I think that there is some fundamental issue here that breaks the whole chain of a person finding out about the game, liking it, going to Patreon, and then supporting.
Other much weaker projects with both less content and simpler art get a lot more support, something must be working poorly.
(while the art is a subjective thing obviously, you clearly can tell by the quality and especially the number of permutations for each scene)
So my thoughts on the reasons for people to not support:
1. They don't know about the game.
2. They can simply download it for free from somewhere, so why bother.
3. There are not enough bonuses to being a patron vs just buying the game, even if they don't pirate it.
4. They don't like the theme of the game.
5. *Super unlikely imo, but who know?* They don't like the art.
Please feel free to add to the list if you have any ideas that I've missed.
So fixing these points (or overcompensating with something else) could help bringing in more support.
1. I'm not sure how other game developers get their creations out there and known, but I'm sure there must be some venues for more advertising. This can be both paid (and advertising IS worth it if done right), or free through other circles and what not.
Updating the first post with new screenshots on f95 is also very important, even if it is hard. Maybe some more effort can be put into this? If not - dump this thread and just link it in a new one, idk.
2. While giving the game for free hoping someone will like it enough to support works thus acting as free publicity (that's what happened in my case), I'm afraid that in most cases people just take freebies and move on until more free stuff eventyually comes their way.
This can be dealt with by releasing less versions of the game for free, or with a much higher delay.
3. Tying into #2 and #1, there can be some other benefits, like custom Patreon exclusive art that doesn't even go into the game, which even if leaked will reach a different kind of non-game audience that might like it and come looking for more. The art has improved A LOT since the early days of the game, so don't neglect this part, the art is legit HOT just by itself at this point, and can be used in additional ways.
Looking into what other successful Patreon projects doing might also help increase the attractiveness.
4. Some might just dislike the cheating-ntr parts of the game, since in other works it can get very dark or depressing ("Tachibana-san-chi no Dansei Jijou" for example).
The obvious way to deal with that is diversifying the genres, but that is too late for FI. But afaik Bloodlust and Night Eternal will do just that, plus the new project with Scarlett Ann is also "harem" genre according to yesterday's podcast.
Another way is to make sure the FI's "mood" is properly conveyed, so people don't get scared off. This can be done with both #1 and #3.
5. As for the art - it is super subjective, so nothing you can do about it, imo. For example I'd really prefer Melvin to be much more fit, but hey that is my personal prefference, I dislike pot bellies in hentai.
Getting a new project with a different artist is a great move to counter this point, especially if it is an already known and talented artist that has their own fan base.
So to sum things up - #4 and #5 are naturally being taken care of already, but still need to be kept in mind as guidelines for future projects and their development. #2 and especially #1 need to be seriously looked into, while #3 should help with both and is a win-win for everyone - fans get exclusive art, new people have a chance to stumble upon something awesome they might like, artists get more ways to get their name out there and the studio (hopefully) gets new patrons.
p.s. to clarify on #3 - the art can be something like 2-3 scenes a month with 3-5 variations of clothed/undressed/getting "ready"/in-action/aftermath kind of thing where the first 1-2 get released publicly and leak across the internet, while the juicy stuff is closed and only for patrons. This is exactly how pure art Patreons work.
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