Hey there Fadge! First up, before I get to the meat of your post, I'd like to say a hearty cheers(!) for the detailed feedback. It's seriously hard to get such a balanced and in-depth look at our work from the outside (understandable since most people just want to play and to them our games are just 1 in a sea of games), so I think it's important to point that out and say our thanks for the efforts for sure. Seriously, good stuff!
Now, to the comments!
- Renderings -
Why thank you kindly! I'll not take the credit here, that's for
AgentsOfHeels to do since it's mostly him and his work. I supply the idea of the shot and some key details, but he makes the magic! To the point about the bare restaurant backing, that's actually something we agree on, but it's more a technical issue behind it than a style one. Sadly, with our current hardware set up, the restaurant (especially when Noe is there) is a really long render time and the additional wall decorations and things we'd like to spruce up the back wooden wall just make that a little worse time wise, it's a smarter move just to avoid showing it for now. That's what I am informed is the real issue, Unshi can speak to it better than I however. Anyways, overall it's a good job for us artwise? Cool!
PS. Personally, I'm not one for animations either! High 5!
- Story -
This one is more my doing, so lets chat.
Glad you like the Restaurant vs Restaurant theme, I like to think it's certainly a little different to what you mainly find in these kinds of games these days.
Now, here's were we get into one of the biggest challenges of the game development overall and that's the pacing overall. I admit, it's something I'm always doing battle with. I'm not sure a direct chapter format would work the way you suggest for what we have planned in the long run for the structure, but that's not to say our structure is perfect either. I'm interested in learning from my experience (this is my first ever time in control of a narrative when making a game actually, especially a character/story driven one) and ultimately doing better in subsequent games, but also as this game goes forward. Our stories / character arcs all run concurrently and aren't tied to specific times so player don't get pigeonholed into having to "get this character to her by this time... or else", as well as being mostly open to allow players to follow up on the characters they want an not the ones they don't (there will be some characters whose early scenes have some interplay though). That makes it a little harder to do strict chapters, though I do see some benefits to what you suggest too.
To the relationship with Brad, perhaps that's a place that could use some better contextualization in the early game? I wonder. It may be hard to tell (I'm not sure, I've had it laid out in my head for 2 years now and don't see it as the player does), but over the course of Noe's OS (Noe Way Out), which happens over a few months, all the way up where the game is now, Noe and Brad haven't been having a whole lot of sex, barley anything actually. She's too focused on the business and he's too worn out by the workload... their passions are low despite being in love. But that's also a part of their story, in rekindling the romance, or letting it go once and for all (v0.5 really starts to get into this actually). That's why they don't get a whole lot of at work action, but that's not to say it won't happen in time. I do agree with the core of your point though, it is silly to have an engaged couple who have been together 10+ years, who don't have some kind of romantic and intimate relationship. That's why Brads gotten character scenes early and is the one getting the most action so far as other guys build up some rapport with Noe before sexy times.
- The Gameplay -
I'll preface this part by saying this is most definitely the part of the game that could use the most improvement and it's something we take seriously, making things better where we can as we can. It's also the part that could use the most player feedback too.
I agree in part, I do fear the gameplay may be a little too complex in some ways, and yet in others be a little too simple for some peoples liking. My take on it is it should be playable by all, even those who don't want to get involved with it all that much (so they don't miss the game scenes), but also benefit people who put in the effort, strategize and enjoy the experience. It's a fine line to straddle and that I have difficulty doing alone without a lot of helpful feedback on specifics. A lot of info comes at the player, and not a lot of context, for sure. We hope that v0.5 has helped with this as we added a full 9 panel tutorial board, and put a lot of effort into making the info digestable and worth reading too by having Noe explain it (with cool/sexy portraits too). When the gameplay info as sent out alongside the build so as not to clutter the game UI, nobody read it, so that's our bad for not making it more player friendly up to this point.
Yep, you are right that Noe would indeed get a share of the profits from a profitable restaurant, as would Brad too (minority owner). In reality she wouldn't just live off tips and what she'll be able to earn in side jobs in her days off (still in progress). However, the gameplay you suggest is a much more in depth managerial system, and even though I myself would like that kind of game, I'm not sure it's as mass appeal as our current would be if it can be cleaned up and perfected. For simplicity's sake, we rolled out things like the restaurants earnings, we can assume it's either not profitable or doing just enough to cover Noe's lifestyle costs and rent but not to service her personal/professional debts.
To the point about tips, this is a little bit more murky, but I don't think your wrong either. From what I was able to research in the US (tipping is common here where we live but it's not the same as the US I believe) is that tips can be handled differently in different businesses. Many may share tips across all waitresses, some share a cut with the cooks and even the boss/owner (although in most places this is considered horrendous behavior). In the end, to fit it in a gameplay setting we had to take some creative license and make a solid call to say every girl keeps her own. Kelsey even comments in her first scene (not yet available) that she doesn't share tips, she earns her own and keeps them.
Upgrades where originally part of the game design actually, including things like privacy dividers between seats so girls could "earn" extra tips easier and the like. More risque uniforms where there too, and so were the restaurants earns a factor in it over all, but these all got cut from our original gameplay form from v0.1 (which sadly just didn't work or appeal to players) again for simplicy's sake. We didn't want to get too bogged in in the end, there's always future games, when we have a bigger fan base, more experience and better assets/resources/hardware for a bigger game. We don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon if we can help it!
- Additional Points -
We do have a simulate button ont eh gameplay to let people skip most of it, skipping all will be pretty hard, but maybe one day we'll be able to do a Pure VN version, or somebody will mod the game fanwise to do it?
There is actually a way to turn off the typewriter effect (slow text), or at least there should still be. We added it way back to Noe Way Out and it shouldn't have gone anywhere. Just press 't' on the keyboard. It's in the KeyboardControls.txt we include with the game every version. Sadly player don't read that either, boo-hoo. (I've underlined this point so more people see it, might be worth putting in an note in the OP actually?)
Renaming the game is a bummer, but in all honesty it's something we really do have to consider, we've taken a hit with the attempt at a clever and memorable pun name... Sad but true. It is ntr fetish related in many respects, but to the casual player they might miss out on all the corruption stuff that's more to Fem Protag playes tastes... Duly noted sir.
Alright, mega post over! Again, thanks kindly for the feedback, the chance to clarify some things and for the points to consider. It all helps! I hope I covered much, if not all, of the points, without too much ranting or tangential talk. Here's to a better game and a sexy time for all here, eh?
All the best!