Personally, the biggest tip is to pay attention to what is being said or shown. It will come in handy later on. Of course there's a Wiki:
and a Puzzle guide on the first page to help if you get stuck, anyway.
If the grinding for affection or lust, which tends to be required in increments of 5, is too much, I recommend URM:
If you find the game too bright, you can try the Dark Mod on the first page, and if you want to just get rid of the dialogue box, then I recommend this Ren'py transparency mod:
Overall:
- Plot comes first.
- Get to know everyone, even those you don't like.
- Do as you please, but expect some choices or actions to come back later on for better or worse.
- If you want to experience everything, then you might need multiple playthroughs and multiple saves. However you want to do it.
- The game can be a little fucked up, and I would expect things to get worse down the road. Not exactly a happily ever after kind of story.
- Before you download any care packages or dlc, which are just unnecessary bonuses, be aware of DRM, and how you are risking your saves adding them to the game.
Also, this thread enjoys talking about the game, theories, characters, and story, etc, so if you don't want to be spoiled, it might be better to wait until you've caught up to watch this thread.