Gonna split this up a bit.
A skip function is a good idea, but I agree it may not be feasible. I have no experience working in these engines, but here are a few ideas which may work.
1. Upload saves from start of act 2. It's simple and will work but lacks customization.
2. Implement a skip function. Here I would try making a room where you set the major variables from act 1, kinda like how you customize your estate. Then when you go to leave the room it sets a global switch which disables content from act 1. This may let you get around having events trigger out of order by adding a check for this.
3. Import saves somehow. Probably the hardest, but here's my idea (again no experience with these engines). Many programs have a function to create a text file for debugging. Perhaps you could make the VX Ace version create one which lists everything you want to import at the end of act 1 (switches, variables, inventory, etc.). Then you would just need MZ to have some way to read this file, which I can't answer. This is the most immersive solution, but even if it could be implemented it uses an open file which people can easily edit and mess things up.
1. I could do this, and it's an easy fix, but if I did, it'd be something I'd do for my Patrons. I don't mind helping out if my game broke someone's save, but one of the major themes of the first act is earning your way up from nothing, which is countermanded entirely by having a save that skips that content and may have more content unlocked (like trophies and optional Holds) than would otherwise not have been earned.
The other side is to do nothing except the mandatory content, but that could result in a save that makes continuing with the story difficult or even unpleasant due to the lack of levels and resources. That could encourage cheating, which I already see more of than I'd like.
Overall, this is a valid solution, but not one I want to lean on.
2. This is what I'm looking at doing, but there are two problems with it. The first is that there are around 150 switches and 300 variables in use. Even narrowing that down to just the story-relevant ones, that's a lot of fiddling around.
The second is what I mention above - a lot of events rely on self-switches. I can't trigger those externally.
Neither issue is completely insurmountable, but it's enough work that I may not be able to get it done during the remaster period, so I'd have to make a choice between the skip feature or putting out a new story update for that dev cycle.
3. I'd love to be able to do this, but after several days of research, it seems to be functionally impossible. If I went off of your idea, I'd have to write a custom program to decompile the data, interpret it, then recompile it in a new save the new engine would recognize.
Can this be done? Sure, in theory. Can I do it? No. I don't have nearly the programming knowledge to make a tool like that for myself. It could theoretically be done manually, but that runs into the same sort of time-sink issue I mention above.
I've got a few other avenues I can check before I completely give up, but transferring saves doesn't seem viable.
Other random notes.
The estate customization is currently lacking (understandably). The set up is use-able but not great particularly regarding statues. It would be nice to be able to see the item in place, like Harem Collector, while customizing. Also, I think it would be nice to be able to set all the gallery statues at once. So either an object that sets them all to the same thing (nice if you want 10 of the same) or an object which takes you to a room like the gallery with circles where the statues go which you can interact with to cycle through the choices.
For customization options by the end of act 1, I think you should at least be able use some of Lalita's paintings and the table from the shack in the wilds just outside the estate.
I'm not sure how Harem Collector's system is set up. I've played the game, but I haven't looked under the hood, so to speak. While I agree it would be nice to be able to do since it's so much more flexible, I'm pretty sure they're using a custom plugin, so I wouldn't have access to that system without stealing it from the game (which I'm not going to do). The way it's set up now, with the customization room showing you a smaller snapshot of the set-up, was the best compromise I could think of. Setting up interactive events was my original thought, controlled by a "customization" switch, but I couldn't get it to work correctly. Every version I tried always broke something else when I tried to finish and save your changes.
A "group setting" for the gallery is a really good idea, though, and pretty easy to do. Into my notes that goes.
And I have plans for more customization options. Those plans are just tied to either character quests (which is where affection scores will finally play a bigger role) or something within Act 2 itself. So they're coming, it just might take a few updates.
I'm not sure if you can purchase Emily's contract in act 1. At first it said I would need to talk to Phoebe, but she never had an option for it. Then, it said I would need to discuss it later; and finally, I that I would need to talk to Emily's Master. If there's a window of time which I missed to purchase it that's fine, but if it just isn't possible yet can you simply make it so it says to talk to her Master?
Similarly the Trade function for the Folk from Ventire.
Nope, you can't purchase Emily's Contract in Act 1. That's another thing that's planned for sometime in Act 2. Valid notes though, I've got an idea for something to do about the "it's mentioned but you can't do anything" bit.
And trading with the Folk is definitely underserved. I had wanted to create a whole portion of the economy surrounding it, but I just never got to it. Switching to the new engine gives me a lot more options though, and remastering older parts of the game means I can add quite a few things that I missed before. Doing more with the Folk is definitely one of them.
I'll be starting a couple threads in a few places to gather feedback and talk about the remaster in another week or two, so part of me wants to say you're a bit early, but I always like hearing people's thoughts. Thanks a lot for all the feedback!
I'm gonna strangle this Quinn with her dumb quiz! "Nah-uh, you didn't say EXACTLY how I want to hear it, sit down, you got F!" Go back to your rural school and nitpick some fourth-graders for 100$ per mounth. I destroyed her headstone just because I despise her.
All the right answers are on the other book cases. Unless you don't want to read, but I can't really help you with that. Except for the last part of the quiz, but unless you go out of your way to sound like a jerk, that one's subjective on purpose and kinda hard to fail.
Unless there's a "correct answer" you think is incorrect, or if there's one of the questions that doesn't have an apparent answer in one of the nearby books. If that's the case, feel free to let me know - I'd appreciate any specifics.
And as an aside, the headstone isn't exactly Quinn's. That becomes relevant during the second Haunt.
