"I just still can't figure out what's the use of being able to remove these ear clips if we're going to have sex scenes later in the game where he's wearing these clips even though they've been removed?"
While I do think quite a bit about the "lore", setting and characters, it's important to remember this is also a game. Some things are "meta", that is, some things exist simply because they need to for game play reasons. And some things are BOTH. There is also an interlocking relationship between the identity of the player, and Mezz as a character, which I've written about a lot on the GT forums. These are games designed to tease the player, because Mezz would never get into these scenarios himself, but the player obviously wants him to, so there's tension there, as the player keeps nudging in that direction. The player is alternatively a perverse, dark impulse in Mezz's mind or a guardian angel, depending on how you decide to play.
In this context, removing the clips is the player taking agency that Mezz doesn't have, but THEY, as the player do. The option is provided because, mechanically, I want give people the option of having battle sex disabled to start with. It's important to me, ironically, that these games FORCE as little as possible. You the player have to CHOOSE to let it happen, because then it's your fault, and that's what makes it hot. However, again, it's interlocking. Once Mezz loses enough anyway, that extra agency the player has goes away. You can no longer intervene, because he's too corrupted.
"But why are they back on in the sex scenes then?"
What's actually going on with the clips in general is left somewhat vague deliberately, as these are stories about mind fuckery. But at the risk of contradicting what I said earlier, what ACTUALLY happens when you take them off? They disappear from fight graphics, and battle sex doesn't happen. So the EFFECT is definitely off, but are they really off? Or is your perception, as the player, just being messed with, just like Mezz's is? As the game progresses, the clips have a way of really being on when they should be off, and of course Mezz doesn't realize they're on at all, so why should you? Your perception as a third party is sharper, but it might still not be immune. They're very "slippery", which is of course the nature of a mind-altering device.
In short, it's important to remember for all these games that "Mezz" and "the Player" are two DIFFERENT entities. Overlapping, of course, but not the same. The whole fun of these games is that you, as a player, have access to information that Mezz does not. YOU can remove the clips because YOU aren't wearing them. That particular trick isn't targeted at the player, so it has no effect on you. Playing these games you exist in two states: as the player EMBODIED in Mezz, and as the player itself, and these are two different things.
"I noticed that the game has a different icon in windowed mode, he took it from another game called Lust Doll Plus, it was also on my computer and was created using the same engine as your game, RPG Maker."
This is a known bug/quirk of RPGMaker MV. For some reason the way it handles its icons means that a previously run game in the engine can get its icon "stuck" in some system folder, and so new RPGMaker MV games inheret that icon for a while. I've tried to stomp this out by various means, but it looks like it's still happening occasionally. It's harmless though, and has nothing to do with the translation. And eventually it will probably reset on its own, though I forget the exact mechanism.
"But now I want to decline such an offer, because firstly, it seems to me somehow greedy and/or selfish to take advantage of your kindness, it's not for me. Secondly, I haven't completed the first chapter yet because of the situation with the ear clips in the game, which for some reason triggers me."
No worries, just let me know if you change your mind.
And yes, the Russian exchange rate is pretty brutal. Steam prices are often better because Steam deliberately underprices many of its games in poorer regions. But please understand, in the States $10 is basically two loaves of bread. An hour of labor at a fast food restaurant, AFTER tax, will more than pay for it. But again, that's why I sometimes offer to just gift things in situations like this. Silk Song is an interesting point of comparison: in the States it is currently $20, or roughly 1,664 Rubles, so it's about half price regionally for you. Beyond that though, "bigger" indie games, paradoxically, can often afford to price lower in general. This is because they can expect a wide audience, and a lot of sales. The higher the sales, the lower the price on each unit can be. Silk Song sold over 4.2 MILLION units. At that price, they could afford to sell it at ONE dollar and still make a very good profit. GT, on the other hand, has done well, but it's definitely not selling millions of units. You can think of it like "bespoke" goods vs. Manufactured: Lower volume, lower sales, lower production efficiency, so the price has to be higher. Economics is weird like that.
I can't speak to the functionality of Paypal from Russia to the States at the moment, but my guess would be that even if you can download the app, you might have trouble actually successfully completing the transaction if you tried. This stuff is always shifting around however. Regardless though, as I said, Steam just isn't a choice: the content I produce isn't allowed on their platform. So it's Itch or Substar, at least for now.
"it hooked me with its simplicity, as if it were a mysterious lost porn game from the 2000s with a double bottom, where at first the game seems like an ordinary RPG fighting game, and then it becomes a real porn game." Ha, this is exactly what I'm aiming for, so I'm glad it comes across. I think it's more fun if these things are a little subtle, and creep up on you, rather than immediately being in your face. Though I may stray from it a little, the initial design theory of the games in this series is that TECHNICALLY, you could play all of them the "right" way and encounter little to no explicit content. It's only when you stray off the path that things start to go awry.
"And as the developer and creator of the game, I want to wish you good luck and success in this project!" And thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts across the language barrier. And I hope you're able to have fun with the game, despite occasional inconsistencies. And that you're eventually able to try GT: it's a MUCH larger game, and much improved: I learned a lot between the making of the first and second game, to the point where CS is a bit primitive now. But it's still a fun start.
"“Cheburnet” is an unofficial term used to describe the concept of a sovereign Internet in Russia. The term combines the name of the popular Soviet character Cheburashka and the word “Internet,” alluding to the localization and isolation of the Russian segment of the network from the global network."
Interesting. This is one of the unexpected perks of making these games: I get to learn so much about the world beyond my little cave. And sadly, I'd say something similar is happening in the US. In most of the old "free" places probably. They got sick of ordinary people having too much freedom. Balkanization (hah) of the Internet is almost guaranteed at this point. But I'm determined to enjoy the dying embers for as long as they last.