Hello again Mr BioLizard
Let me start by saying that it is a pleasure to finally come to know (at least a little) a Dimitri who is as good-natured as yourself. (The other one - let's just say that his character stood in sharp contrast to yours.) By the way, I haven't played any Sonic the Hedgehog games in a loooong time...
Thanks very much for your words which are an affirmation of the spirit, as I trust you generally found mine. After this, I will take up your kind suggestion to communicate via your other channels. (Perhaps I'm like a vampire who can't cross the threshold unless invited, but in truth I never have liked the idea of forcing my way into another's domain. I suck at sales.) So expect to hear from me there.
In addition to the encouragement, it was my hope that my feedback might be of use - which apparently it is. I play VNs primarily because I enjoy gaining insight into characters' personalities through their unfolding (not necessarily romantic) relationships with the protagonist. In a way, that's sort of the opposite of the protagonist making a choice to achieve a specific outcome - although without that important element nothing changes, of course. Alas, not too many VN writers worry about character consistency - they're probably more concerned with marketability - so it makes me glad when they could be bothered. It is one reason I commented favourably about yours.
I get this feed on Steam which offers 15 game suggestions at a time. I tend to purchase KNs, VNs and turn-based strategy (one of these things is not like the others!) so these tend to appear more frequently but I still get a whole bunch of other stuff in there - probably because I bought some FPS three years ago and who knows what else when. Anyway, as I was clicking through the feed and land on a VN, the trailer rolls and all of a sudden I hear this Aussie chick talking. The internal monologue pauses and confirms the accent then asks, What the hell is this doing on Steam? I got my answer and lost a bit of sleep over it, didn't I? ;) But it was rather disappointing to learn that the title had appeared in my feed the very day after crowdfunding had ceased... So thanks for the chance to still get behind this.
Regarding concerns, I totally get that you can't catch all of the typo's and so on - especially when the script isn't the only thing you're worrying about (particularly for a project of this size!). In any case, when one is hunched over a keyboard at 2am furiously pounding away with a cold mug of coffee standing nearby, stuff like that is bound to sneak in here and there. Anyway, I really hope you didn't feel like I was giving you a serve.
Also, what you say about the Dao family can now be reconciled in my mind, although it is still unrepresentative. I had an idea that Grace batted for the other team but didn't imagine her mother would consider this helpful for her "brand". (Your comment tends to give me the impression that Mrs Dao is wearing the pants - not sure why that should be...) So the poor twins are effectively stuck in a Skinner box. Yes, sadly some people do exert control over others in this way. Enough said.
As to my knowledge of the local area, I spent a while in Woden (which ended in a bad way) plus a short stay in Queanbeyan (a relatively happier time), and I tended to traipse about the place a bit. I always found Lyneham shops to be a relaxing place for some strange reason - and, based on the photo, it doesn't appear to have changed terribly much since my last visit. I'm in Sydney these days.
Anyway, I'll be in touch. Hope it all goes well Dimitri.
JT
PS: Sorry about the deleted posts - I forgot to switch on my JavaScript. With the first post, I thought it hadn't registered because all I saw in response was a page of HTML. With the second, I noticed the formatting was out of whack. Anyway, that's it and I'll go and pester you another time.