I really like this concept for a game, and it was a smart move to immediately make it mod-able so that your playerbase can focus on creating content to keep interest in the game between patches.
After playing and modding it for a couple of days, most of my issues with the game are UI/Layout and implementation problems. It’s mostly programmer art, and I understand that, but settling on a layout that would benefit your game’s goals is something worth doing early on. I studied UX and was looking for a job in gamedev before the pandemic, so sorry if I come off pretentious or like an asshole, I’m just eager to flex my knowledge and help.
UI critiques:
It’s no secret that this is inspired by the Yakuza Cabaret minigame, but your ‘shift’ layout isn’t really beneficial to your player’s enjoyment of watching porn or leveling girls. You followed Yakuza’s UI pretty closely, and while it works… it could be better.
Working girl’s necessary stats are inconvenient to find. Customers come requesting specific things, but your girls might not be able to do them. The only way to check is to click through them all and read the text at the bottom or try dragging and dropping (which opens up a pop-up. Same with the level of their work. Yakuza’s use of ranks and gauges instead of numbers makes their UI easier to read.
The extend/finish and assistance notification/buttons are small and inconveniently placed. Sometimes I’d get really focused on enjoying a single show and not catch two girls needing an extension. The cabaret club doesn’t have this problem because it takes you to a whole new screen for it, but that’s not really a good solution for your game.
Text boxes that you have to click through on the 'next' button. If I don't have the option to do anything else, just let me click anywhere to proceed, or at least the whole textbox.
Gameplay Critiques:
Extensions are guaranteed. Make them a function of a girl’s skill and her popularity. Or the client’s preferences. Give me an incentive to level up girls besides wanting to watch their scenes!
Finishing on dancing/posing. Nothing really wrong with it, but a customer getting to watch a girl dance then cum in her butt seems weird to me.
Timing and booths. I don’t know for certain, but it really seems that the delay between customers and length of sessions are nearly static between each tier. Randomization of those times (with a maximum and minimum value) would add a bit more interactivity to the shift.
Auto-Assist. The condom/cigarette/drink/drugs automation kinda trivializes an entire section of your game. If I were you, I’d remove the last tier (or make them extremely expensive) and have players rely on the black-market based automation if they want an easy night to one-hand it to. I’d also make the black-market automation cost influence to use per shift.
Client preference for girls. Earning more money by giving the clients either specifically requested girls or attributes you can reference/add to the profile/JSON. Body type, bust size, hair color, age ranges. Ethnicity, tattoos, and big butts are all ideas that come to mind.
