So a couple of things with this update.
What I liked:
- The new introduction for Mac was pretty good! Jayce going through a proper panic attack was a good touch to bring that plot point more to the foreground than it has been, especially considering that this particular part of the game didn't really effect anything in the story before.
- Using the panic attack to introduce Mac is also a great way to introduce him to the player and clue us in on his personality with how he responds to it; you didn't really get much of a feel for Mac's personality in his old introduction so this is a huge plus!
- David is also an interesting addition to the cast. His particular quirks seem to play off the other characters pretty well. It'll be interesting to see how his character grows in future updates!
As far as this update is conserned, there's only one creative decision that I don't especially like, and that's the change in Mac's role in the story. Changing Mac from being a student/classmate is a very odd choice, to say the least, especially when he's specifically referenced in Tom's route when Jayce gets to class (specifically as a "beefy wolf" who sits behind Jayce), which makes me think this was a decision made sometime during production for this update. It also limits his presence in the story, at least logically. Mac being a student gives a reasonable excuse to have him interact with Jayce and the others often, as they go to the same school, but without that connection, a logical reason has to be given for Mac to be at the school every time he shows up there, and delivering David's lunch will only cut it for so long before it gets stale.
Now, I don't know what may or may not be planned for future updates to Mac's route, but I feel like Mac needs to have some kind of role in the school, regardless, because otherwise the story is gonna rely on David and Tom to instigate most - if not all - interactions between Mac and the rest of the cast, which doesn't make for an especially compelling narrative.
If Mac isn't going to be Jayce's classmate, then there are a few other options for his role at the school; he could be a student only part-time or taking some of his classes online so he has time to work; he could be a teacher's aid for some of Jayce and John's classes; he could be a new coach, assistant coach, or even an instructor for one of the extracurricular activities (e.g. cycling, tennis, dance) at the school; what Mac's role in the school actually is doesn't really matter so long as he has a reason to come to the school during the day and interact with the rest of the cast.
Other Comments/Issues:
- I got a weird glitch where reloading any save that has John on screen won't load in his body, making him just a floating head. No other character has this issue as far as I can tell; this is a problem specifically with John's sprites.
- David's sprite looks kinda young compared to the others, at least to me. Assuming Jayce and John are at least 18, David looks closer to about 14 or 15 to me.
Overall, the last couple of updates have really delivered in terms of quality, and this one is no exception; I just think it could still use a bit of re-working, and some of the creative decisions made for it reevaluated. The new direction with Mac's route isn't necessarily wrong or bad, just very limiting in opportunities for interactions between him and Jayce during the week, most of which will rely on David or Tom as the reason they're happening at all. All I'm saying is that Mac's presence and role in his own route needs to be considered when most of the cast is going to spend so much of their time at the school (eight hours a day for five days a week, plus extracurriculars). Food for thought.
All things considered, keep up the good work!