Lockheart,
Wow. I love what you've done with Avalon. I just played it for the first time, and it moved right into my top 10 list for sure. Your dialog is fantastic. I can only think of 3 or 4 games here that have such fun witty banter going on, but still have more touching moments where you really get to know the characters and feel the relationship build. Your writing is really first rate.
I love how the relationship with Avalon is building slowly. Just my 2 cents, I suggest keeping it up with steadily escalating teasing. For me at least, both Babysitter and Dating My Daughter, lost a lot of its charm once the game moved to full on sex. I'm not against early sex where it makes scene with the story. WVM, for example, is a sex fest with many of the characters and is still a lot of fun, but the slow buildup really does it for me, especially with the less experienced characters like Avalon, although I do hope it happens eventually
, but I'd keep it slow for as long as you can. Think of how many people still love Our Fate even though it hasn't been developed in nearly a year.
I have no problem with Avalon fooling around with Dallas or Octavia. I'm with you in that I don't really see it as competition or detracting from the relationship with the MC. Plus it's really hot!
I really appreciate the change you made with Penny. I played the older version right after the current version, just so I could see what you've changed, and I think the changes you made with Penny's character are a big improvement. I didn't like the sociopath version from before, but her character now is great. She's crazy, but lovable too.
Also, I don't know what your friends are talking about with Dallas. She's quite fun. It's hard to choose between Dallas and Octavia, since they are both great characters in their own completely different way. I have to give it to Octavia though. Her character is really unique among games here, and her warm and caring nature really add to the story. I can tell there is more to her than we realize though, and I look forward to learning more.
Anyway, I really love your game. Keep up the great work. I will be watching this one closely.