1. Deeper relationships with a smaller cast 100%. I like your suggestions with a particular interest in meaningful dialogue choices, optional romance, and multiple dates.
2. I think Gameplay mechanics such as mini games make a game stand out more (see modification app by tightly as an engaging example that you could have similar mini-games but in your own unique style). Also depends what the renpy engine can handle. A focus on story is great too. So really do what you think is enjoyable and fun!
3. I personally think a focus on mini games and story is more important. Typically the phone apps are more useful for checking affection levels or buying items needed to progress the story. So Online shopping and Social Media App that cleverly shows affection to the character would be good. I did like the texting in version 1.3.9 and can see some interesting uses for it.
4. I prefer dynamic locations - I believe it allows more love and care to be put into each location. Another chance by TimeWizardStudios does a really good job of this. More locations is also appreciated, but depending on your development team size/skill, don't stretch yourself too thin. Locations of interest would be: Beach, Travel Location (School Trip), Downtown, Shopping center etc. No major preference though, story should dictate the location.
5. Romantic Build-up YES (different levels of intimacy/build-up time depending on the specific character), Character Specific Preferences YES, and YES branching choices during intimate scenes (top/bottom/in/out/wild/mild etc.). No NTR.
6. Still too early to tell. Quest or activity tracker is nice, but shouldn't be holding your hand fully. It's fun figuring out what you need to do as well, but sometimes help is needed. Character Relationship Tracker as a Clever Social Media App would be fun (example: "Today I ran into the love of my life" or "omg I am actually found out she was a he today :) potential BF material).
My Ideas:
1. TOP 3 most wanted features:
1. Male route development or at least idea of what that looks like (Male as the top) 2. Romance building/More meaningful dialogue choices. 3. Interactive mini-games tied to the skill building or feminization/masculine paths.
2. Something Completely New:
The male path if done in non-femboy style would be completely unique. Everything else you listed I really like but see comments above. My only concern is adding too many things may strain your time. So really focus on what you think is fun in the game!
3. Story Vs Gameplay: Option A but with some minigames that aid in character development.
4. More Characters or More Depth: More depth. I’d say add more characters only after you’ve fleshed out your existing lineup.
5. Improve First:
Playing 1.3.9, I’d say optimization and intimate animations.
The intimate animations feel choppy – making them more fluid would be ideal (assuming this doesn’t massively slow down development) or make the animations play at a set rate to control fluidity. Sometimes there is techniques that make images appear more fluid (pixel art can be like this) - again depends on what ren py can handle.
Performance: Transitions between areas have some lag to them (5070ti/i7 12 gen). Interface sometimes bugs out (at the end of the playthrough the exit button wouldn’t work or took a long time to exit – not ideal especially if you live with others haha).
Hope this helps!