MC's appearance is an improvement.
MC's reaction to his father's new wife isn't an improvement.
MC's still given an ultimatum, still resisted that ultimatum, then still has to work his butt off to make it through school because his father decides to be a complete jerk and withhold education expenses.
I *think* the added scene and dialogue being understanding about his father moving on is supposed to soften the MC up about finally returning home the summer after he graduates, but to me at least it makes no sense.
To me at least, the problem was not that his Father had moved on. The problem wasn't that his Father wanted to go through the room of his Mother's things and get rid of some of them.
The problem was the MC's father being an unreasonable jerk in both how he delivered all that information and demanding, not asking, that his son return home that summer.
Thus MC feeling guilty? Makes no sense.
Thus the MC being afraid to contact his father? Makes no sense.
His father is a narcissistic asshole that deserves to have his child go permanently no contact.
That's the mindset I'm in as a player reaching the point that his new Stepmom calls him.
Then in the call his new stepmom tell him that his father feels terrible about how he left things. She tells him that his father feels guilty.
She tells him. Not his father calling and admitting he did even a tiny thing wrong, no, she tells him these things.
Throwing in the "go and try it for a few days" is a HUGE positive step toward this being plausible.
Dad not being there to pick him up and telling MC that Dad wasn't home when he arrived as promised and then would be traveling to another country instead of returning home reverses all of that.
Following the logic of the plot so far MC should have walked back into the airport and booked a return flight immediately, instead he waits and takes the bus???
If you want to make this even remotely plausible, do NOT have the MC take a bus, have Charlotte pick him up so he doesn't have a 25 minute wait and 50 minute bus ride to stew over things.
Also put some damn luggage in the image.
Why does he even think to himself that he's staying the whole summer when he arrives? His friends convinced him to go on the idea that he should at least give his Dad a chance and then could bail if things went badly.
Things have already gone badly. He shouldn't be thinking of being stuck there all summer.
Then MC discovers his Dad was possibly cheating on his mother with Charlotte, giving at least one more reason to hate Dad.
From there the very first night... his Charlotte comes on to him while he's sleeping because she's so lonely since MC's Dad is always away, but that's a dream?
Nope. Just Nope. Lots of games require that I be willing to suspend my disbelief, but none of the changes are enough to make me do that.
I really feel like you could just:
- Cut out the entire first part with 2 years of stewing at his dad being an ass.
- Start with the MC graduating and his father inviting him for a post graduate summer reunion
- As always Dad's unable to get away from work, New Stepmom picks him up.
- *That's* MC's first introduction to there being 4 women and No Dad in the house that Summer.
- MC is pissed at his father for continuing to be an absent jerk.
- MC is pissed at his father for cheating on his mother after Charlotte's story of how she met his father.
- MC has no loyalty to his father and is angry at Charlotte for being a homewrecker so he has no reason not to score with as many of the ladies as he can.