I did read the journals, but I didn’t find any of the dialogues engaging. I admit I stopped reading the background info after a while when it started to bore me, so I might have gotten less from it than I would have otherwise.
Anyways, I don’t think I’m going to really try to argue this anymore since I last played it about 2 years ago and my memory of it is really hazy. Everyone has their own tastes anyways. 
Just a fair warning Kimuzukashii, don’t expect the game to be written in anything approaching a traditional visual novel genre and don’t base your assessment of it’s credentials on that (though taste might differ of course).
No worries, I’m up for something different. All this talk about the game really has my curiosity piqued. So much so in fact, that I may try it out first when the shipment arrives.
Well, while I was busy getting my ass handed to me umpteen million times on the Mahjong server Unicorn got me started playing on, my copies of Figures of Happiness and Amorous Professor Cherry showed up (along with the two PS2 controllers I ordered on the same day for emulator and other non-PS2 uses, but that’s a horse of a different color). Cherry is installed and working as far as I can tell, though I was disappointed to find that the music consists of only musical pieces and no songs. (Oh well…) I am, however, semi-puzzled about installing FoH. Do I really have to install software that will just get disabled with the patch, or is the product key on the VM booklet what they are asking for when you go to the support page at the G-Collections site? Word from someone who got the game after the patch was released would be helpful. (Sorry if this seems an obvious question; I’ve been up over 24 hours because I’ve gotten hooked on Mahjong, even if I haven’t been able to win a single game yet. 
I’m sure I’ll get there eventually…)
You may simply install the game without the V-Mate 1.0 Software, then go to the support page and use the VM-Code from the booklet for downloading your patch. Applying that patch to the installed game is sufficient for making it playable.
I know that because Figures of Happiness is one of the three original V-Mate games that I got the patch for.
And keep on trying in Mahjong! There’s a light at the end of the tunnel… 
Thanks for the assist Jinnai and Unicorn. Figures is now installed and working as far as I can tell. As for my continuing Mahjong, don’t worry Unicorn. I have absolutely no intention of giving up on it. Even with my losing repeatedly yesterday, the complexity of the game is fascinating enough to keep me coming back. In comparison, poker and such is as easy as looking at your hand and counting how many fingers you have there.
1 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 6 ???
Mahjong. T_T
Damn tenhou and its cheating!
1 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 8? No, wait, I think that’s a small fibb.
In a sense, I’ve already gotten such a reward already Narg, since even without knowing how to play Mahjong I managed to answer the questions correctly that Rei asks in Snow Sakura and attain her scenario. (I didn’t even use a walkthrough or look up Mahjong terms…)
As for the title you point to as supporting your findings, you seem to have forgotten I was the first person to reply to that thread. In fact, if it weren’t for that thread, I wouldn’t have gotten in a dialogue with Unicorn that lead to me finally learning how to play (and win my first game finally today).
Well, Casual Romance Club finally arrived today. I’ll probably install it in just a bit, but whether or not I try it tonight is a different matter. I’m currently in the middle of my first run through Figures of Happiness, and there is also the fact that I’m trying to catch up on footage from the Olympics of sports they tend to not show on primetime TV that I am interested in (mostly archery and shooting sports). I must say, I’m kind of shrugging at the “beautiful Japanese packaging” Peter talks about for this game. When he said that, I was kind of expecting a DVD case and book (more on this in a moment) of the same size that slide in to an overall case. The user’s guide book/manual however, does not disappoint. It’s well bound, and beautifully illustrated, though a bit smaller than I thought it would be. Probably the only thing I’m grumbling about is the game box. I really could have done without 12 pictures of the girls in the game sprawled out so as to emphasize you looking at their genitals (which are covered by stars :roll: ). Even the most explicit of the DVD cases (which strangely is the one for Figures of Happiness) for the other games in my collection so far are much more tasteful. It’s like comparing a Hustler spread to a Playboy spread, if you know what I mean. (The only reason I know myself is because of having looked at them when I was underage… Personally, back then I think my favorite was Penthouse.) Being older and well past the “OMG look at her pussy!!!1!” stage, I really would prefer a much more tasteful presentation.
You don’t really “install CRC” per say as it’s made to run off DVD, though you can copy the game to your HD.
Yes, I found out when I stuck the game in my drive. Here it is, past 0400 where I am, and I’m still up playing this game. I do have one question though: does moving it to your hard drive improve the playing of the voices? While I’ve been able to overlook it because I’m caught up in it, the voices keep cutting out, or not playing at all…
Voices are cut from the beginning. It isn’t a hardware problem. Don’t know why. The sex scenes and other special scenes are almost fully voiced. Sometimes a word is clipped.
Japanese voices are a bit better for length, but not much.
That’s disappointing to hear. I’m glad I was already using voices in Japanese, as it probably would have gotten to me even more. Personally, I don’t know why you’d want the voices in English in the first place, no matter how “cute” Peter seems to think their accented English is in the game. If the interface changed to reflect the use of the Japanese names, I would use them. When I tried it out I kept getting confused. It’s already hard enough to try and keep track of the names of all twelve girls and what relationships they have with each other. Not to mention trying to figure out the right things to say. Which brings me to my first complete run through of the game, which was, to put it lightly, disastrous. Somehow I managed to screw up with Amy (who, according to what I’ve seen, is essentially a free “win” in the game). Things were going great most of the game. I only went out with her, and I attained the scene at the love hotel. Yet somehow I didn’t get her ending. So right now I’m kind of feeling like a complete failure with women. :?