You make good points but the thing you can't see without being a Patreon is the lack of public contact/interaction with the people paying him to create - his Patreons. I was one of ICSTOR's Patreons but about 6 months ago, after no new content and little if any contact, I stopped. I consider Milfy City to be abandoned. It is still a very good VN but it is no longer top tier.
I support about half of the creators you listed in your post. The best VNs today go beyond a good story and graphics/animations:
They add in good interaction with their Patreons (Faerin - Mystwood Manor - does Patreon Polls every month and then actually incorporates their input into future releases which occur monthly)
They add in innovative features that keep Patreons like me invested in the VN - (Mr Dots - Sunshine Love - the Peeping Tom and Doughnut features)
They add in significant voice acting and a unique art style (Kuma - Milky Touch - The woman who does the audio for Claudia is Exceptional, and Kuma is adding voice acting to additional main characters so that there is more and more voice acting through time)
They add in music that really ties into the story (Sir Dammed and Alorth - Radiant - some great music that is tied to the emotions of the scene, really helping to immerse you in what is happening)
None of these creators are perfect but every one: continues to develop their VN, listens to their Patreon community, and responds!
