Understanding Features and Settings in Our Home

Hello, Our Home players! 🏡

We understand that some settings or features might not be immediately clear, so we’ve 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, you’ll 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 you’re a newcomer or a seasoned player. Let’s dive in!

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

    • AddedFree-RoamA fully open Free-Roam mode where you can explore events, actions, and secrets—including exclusive easter eggs—without 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, we’re 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 we’ve 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 you’ve unlocked throughout the game.

• AddedReplayLists available replays, letting you relive notable scenes.

• Help: Provides a submenu with explanations of controls and basic Ren’Py functions.

• Quit: Closes the game.

2. Preferences Menu (Settings)

Where to Find: Accessible from the Main Menu or by pausing the game (usually with the ESC key or a designated button). This menu lets you customize various aspects of the game to suit your preferences.

The Preferences Menu lets you fine-tune your experience

Game

General settings that affect gameplay and visual experience:

• 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)

• AddedMini-gamesWhen 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 buttons—no clicking needed. This speeds up exploration, but clicking still works if you prefer.

• AddedSide ImageShows a character’s image next to the dialogue box when enabled.
• AddedParticlesToggles 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 system’s default style. Requires a game restart to apply changes.

• Hide Windows: Adds a button to hide all windows in the dialogue box.

• AddedProofreaderWhen 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

Options to customize how dialogue is displayed:

• 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

Settings for skipping game content:

• 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

Controls the rollback feature to revisit past content:

• 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

Audio adjustments for your experience:

• 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

Video settings (available only on PC):

• 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

Choose the game’s language from the available options.

Relations

Lets you adjust how characters refer to each other (in third-person or groups), customizing dialogues and interactions.

3. Other Key Features

• 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).

• AddedLoadLoads locally saved games (available in the Main Menu or by pausing the game).

Questions or Issues?

If you still have questions or need assistance with any feature, feel free to leave a comment or reach out through our official channels (such as our Discord). We’re here to ensure your experience with Our Home is the best it can be!