Just realised, where are all the people asking for when insignificant characters (like the movers, subway thugs, or Janitor Clarke) are coming back?
We could hope that most realize some cuts have to be made to keep this story from taking 30 years but probably not.
When this last update released I posted around here a basic template for how to get this story done in "the next few years" as the dev claimed he wants to do. He claims a lot of stuff he doesn't mean but let's assume he's being honest here:
If so, some characters have got to go. Period. It's just how it is. IMO, the story has become a story of two families, old friends, and the relationship dynamics in and between them. Both have milf wives, kinda schlub husbands, a son and daughter a within the same age range. 90% of the story is the dynamics in and between them. It has already become that and he has to focus 90% of the story there. The final 10% can be the others but even tha means it has to be a limited amount of them. IMO, that's Aiden, the mafia boss and take your pick with another. Be the it Postman or the old men or the SexEd kids...pick one. They get 10% of the story from here out.
All others gotta go. Sorry, folks. Janitor, museum guys, subway thugs, etc. Gotta go. We may like them but they gotta go.
Finally, cut the days bullshit and make it weeks or months. Anything that happens that isn't a direct progression of the plot gets put in that 10% through recap. I'm talking 5 renders and 10-20 screens of dialogue/narration.
"After the hot tub incident things went back to normal for a bit...Sofia and Dylan never spoke of the incident and yada yada yada. 2 months later..." fade in and here is the next event.
It can be done without being jarring to the reader that has only seen microsteps delivered in hourly increments of her life as of now.
The choice really are that it goes on until 2035 (maybe longer) OR story gets streamlined, 95% of players still keep the characters they care about most and it end in the next few years. Call it 2028 at the latest. DLC that shit for another decade if you want but the dev should aim go be done no later than 2028 and to do that...some people gotta go lol.