Wow, when you promised a more thorough response to my comment you did not disappoint. Really appreciate how much you're engaging with the feedback not just from me but from everyone commenting :)
To follow up on a few points:
Changes to the intro:
Well, to be fair, I did provide at least some of those critiques that prompted the changes and I think some of them were definitely warranted. I think overall I prefer the new version to the old, but what I was envisioning was something in between the two, I think. I certainly don't find the new version lacking at all.
The compass:
"Going on the assumption that the compass will likely lead them somewhere they do not want to go" - right this is kind of the crux of my issue though. If I was in that situation, it would be a leap to assume that the compass would actually lead anywhere at all and is not just useless junk that may also be A) a tracker of some kind that could lead Goat or a Goat associate to you; B) cursed in some other way that could affect you or Sam mentally or physically; or C) a jellyfish in an extremely elaborate disguise :P.
For you to find a benefit for taking the compass, especially when it's just something you find sitting around the house, you have to be making a lot of assumptions about the very specific harm it's intended to cause, and I'm wondering if our protagonists are doing that because the author knows what its purpose is, not them.
Sam in the Wine route:
I think part of the issue for me was that I played the beer route first (because beer is superior to wine, obviously) and that seemed to nail both characters so well that it felt substantially more odd when I played the other route. I wonder if Sam's actions would have been as jarring if I had played the wine route first.
Disclaimers:
So, it's probably a good idea to throw out a disclaimer at the beginning of the story anyway just as good practice for any NSFW VN, like just your standard "hey pal this game's got porn in it". I think if you added something like that, it wouldn't be a heavy lift to extend that to "hey pal this game's got porn in it and some of it's real rapey". I'm all for horror and for keeping things unfiltered, just want to make sure people know what they should be expecting is all.
(I can also provide legitimate, non-joke disclaimer language if you don't want to bother with it)
Goats, Sheep, and You:
Okay I admit I'm a little biased here. I dated someone for a long time who grew up on a farm and they got real ticked if you confused sheep and goats, so I'm probably more sensitive to it.
Writing style:
Not enough elegant poetry out there about animal person nutsacks, really.
In all seriousness, I wouldn't stress about it - you're always going to be your harshest critic and obviously keep pushing yourself, but I wouldn't advise you to let striving for purple prose get in the way of a clear narrative or dialogue. I think you've got a good balance right now and you don't need to fix what isn't broken.
Discord:
Not from my comment, but if you do set one up, I would be happy to contribute. It's a fun project and it's nice to stay engaged :)
Timelines:
Agreed, deadlines for projects like this tend to be dates that will inevitably be missed, so it's best to work at your own pace. We'll be patient, even if Chris and Sam wish you'd hurry up so they can go home.