through the grid accordingly, which becomes a dull experience. Which, you know, is my own fault, but in game design you try to rescue players from their own fun-destroying tendencies. I’d recommend removing any content you remember adding for symmetry’s sake, and adding more content, as you think of it, for specific scenarios.

Basically, I’m saying the housemates feel too much like NPCs right now. I wish you would take one, flesh out her personality more if needed, and “give her permission” to break the grid and have her own unique mechanics and content. Then do it with the other four. That said, I do like the basic vibe and direction of the housemates. They’re an appealing cast!

Minor note: at least for the first few stages, the top-heavy girl is described as gaining many cup sizes, but she looks almost exactly the same. Disappointment immeasurable etc etc. There were also a couple instances of the housemates saying something like [player.name] instead of it being processed appropriately. One of them was Mia, stage 8 or 9.

[rimean]

I don’t think that Zoe’s should have black background at 9th weight stage

[Madxen77]

No, and it ALSO shouldn’t be popping up for Zoe’s later beach sprites either… Thanks for letting me know! I’m moving too quick and should do a better job with checking that stuff. I fixed it for the next version, which will have more Zoe content as well.