Thanks, this is exactly the kind of perspective I was hoping the thread would generate even without a full playtest.
Your point about the Android download friction makes a lot of sense. The game is primarily HTML/JS packaged for Android, so I've actually got a pretty good reason to investigate putting a browser-playable version on the itch page specifically to make testing easier. There are a few Android-specific features I'll have to account for, but lowering that barrier is something I'm going to look into.
I also really like your example about showing a derived number reacting to player decisions. Right now a lot of my simulation becomes visible through the results after advancing the week. Showing something like projected release momentum/demand changing as the player selects promotion, features, videos, etc. could communicate the underlying simulation much better without dumping formulas on the player.
And I hadn't thought about the timer vs. threshold distinction that way. That's given me something to think about with several of my production systems.
Appreciate you taking the time to write this. This was genuinely useful.