I’d already solved the issue around save games by the time I posted this status, so no worries. I’m glad you don’t have an issue (so much) with having to restart, but most players do. Take issue. It’s all solveable with the right tools and, more importantly, a good understanding of how Ren’Py works. After six years more or less full time working with it, I’m pretty good at it at this point.
Once during the development of Confusion I had to force a restart because the changes I had to make were far-reaching and extensive. (I had to rebalance all of the effects of choices made through the first seven chapters of the game.) But most of the time that restarts are forced, they’re avoidable if you just know why it happens. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. I’m just trying to tell a story in the best way I know how, without penalizing faithful fans for whom those reasons are unimportant.
As far as music goes, it’s part of the experience. Viewing a VN without music is to me like watching a silent movie. I once saw a cut of the original Star Wars movie without John Williams’ famous score. Just dialogue. It was a weird, unsettling experience. But some people don’t care for music, which is why the option exists to turn it off.
Thanks for your comments!