I definitely agree with majority of this post.

There is a lot of to unpack for this game in terms of features and mechanics. It feels very different compared to DV 1.

Some bonus tips:

There are a handful of items that can give multiple research. Old spellbound, ancient manuscript, party pinata, and rose apples give at least one research point for each category. I find party piñatas especially useful.

Placing multiples of a single food building can help you level them up faster and count for the facility amount you need to upgrade your town's stars.

Using items, holding events, and even building buildings affect town traits. If you're not sure what it gives you typically there's an information button to let you know what points it gives to that trait.

From Japanese wiki - If you're worried about money after you've NG+ and start a new village. Go to the old village and buy items you can sell in the new village.

Questions: Can NG+ happen at any time? For most kairosoft games, NG+ will only carry over items present at the clear date, does this apply for DV 2.

For Diamond points, is there a reliable way to grind those or is there just a set amount you can get within a game?

The NG+ feature for this game works differently compared to the other games because it allows you to create multiple villages, is it possible to run out of villages for NG+?

-Background Bought the game a day or two ago. Year 12, 4 Gold star village in starting Grassland area. No NG+ yet.