0.155/160. Quick Review.
1. Were the animations worth the time, effort?
Ultimately it's down to personal preference and at the discretion of the dev. It's HIS game after all, HIS vision.
Despite the hype and build up, I don't think so, at least not on this performance and the resulting delays. When one thinks of animations, one thinks of Hollywood quality, that's the bar it was always going to be measured against, and L&P's efforts fell woefully short. In short they were amateurish, semi-static, at times almost robot-like. The pony text accompanying them has already been discussed and let's face it, it was almost cringeworthy.
But it WAS a start on which to build, so he should be congratulated and maybe it's not fair to be over critical. L&P is certainly trying to mix this game up and make it fresh, so why not give it another go, this time involving Sophia, the star everyone wants to see taking centre stage.
Good to see Andre's transformation from almost cameo role to a more dominant figure. Expect to see more of him, especially as he will be aiming to get equal with Sophia.
2. The update as a whole.
I'm discarding the Dylan/Ellie/Logan thread. An essential story line perhaps, but nothing more than soap. Which leaves the classroom antics.
This is where L&P has really upped the game, making Sophia's humiliation almost unbearable at times. Credit where credit's due, it was daring, sexy, full of tension. Whether plausible or not doesn't matter too much, it's fiction, it's a game, make allowances for it.
All in all a great update, especially in terms of render quality and surprises, with as ever much to look forward to.
As has been said, he's creating something few others can compare to, we need to get behind this developer all the way.