Thanks for the advice on webp and maybe downscaling, @Wulf_Diomhaireachd and @BadIdea4. For the initial demo version, I will try webp, but I don’t think the initial game be long enough to need downscaling. I agree the multi GB size of some Ren’Py games sometime feels unduly large.
And thanks, @drxprime I do like the Sultan’s Harem, but the story I have in mind for The Bulging Bellydancer is a different type. I intend it to be a story taking place over a defined amount of time (say a month), in a number of Acts. Maybe with Act 1 as a demo to see if I can get to grips with the game and renders, and Act 2+ I may see if there’s support for a patreon to add some more 3D assets. Act 1 will maybe have a straightforward beginning and end, but with a bit of puzzle gaming in the middle to see how much Kyra gets to gorge herself.
As an aside, although it’s not at all important, I even believe I posted my first chapter of 1001 Desert Nights on Curvage, featuring Kyra Shah and her greedy family, some time before the Sultan’s Harem came out (https://curvage.org/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/58884-1001-desert-nights/ )! But at the time I hadn’t thought about making a game.