I feel like ive been having to repeat this a lot, but your favorite slow burn VN likely has not cracked at minimum 2K patrons and its a near certainty it never will. The bubble that is F95 does not represent the majority of the VN community.
Look at games like DeLuca Family and Summer's Gone, the most popular slow burns with millions of hits in their threads...... But an extremely small number of patrons even with years on the market.
All this to say, youre basically telling the dev to go out of their way to leave food off of their plate to the detriment of us all, yourself included, for the exact reason I stated---your average VN consumer will not open their wallets for a slow burn. You can literally confirm this yourself right now.
If you want the VN you enjoy to take off it needs good lewds. This is not a debate, it is the objective reality.
Your stance on the characters and story though? Ehh... Only if you pretend chapter 1 never happened, I guess.
Summer's Gone and The DeLuca Family don't really need 2k patreons to garner any success. Both of Ocean's AVN's are highly rated and extremely popular. The reason they're so well-liked is due to their stories and the fact that Ocean prioritizes the story above all else. Story is also another reason to realistically take into account the sex scenes you guys so desperately want. If there's going to be a sex scene, at least have it make sense. That's what this dev is trying to do. While I can't defend The DeLuca Family, I can defend Ocean and this developer. The reason they're both so popular is due to the fact that they're doing something unique. And to clarify, these are called "slow burns" for a reason. No one expects the dev to suddenly add in an orgy and have the MC sleep with everyone, their grandmother, their neighbor, and their dog. I also don't really see any of the devs from the AVN's you've listed pressed for funds. Both of them seem to be doing fine right now, and I only suspect it to get better, as it does after every update they put out.
Objectively speaking, lewd scenes are an indicator of commercial success in the AVN world. That much is an objective reality, and I can't debate that. The better the lewd scene, the more people pay to see more of it. However, not everyone wants or cares about the lewd scenes in these AVN's. I for example, am a writer and I play these AVN's for the story first and foremost. Lewds are usually a bonus for me. Unfortunately, I cannot speak for everyone in this regard. Ocean's AVN's and this AVN are as popular as they are because they offer something unique to the dozens of lewd-filled AVN's on this site. That much is not going to change any time soon. Ocean's patreon makes a huge jump after every update, so I doubt he's worried or concerned about that.
My stance on the characters from an objective point of view remains solid, chapter one included. Subjectively, I could critique a lot about them, but compared to other AVN characters out there, they are top notch.
You did have some good points, I'll give you that. But you have to understand that not everyone's here for the lewd scenes. I came here because I saw an AVN that seemed new and unique. I'm sure the lewd scenes will be added in the future, but complaining about it won't change a thing, I can guarantee you that. I can't speak for everyone, but I don't really care how much commercial success these AVN's are getting. So long as they deliver the same quality that got me to play them in the first place.