Good points... i didn't really think of this build as Alpha, more like a halfway beta. Thus my concern for the thin content.
I mean if Eric is already gone with most branches suggesting it's "for good", then it's quite hard to make him return in some way. So that's a major character gone already..in Alpha... unless if they reset his storyline completely.
Same goes for some other characters like Alex(who could have been Lisa's boyfriend->so a major character) or Olivia's branch with the Lisa-Max Boyfriend path. Again hard to get them back without altering serious decisions/dialogues. Though not impossible.
But anyway, my main point was focusing on the visual elements, and even if this is an early stage(even earlier than i thought), and so many scenes have been setup, why not add more renders/frames to make the game more interesting and the potential customers more invested in your story?
Unless if they already DID more frames, and are just planing on releasing them gradualy. Which would make more sense to keep the patrons paying and the fanbase hooked and eager for each new patch.
In traditional game development...
Pre-Alpha = Tech Demo
Alpha = Building phase with incomplete content and features
Beta = Feature and content complete. Undergoing polish, testing, bug-fixing, balancing, etc.
Gold = Final release
Design/business models such as Day1-DLC, Early Access and CrowdFunding have skewed the usage of these terms a bit but from a production standpoint, they remain relevant. The main difference is that a developer (especially indies) is now more likely to label an internal build as an "alpha" and a public build as a "beta" but since these builds are released frequently and in an iterative developmental state, they would still be considered as "alpha" by traditional measures.... If that makes sense.
For BB, a
true Beta would be a build which has all "opportunities" implemented and none of those
"You've reached the end of this opportunity in this version of the game" messages.
If I'm remembering correctly the reason he was hiding out was because he stole something from the wrong people. Entirely possible once you call the goon's in they took all his stuff because they wanted to check if he'd hidden whatever it was amongst the stuff.
I was under the impression that Eric had been visited by "cleaners", never to return once that path has been selected. All of his stuff disappears for both the unknown enemies and Kate's mom solutions. Only difference being that we are told more explicitly about his fate if Kate's mom takes him.
That leaves what I call the "Eric as a pawn" route which is currently incomplete but hints at being able to exchange access to Alice for Eric's help in gaining consensual sex with Ann. If this ends up being the sole route to either banging Ann or getting extra special private punishment, it will have major implications and drive people apeshit. Granted, there will probably be ways (pills) to keep Eric from actually getting to Alice after making the deal but it's anyone's guess as to how the path will actually play out.
