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Hey Crockmonster, Zak here!

We’re really happy to hear you’re enjoying the game!

Regarding the slow burn, I think I get what you mean. I struggle a bit with the specific terms to describe what we’re trying to achieve because I’ve never been much of a "tags" person (dammit, now I actually need them xD). But in short: I like making players "fight" for things—whether it’s the story, secret scenes, romance, or even the sexual content. When I describe it as a slow burn, I mean it in that sense: it can take a while because that’s the kind of story I personally love to read and tell. 

But it's also because I want a game and a story where the emotional connection to the story and characters is at its core. That being said, I do have NSFW content planned and there will be some characters that are "easier" to reach sexual content with than others. However, I try to be honest and say that this isn't the main focus of Trueclash. Which I realize might be a bummer for those looking for an experience more focused on that side of things. :\

I also understand your point about things moving fast with some characters. There are a few factors at play here. I often hear people telling me stories like "I met this person two days ago, but it feels like I’ve known them for years." Why does that happen? I can’t say for certain because there are so many different reasons why that happens.
For example, for that specific scene you mentioned to happen (with Diego), you already had to do something to impress him. There are several ways, but the clearest is having broken through his initial barrier, helped Harry and even the training itself. To him, these carry emotional weight and aren't easy to pull off. One could argue that he’s known people for years who wouldn’t do that for him. And that can make a hell of a difference and change things up.

About the sex stopping right before it happens... damn, I can see why that can be frustrating. In fact, I think one of the dialogue options reflects exactly that. Letting you show your annoyance because it’s not exactly fair to deal with that! I always try to think about what different people would want to say, though I have my limitations since everything has to be programmed. :P But yeah, I totally feel you on that.

Regarding the mini-game... I’ll admit, some people love it and some think it should be different. About having visual aids to help you choose a stance, I agree I could improve the clarity there. However, I’d need some help with that right now. I have so much on my plate and I’m not sure if I have the budget yet, as I’m currently looking for people to help with art, new character development, and upscaling/remaking what we have without losing the essence of the art you're used to. I’d also love to find a developer/programmer to help me polish the mini-game itself. My dream is for it to feel like a "game within the game," but I have to be realistic and admit I can't develop two games at once on my own.

To help you with the mini-game for now: imagine you’re playing against a real person. The AI remembers which stances you’ve used and tries to adapt to your patterns. You can actually bait the AI! (which will be more important on the next combat update)

Both the AI and the mini-game have been improved in version 0.7 for the season’s final fight (releasing on Patreon in about 2 weeks). I’d love to get your thoughts again once you’ve played the stadium combat.

As for the audio/visual cues, I got you. The training sessions so far do lack clear visual effects. In v0.7, during the stadium fight, there’s a much stronger visual presence for both your chosen stance and the opponent’s. I’ll wait for you to play that to see if it helps.

And about the characters—it’s definitely our intention to make them feel unique and represent different body types. Twinks and bulls exist, but there is a lot of "in-between" ;)

Thanks for being here!