Firstly the name of the thread is "why is man of the house so popular?" not "is it worth being popular" or "whether or not this game is as it currently exists, worthy of the hype."
These semantic distinctions have no bearing on the subject. The english language is quite maleable and all those mean the same thing. Why is it popular is a question that asks what reason it has for being so popular. That means it questions whether it is worthy of its popularity. Hype and popularity are interchangeable in this subject.
Secondly alot of us have said we like the game, is it perfect no, does it have everything we want in a game no...now the important question is it complete NO, but we still enjoy what there is of it and hope with feedback it'll get even better.
What you're missing here is the point of the question. You've said you like the game, but can't point to a reason why. What does this game have that you like. Liking a developer isn't a reason to like a game. I can tell you right now, I like Ptolemy, and I like Intimate relations a hell of a lot more than I like Dreaming of dana. I don't like Dreaming of Dana because it was Ptolemy, though he is why I played it, I am able to remove that like of the developer to address the problems with the game.
The fact that the game isn't complete isn't a valid response. We are aware that it is incomplete and can't understand why it gets the attention it does considering the state of the project thus far. I say again This is about the current project, not what could theoretically be done to fix it in the future.
little sister, school is important to her, she is very social and love spending time with friends, she love clothes shopping and hanging out at the mall, she's a little timid but also a little naughty, it takes her awhile to work up the courage to go after what she wants.
I intentionally didn't include the "loves clothes shopping" point because it's the most basic character trait ever. Point to a girl who doesn't enjoy clothes shopping. Hell I'm a guy and I enjoy shopping for new clothes if I have the money for it. I don't think the "she's a little timid but also a little naughty" point is valid. She's the rare female character that is the aggressor in the relationship and she's definitely the one with the power in her friendships. If anything she's not timid, but inexperienced, which I should have included as a point, as it is something I allowed for when talking about how she's the most plausible character.
big sister, probably still dealing with jealously from MC getting more attention when young which is why she's mean to him, mom is very important to her and she cares what mom thinks, very adventurous, conflicted about being bi sexual, her future is important to her so she is somewhat responsible, has a wild streak.
I admit, I gave up before making it passed the point where she's in the cab with you because I couldn't trigger the next scene for some reason. So if the jealousy is true I don't know where it comes from, except maybe the dinner's but I don't see that as jealousy because she is the one that did the work. I also don't see the future being important to her aspect, but to be clear, I don't see that as a character trait either. Point to a single person who doesn't care about their future.
The mom, strong and independent, very selfless, caring, responsible, a little naughty, has a soft side.
I'll give you strong and independent. The rest are just motherly traits in general combined with the fact that this is an incest game so of course she's a little naughty. In general, this just showed how shallow she is.
Now, my game isn't a life sim, so I don't have that handicap. However here's what you learn about Alexis and Alexander in the first release.
Alexander is a timid but happy boy, he was molested by his father, and as a result clings hard to his sister, who saved him from that fate. He likes his coffee and is possibly bisexual. He is a bit of a geek, who enjoys tabletop rpgs, space operas, etc. He likes music, and can listen to anything. If you know the music itself, there's a scene that reveals he's also a fan of musicals.
Alexis is a bit ostentatious, happy to tease, but also very serious and conflicted. She has the courage and presence of mind to kill, as she demonstrated when she shot her father three times in the back, saving Alexander from the horrible facefucking their father was forcing on him. She cares a lot for her twin brother, and would do anything for him. Alexis is very conflicted in her feelings for Alexander because of their father. She fears that the influence over him, combined with her feelings might make her just as much of a monster as him. Like her brother she's a tabletop gamer and has an appreciation for space operas. She is also a fan of coffee, loves music, and joins in with her brother when singing lines from the aforementioned musical.
That's just about 1 hour worth of content with these two characters. With it, you're engaged in their lives and stories, you want to know where things will go with them. When the sex comes it isn't going to be just because you think Alexis is hot, it'll be the culmination of all the feelings you have built up regarding Alexis. That is how you create a character. Almost none of this is learned through exposition. The characters reveal it through their actions. The scene involving their father is the opening. You learn about the space opera thing during a game they're playing as they drive across country. You learn about coffee from a conversation teasing their mother about how she orders her's half caff and full of sugar. You learn about how they are into tabletop rpg's as the two of them enthusiastically recall to their mother a hilarious boss confrontation they pulled off in one of their recent games. You learn about their love of music through their use of the radio and later Alexis' phone to play music of all sorts of genres and specifically singing a duet from Moulin Rouge. It's all organic, it's all development, and it's all things that any story, sandbox sim or not, could integrate.
We know that the little sister likes romance movies, so have an actual conversation about them instead of just glossing over it in a short scene. We know that she gets scared easily, have her actually talk about what it is that scared her. We know that she goes shopping every weekend, make these events something special, I always thought it was weird that I couldn't run into her at the mall every Saturday. In Good Girl gone bad they even make a point that she starts shopping at a shop because she really likes the stuff there, its a minor detail, but it fleshes ashley out and gives us a richer worldspace.
We know that the big sister is only now learning that she's a sub who loves to be dominated. There are so many ways to explore this that could be done to add development and sex at the same time. Take her on a date and make her suck your dick in a movie theatre, all of the sudden she's confronted with a dilemma of wanting to please her master and wanting to watch this movie, what is the movie, why does she want to watch it, does she watch it instead and take the punishment later? Character development doesn't have to be tedious, it can be really fun. And it doesn't have to detract from the game's progression model. Maybe make a scene where you and your sister go for a run, you're both athletic, it's a natural thing to do, then maybe try some exhibitionism in the park. Have them have a conversation about something trivial, or rather, something trivial to us the viewer, but that's important to her. You say she cares about her future, I haven't seen that, but the conversation could be about that, it could be a chance for you her master to do something nice for her.
We know almost nothing about mom, and that's kinda my point. Even you couldn't think of anything other than her personality. What food would she like to go out to? What is her idea of entertainment? Would she rather go to a concert or a movie? Would she rather see an opera or a broadway musical? Is there a way for the MC to take her out without suspicion? When you do, what happens? Is mom timid in public, or bold without the chance of being caught by her daughters? Does she have a sense of humor? Would she prefer a fancy dinner or is she more down to earth and just wants to eat something bad for her?
I'm not critical of his characters just to be an asshole. It's because character involvement makes the entire thing better. You want to immerse your players in your world. To make us feel, because when we feel we care more about the outcome. This applies to sex in a different way. When you're done fapping it'll be a more intense orgasm. It matters.