While I agree that the writing has improved over this past update, I have to worry about the vision and direction that this game is taking. There are a few things that really stand out to me as incredibly jarring.
Maybe it's just how the sprites are being rendered, but some characters' reactions seem very strange. I very much appreciate the amount of work that's being done on that entire system, but I feel as though there needs to be a bit more variation on single emotions. Like expressions for different levels of happiness or anger. Sweetie Belle looked ready to fuckin RIP AND TEAR all over Rarity when she forgot to hold the door, like holy shit calm down.
Then there was the part where Fluttershy trips. I get that this game is not supposed to be that serious, but fuck I just felt bad. You take the shyest, most vulnerable member of the mane six and then have a scene where they accidentally basically give an entire crowd of people a full-frontal view. To me, it seems like too much. It wasn't cute or sexy, it was just kind of sad. I was waiting for the option to be able to look away or cover her up or SOMETHING. Is something like that in the game already? It's been a few days since I've played the update so I can't be sure.
Also, since I can tell that this game is going for a simpler, more true-to-show version of Equestria and a squeaky-clean approach to sex, then I'd ask for the ability to turn off the crotch-tits. Most people don't like them, and I personally find them to be kind of gross. I'm trying to fuck a cartoon horse, not a real one. You know what I'm sayin?
And the biggest thing: this game is being pitched as kind of a dating-sim, RPG, slice-of-life simulator, right? So it's incredibly strange to me that the player-character has so much personality forced upon them before you're able to make your first dialogue choice. I've played a lot of text-based and RenPy RPGs (as I imagine many of us on F95 have), and something that really makes a game feel alive is having plenty of inconsequential dialogue options that help you sink into the world a bit more. Imagine being able to tell the Mayor that you've been to Ponyville before, or tell AJ that you remember drinking apple sauce at the coronation. Something that lets you feel as though you've actually lived in Equestria your whole life. Something that lets you really get immersed in the world.
The interaction with the Apple family is a good example of this. I imagine that giving AJ a bad first impression won't totally lock you out of her route, but it will make it a little harder right? Dialogue that can slightly alter the game experience in a way that feels earned but is mostly inconsequential adds a great deal of immersion. I think that interaction is the best part of the game right now.
Now, to Silk Wright specifically:
I don't know who you are, or what your experience is with writing fanfiction or text-based RPGs. I guess I also don't really know how much freedom Spookitty's giving you in terms of what kind of story you can write. But if you have the freedom to start adding basic game elements like more inconsequential dialogue or player-character backgrounds, I'd recommend playing at least the first few hours of a game called Disco Elysium. This is the single best text-based RPG to ever exist, second maybe only to Planescape: Torment, and was written by a professional author over the course of five years. If you want to get an idea of what truly masterful game writing feels like, then look no further.
Note that this isn't a personal judgment saying that your writing sucks or anything. Like I said, I thought this update was an improvement and a large majority of the new writing feels stronger. But Disco Elysium is the platinum, diamond-studded, smokin'-sexy-style standard for game writing. Even beyond your investment in Pony-Tale itself, I'd say it's worth reading as a masterclass in world-building and character interaction.
Thank you for the insightful response!
I agree with a lot of what you are saying. I'm sure a lot of the information isn't out in the open (we make a lot of discussions regularly in patreon posts. I was just made Project Manager as of 0.3 releasing, and now we're putting out updates on a weekly basis, with new betas every 30-40 days. I can say that a number of your concerns are being addressed.
The first of which is the Main Character! We're putting forth a number of steps to help better immerse a player into the role. First and foremost, something as simple as a 'Create a Character' screen, which is really only a color-picker at this point, but it's something. (It might also be expanded far down the line, right now we need to get content out)
Second off, exactly what you talked about. A lot of the character interaction with the MC is railroaded by the amorphous player insert's personality, which is portrayed largely as curious, dopey, but otherwise empty. As of 0.4, the MC's dialogue will be more heavily influenced by player choices, via IoC selections.
Your concerns about Fluttershy (and also Applejack) are also being addressed. Both their 'lewd shots' will be removed and pushed to later into the game, where they'll make more sense contextually, rather than trying to cash on some quick and dirty groins.
SFX will also help (which we're also focusing on this work cycle) and can illustrate different things better. (Such as the fact that Sweetie Belle didn't just get the door closed on her, but it actually knocked her over into the supplies inside the shop, thus why she was so livid. She actually holds a grudge, which comes into play in the scene that we're working on at this very moment).
Past experiences won't be brought up, in order for a player to fill in the MC role better, at least not in the intro. Further interaction as you get deeper into the game WILL come into play in a variety of forms, with previous decisions impacting a large portion of what you do, from the relatively mundane to the course altering choices. (So say, yes, if you've bought tasty cider before, and AJ gives you some, you could judge it more sufficiently, etc.)
At this time, we are not enabling the ability to turn off the mammaries, but we may do so in the future. It should be relatively simple to do, I'll have to speak with Spooky and Error about its feasibility.
As for other powerful narratives, I am very glad that it was so potent! I personally will not be looking into them, just because I try to stay away from 'idea grabbing', despite what the literary industry says. Call it a personal philosophy. Parallel development is fine, inspiration is fine, but I don't want to accidentally pilfer an idea from another game. I can at the very least assure you that there's more than one professional writing VNs.
The tides are changing, the future is exciting! We'll see where it leads.