My first playthrough ended at the end of the first week. I choose to take a class, which put my cash below zero. Apparently debt is not an option.
I will mention that there was a use for lockpicking (beyond one's own home).
The only semi-major bug I ran into was semi-mentioned, but different. The tabs and below section of the screen went blank every time I choose to take a weekend class (it did return as soon as I continued to the next day however). Obviously the English could use some help, but it was understandable, if not text-book.
Interface-wise, I felt like the club images should have been up in line with cameras, and selectable without going to the special tab. Maybe the left side of the row would be for walking into an area and looking around, whereas the right side is look at the area through the spy cam. Classrooms and such may even end up available on both sides (obviously there is a generally different reaction when someone knows you are there watching them).
Toward the end of my game I did hit a point similar to the old hhh, whereby my reputation just started plummeting by leaps and bounds. I thought freakin' walls were supposed to fix that
.
Other than that, while I did enjoy the game, I didn't find any real management or strategy necessary. The teachers stats seemed to simply rise on their own, with the occasional ability to check for a new clothing option. Basically, any time something became available, I selected it. All my school stats continued to go up (except for my fun, which kept going down. Although, come-on, once kids are going around having sex all day long, shouldn't that be fun enough?). Well, everything went up until the bottom fell out, but I imagine I could have shut a few things off at that point and stabilized it. Even still my final score was fairly high net-positive. While the color choices of the old game were confusing, they were what gave the game some strategy, randomness, and general replay-ability.
To sum up, the game was fun, had some entertaining plot elements and overall decent storyline, appears headed in a good direction, but needs something to add some variability or strategy to the game.
(The limited money at the beginning could be the catalyst for this if there were enough options such that everything wasn't owned by mid-way through the game. Events such as a diver hits their head during a swimmeet sets up a concusion. One needs the pool to have a diver. The diver gets rushed to the hospital, but oh, if one has the medics ward already purchased, then the diver goes there, and could be drugged/hypnotized/something. If one purchases the pool and computer room instead, maybe a wet person enters the computer lab and shorts out a computer [term-paper]: fight/fun reduction/plea to the principal for leniency/etc ensues. Extra teachers cost money, and events happen only if certain classes are taught. Granted, going the events/money route requires a lot more programming and thought than going with the choose a color scheme...)
