First of all, glad to hear you enjoyed the game!
In regards to the points you've made...
-I suppose the "trust" vs "affection" stats weren't explained very well, I just didn't want endless tutorials bogging down the early game. I guess I could add in the ability to ask Rei about it ^^;
-On the rushed vs. natural thing: I wanted to have a variety of girls, some who would feel more comfortable getting sexual faster (e.g. Sacha), some who are a slow burn (e.g. Camilla, Tirria). I hope none of the girl's stories came off as too unnatural...
-For the "bad end" part; I think leaning more towards the "temporary setback" is a good idea, even if it might be a bit more work. I still get many people asking what to do after sleeping with Alice in the wrong way (despite the game's warnings ._. ) but I would like to add more player control/choices in the future.
-I tried to strike a balance between characters who defy/don't conform to their race (Camilla, Tirria, Maria, kind of Kirana) and those who are typical of their race (Sacha, Beth, Alice, etc.) while some of the stories are definitely skewed towards that idea, hopefully I can balance it out in the future.
I'm really happy to hear you loved the game! I always welcome constructive feedback, positive or negative, and I'll definitely keep it in mind for the future ^^
Re: Trust vs Affection - From my understanding from playing it, the stats have very clear effects that can be deferred from their names. But maybe you can add a quick blurb in the getting to know the inn section of the de facto tutorial? I think the first interaction/choice you have with Rei lets you affect one of the stats. It'd be a natural segue for Rei to explain about building trust and affection with the locals.
Re: Natural vs Rushed - That was my impression as well, which is why I also pointed it out. Namely, it could be seen as part of their character just having a different approach to it. I favour slow burns, so I'm biased on the matter. I do feel like it was a bit mixed on whether it felt like a character trait or felt like an odd pace on the more quick-to-lewd characters. I'd have to replay to point out specifics, but overall it really isn't a big issue. None of what I mentioned are glaring issues. It's more a flavour thing and I of course want the flavour that appeals to me <3
Re: Bad end - I figured the lewd option was bad, after the warning. Yay meta-gaming. But I picked the lewd one to see where it went and I was really impressed with how it played out. Which is why you whetted my appetite for more of it. Players not paying attention to the very clear warning from Rei is not really on you.
Re: Conform vs Breakout - I don't think you need to focus on balancing it as a goal. If anything, you've got a good balance already, in my opinion. I'd love to see more nuances to it. Like a good example, in my opinion as always, is Maria. Centaurs are known for being on the wilder side as barbarians in universe. She maintains a more restrained attitude - but then your first romantic interaction is her unable to contain her desire to kiss you. In that way still sharing similarity to her species and conforming, while also clearly standing apart and being distinct from the stereotype. I think that's really sweet. Both romantically but from a writing perspective as well. It's what makes her an individual rather than a representative of her species. What makes her "Maria" and not "the unusual centaur". Just keep up the good work on this front, you're golden. If anything, play around with the conformity/defiance of expectation/stereotype more <3
And finally, again: thanks for making this! It's really nice and I like it a lot.
Maybe what’s missing in regards to the “dating sim stat” area is some indication in the “progress indicator menu”. It tells you what to do next, but maybe it could give you information on how your trust/affection is going? Even if just a general descriptor rather than a number.
Also: As it stands, does Vera’s submission stat, which is unique to her, even do anything? Her content seems pretty linear at the moment and the submission stat is feeling vestigial of a different earlier plan where you would shape the MC’s relation to her but got scrapped in favour of having the MC be unambiguously and decidedly opposed to the concept of having an actual slave
I would like to rework the relationship progress screen at some point. More information might be nice for the player to have. Just not sure if it would break immersion too much. I'll have to try some things out.
Initially, I did plan for Vera to have a lover/slave route, depending on if the player built more affection or submission, but it was put on the back burner to flesh out the other girls and give them content.
Looking at it now, I'm wondering if it would be a very satisfying experience at all, given her personality. She would likely offer very little resistance to any domination or corruption. Perhaps the dual route would be best saved for a more willful slave that can be purchased in the future.
Hmmm perhaps. I think it would make sense if we one day got to see some meters and Vera’s submission starts very nearly maxed out.
Maybe her time to shine will be as a mentor type to this hypothetical second slave. But with the MC locked into being very reluctant about the whole slavery thing, it might get tricky to work in any sort of domination/training angle. Remains to be seen =)
For myself, I feel a bit split. On one hand, the stats being visualized or readily available would be greatly convenient and make sense in the context of it being a game. Inversely, I would much rather have hints, e.g. "She doesn't seem to trust you very much right now" or something to that effect. Kind of similarly to the way it is now. Where you get a hint for what you would need to work on, rather than fumbling blindly. But without telling you it's a matter of "Do X action 5 times to unlock next milestone" - which I feel would damage the narrative experience and getting to know the character.