Nicely made erotic game, but IMHO...Some of the physical alterations applied to certain characters are really uncalled for and do not exactly seem to be aesthetically pleasing.
though, the story overall and the execution of most of the ideas behind the creation of this work are decent to say the least, it's just like I said; some major changes to in-game characters should've been kept optional, because for some it can make or break the characters and their entire sexual appeal becomes at risk. - Just my two cents -
Well, first, I disagree with you on the assessment of the quality of the content. I think Jan is well above the average when it comes to content, the only point I would really like us to improve on is the camerawork and dynamism in the scenes, but Jan doesn't have much free time and he sure is a creature of habit.
About the physical changes. Well some would tell you that it's a question of taste. I won't. For me there is some objective qualities that can be found, at least there is a "general sense of quality" in everything. And on that I would say Jan is putting an exceptional care to it.
About the changes themselves, well, there is your "taste" thing, I personally really dig into it. However I had a period of adaptation to the look of the girls.
The most obvious example I have is Chrystal hair style. At first yeah, I wasn't a fan of it to say the least. But after some time I came to accept it as "her choice". The first negative impression I had of it faded to the added depth of character.
That hairstyle change is really striking, I think most of us can agree with that. But the fact that it is striking is great because that is exactly the point I would think Chrystal would make. Chrystal after being altered by the MC made a statement by going for such an hairstyle either to herself, to the MC and/or to the world.
So now about Kara, no body-serumin' action there. And indeed she went overboard with her changes. Personally I don't mind because she is still damn fine when she is wearing her dean outfit (during the events with Alice).
The only "permanent" change she underwent was the nipple tattoo, and for that one I would classify it as the sign that the pink serum is not a joke and that at that dose it leaves a mark (to be clear I'm talking about a psychological mark).
Now the choices.
Well, it is very costly to add visual branching in a rendered game.
There is already a good roster of girls in DD, and a couple of them are underutilized.
You also have to consider something else. Making content is an artistic endeavor, and Jan doesn't respond well to constrain in that regard.
He generally need to switch his focus often and seem to have a hard time if he is not focusing on one girl.
So take those constrains and you have a puzzle : how can we balance the amount of content available for each girl while switching focus each month ?
When I'm not adding features that needs programming I am in a supportive role, trying to improve the workflow, identify issues we can have, little things we can improve on, that sort of thing.
So I'm constantly trying to squeeze more content out of Jan in the less destructive manner. It's quite hard.
In the end his free time is limited, and I don't want to disturb him too much as he is one of the most consistent creator here. I mean an update roughly each month for years, that is crazy. So yeah, very carefullin' here not to kill the steadiness.
Going back to branching. Adding multiple routes is hard, and divide the amount of content possible each time there is a branch.
But there is some types of branching that cost less than others.
Indeed stagnation, visually wise, is possible and its cost is a bit reduced compared to adding more variations.
But it's only marginal.
The scenes will still need the same amount of care when posing, lightning, that sort of stuff. And writing, for Jan, if not the fastest part either.
But I assure you that not changing a girl is a very valid option when we are considering branching. And for good reasons indeed.
Yet please don't forget we count body morphing in our core genre.
The goal here is to give choices to the player.
Hey, if you really want more content it's simple, make it impossible for him to not go full time. I would certainly be able to keep up and have a blast at it and even if he says otherwise I think he would like it to be his job full-time, I don't think he considers the benefit and satisfaction of having time to hone his skills and refine his craft.
Come on !