I've been following this since the developer switch from one individual to a 'whole team' and from what I can tell, for every piece of 'content' added, 1.5-2 pieces of content are being removed. The obsession with trying to set up different clothing rigs for multiple outfits has resulted in less, not more content. I'd be able to forgive the lack of visual content if the story lines and writing were of great quality- but the text is serviceable at best, nothing to really praise or write home about. I imagined that spreading the work out among several individuals would lead to a speedy and plentiful series of updates- but after 1.5 years or so, after I come back to this game, even accepting that a great deal of additional content for Cho and others are planned and implemented to varied degrees I've encountered very little that I did not encounter 1.5-2 years ago. Indeed, some scenes and scenarios I really enjoyed have been totally gutted from the game with no signs of them being implemented in the future or changed to add a layer of freshness to playing. I know it's a lot easier to critique something than make it- and overall I have had my fun with the game, but this is the only project I can think of where each passing major update focuses more on 'bug fixes' and adding clothing pieces rather than expanding the general content of the game. I even enjoyed the pacing of reading the different books- as the chapters went on, the writing and scenarios became saucier, so you could even get your kicks while 'grinding' imagination. Never before have I seen so many removals and reductions in a game's content without subsequent expansion into other content of similar length and quality. It's very strange.
On top of removing content at a rapid pace, rewriting scenes and characters that have been established for years that also removes content, and going from one person passion project to ‘an entire team,’ the updates are slower, contain less, and they have the gumption to request donations!
I just can't wrap my head around the logistics of it. A significant portion of content is removed (and I am not even including potions, I couldn't care less about those additions even though they were good content) and then a bare minimum trickle of writing is added to pad out 'storylines' that are less well put together than a script of CSI Miami. If they want to turn this platform into a dress-up simulator for varied Harry Potter characters I'm fine with that vision- I just wish they would inform players that this is the direction they are going with. The mirror additions, meant to be funny and humorous, fall utterly flat in terms of comedy or intriguing content to me. I think it is a poor series of design and pacing decisions where I as a player recall having MORE to do and MORE to experience in a version 2 years ago than the current working version today. Once again, I don't know how their team is set up or how their scheduling works and I am well aware I am 'owed nothing' from them, but I find it very hard indeed to believe they can think they are making great progress when more time has been spent gutting existing content with each subsequent update than actually adding content. I guestimate off the top of my head about 45 minutes to an hour of additional reading/content has been added while roughly an hour to 90 minutes of reading/content has been removed. How is this building upon previous iterations? It's as if I am watching a demolition of a project in very slow motion. I think it's time to go back to Princess Trainer Gold.
On top of removing content at a rapid pace, rewriting scenes and characters that have been established for years that also removes content, and going from one person passion project to ‘an entire team,’ the updates are slower, contain less, and they have the gumption to request donations!
I just can't wrap my head around the logistics of it. A significant portion of content is removed (and I am not even including potions, I couldn't care less about those additions even though they were good content) and then a bare minimum trickle of writing is added to pad out 'storylines' that are less well put together than a script of CSI Miami. If they want to turn this platform into a dress-up simulator for varied Harry Potter characters I'm fine with that vision- I just wish they would inform players that this is the direction they are going with. The mirror additions, meant to be funny and humorous, fall utterly flat in terms of comedy or intriguing content to me. I think it is a poor series of design and pacing decisions where I as a player recall having MORE to do and MORE to experience in a version 2 years ago than the current working version today. Once again, I don't know how their team is set up or how their scheduling works and I am well aware I am 'owed nothing' from them, but I find it very hard indeed to believe they can think they are making great progress when more time has been spent gutting existing content with each subsequent update than actually adding content. I guestimate off the top of my head about 45 minutes to an hour of additional reading/content has been added while roughly an hour to 90 minutes of reading/content has been removed. How is this building upon previous iterations? It's as if I am watching a demolition of a project in very slow motion. I think it's time to go back to Princess Trainer Gold.
