So first, it's cool man. Like, the VOD for your part won't be up for, like, 3 more days even. I'm not worried.
Second, I was not expecting you to give so much. I was never worried about context, but I do understand how time constraints can lead to shortcuts. My goal in mentioning the oddities is to ensure they are issues of time constraint, because so long as you acknowledge them then it's all good.
That said, in the end the one thing I wanted to know wasn't truly answered. XD What do you plan to do to stand out? This is the most important part, since as you go forward you need to have this already in your head so you're working to that goal.
Lastly, I want to cover something with you to explain my reasoning on one thing...
I both agree and disagree with you. I believe there should be at least 3-tiers available for purchase (all being an upgrade of some sort), so players who did want to hoard gold before the first shop, would have a little more options
So as someone who knows me quite well, this is the bane of my existence with RPGs for two reasons:
1. If a game has random battles, I will grind currency until I get the top equipment.
2. If a game has fixed battles, I will hoard until I deck my team the top option then hoard again until I can afford the next top option set.
And I can't fix this problem. I try not to and my brain doesn't let me. I don't feel okay doing it. Reason why is because I'm neurodivergent (depression, anxiety, ADHD, likely autism) and I'm very rigid with things like this.
So for me, it makes RPGs more of a grind for me than they should be. The more that I feel the grind, the more I dislike the game. Right now, there is no grind. The shop-related issues I had were a result of missing descriptions primarily, but I had the money to get what I wanted from it.
Lastly, what's the difference? Like, all you're going to do each new "tier" is shift things up one or two levels, making the old top item now the mid or low tier. It's the same idea, only allowing someone to hoard for some unknown reason instead of just being "Okay, here's the new minimum level. Everything ahead will be stronger."