Hi,
I think the most important question is whether developers have already devised the main story from A to Z.
Thus, how will the particular girls be corrupted, for what personal reason will Marcus prevail over them.
For more than a year and a half, the main story has not progressed. It still ends when the swimsuit task is completed.
Yes, I know, in version 0.3, Act 5 is a glimpse of minigames and player skills. But it is only a demonstration of new mechanics than a continuation of the story.
Instead of moving in the story, the story gets complicated, new people are added, game mechanisms change over and the Sonya help system is added,
which is not a help system at all, just an archive of discovered locations or game mechanics.
The real help, when a player doesn't know what to do next, is right-clicking on the question mark at the top right.
Don't get me wrong, it's all nice, and it's likely to enrich the game in the future, but I feel that it all distracts your attention and effort at the moment to irrelevant issues.
Many locations or side tasks are at this moment unfinished, with no purpose.
So why are they in game?
I have problem with Prolog and the first three Acts.
From my point of view, this is a very very long prologue that explains the game mechanisms and background of the story.
It is a straightforward story, where we just click with the mouse and the choice of options does not affect the continuation (often Marcus give the same answer to girl regardless of player's choice).
Let's make prologue simply:
1) Dumbledore gets a letter and is about to leave.
2) Arrival of Marcus to Hogsmeade and his immediate arrival in the castle.
3) Dumbledore explains to Marcus that they need a Hogwards deputy headmaster more than a doctor.
4) Marcus accepts the job and we can move directly to Act 4, where the girls come to him with their problems.
5) Because the students do not know Marcus, they do not yet trust him. He has to get it gradually (solve their's problems).
There is no need for scenes in prison, getting drunk, insulting students, apologizing and long explaining the relationship between Marcus and his cousin.
Practically, we will reduce the 2 hours reading of a lot of irrelevant text to ten minutes of initiation into the story.
Who is Marcus, why did he come, why he is a headmaster and why he doesn't have much power at the beginning over teachers and students.
The game needs a story that will be good and clear and intuitive game mechanics.
Marcus can sometimes directly say what to do next:
- I need invite Hermione, let's send her a owl letter
- I don't have the money for this, I'll sit at the desk and fill out the message first
- I need to find out more about meetings, I need speak with ...
Let me use the Akabur Witch Trainer as an example because I assume we all played that game.
- Money = click on the table, write a report
- Invite a person = click on the door
- Cabinet = random object
- What Hermione wants = school points = Grifindor in lead
- Purchase things = click on the table, select catalog
Game had simple rules, interesting story.