do the updates change previous parts of the story or focused on future only? want to know to see if it's better to wait or get into the game since I don't enjoy repeating parts
You could start with this available version and copy your save data to each update and I'm pretty sure the full game too when it drops.
I like to start over each time just to see what little changes get made. The game itself is kinda linear and events will happen whenever you get the *talk* option (you'll see). You can either progress that characters story or continue to build up their stats. So you dont have to worry too much about starting over to get different content. I enjoyed the go at your own pace style this game has. But there's always the skip feature (which i only recommend if you already read that part of the dialog).