Well, a good game also needs elements that are more or less forced upon a player, otherwise no good story can develop. The idea of simply switching off everything you don't like would only lead to AWAM being a bunch of side stories that have no connection to each other. I think that would be pretty boring.
I don't see the problem with Aiden in the connection to the story with Dylan, but in the fact that Aiden simply comes across as far too implausible as a villain. Aiden doesn't really have any serious power, but acts as if the whole world has to be subservient to him. There are endless possibilities for Sophia to take away Aidens influence on Dylan and make the whole story fall apart. The idea that Sophia would agree to a whole series of increasingly absurd tasks just doesn't fit. Well, I think it would have been better to have only one bad guy in AWAM and here I would have seen this mafia boss type who at least halfway comes across as someone who has power.
Ultimately, a game that has so many people playing it can't have the ideal story for everyone. I think a little flexibility is required here.
Yes, I agree with everything you said, but as you said, there is flexibility for you to create your story, but it is difficult to please everyone. For example, I don't like Sam and I think he has much more time with MC than Dylan, who I would prefer to have more time with his mother than his neighbor, as well as him having time with his sister and MC together, is that in my version of History the only people she cheats on are her husband and her son. daughter and the women in the game, the rest she is a calm person, a great teacher who teaches students morality lessons and everything else.
But as I said, everyone has their own taste and this is not my type of game, I don't want to compare, but the game that gave me all this flexibility and adapted to the story I wanted was
Jessincheck, nothing compared in graphics to this game, but DEV is just starting out and it's one of his first games, and she's also a mother and you choose what you want to do with her and the game gives you options for everything and you take the path you want and the History will shape itself along your path.