I had this impression too, and I guess merging routes would lead to this if they don't call the variables all the time to modify dialogue.
MC's character in the evil route is absolutely inconsistent lately. If we look back to the very beginning, the choice for joining the evil route is clearly the result of wanting more power and dominating others. This character trait was delivered pretty well for the most part in the early stages. MC didn't have the power to do as he pleased at first, but at least he never came across as a simp or something as far as I can remember.
Now, MC is extremely powerful, and has been indulging in the stone's powers all the time. Yet, he acts like a simp and his inner thoughts and dialogue with various characters are pretty much leaning towards a good MC. This is most grating in his interactions with the healer lady (forgot her name). Their childish banter and stuff might feel right at home in the other routes, but it doesn't fit the supposed persona of the evil MC.
This is a very common problem we see in most games that use good/evil choices. It's quite hard to nail a voice for the MC that can fit both of those routes. When writing shared lines of dialogue between the routes, you need to really tone it down so that both types of MC could conceivably say these things. If it becomes too unreasonable, you need to check the variables and give modified dialogues for the routes.
This is always my go to example when it comes to this issue, but Radiant's script is how not to do Good/Evil. Our Fate is the shining example of good/evil done right.
So, I can actually explain this a bit. Ever since being back at the college, he's had to continue his role from before he left. But, with version 0.50 coming up, we're going to be doing a path split again. It's going to be the last point in the game you get to choose. After that, you're locked in. We've wanted you to be able to experience all the characters you could during your first part of the game, but the second half is going to be far more path focused.
And you're right, finding the balance between is the hard process. How do you do good and evil or in our case Good, Neutral and Evil, without creating fundamentally different characters in the process. I like to think of it as the Reverse-NTR problem (GASP!! THE DREADED WORD!!!) but I'm using it here as an example. In those kind of games, you see a severe personality shift usually in the females between how they interact with you, and how they interact with others. Almost to the point of a logical person being unable to identify the characters as even being the same being.
It's the same with Good and Evil choices. He doesn't become a rotten bastard just by a single choice. In the early game, the Evil Path was less about Evil as it was not being a Goody Goody Mage College boy. Much in the same way Bredita isn't really EVIL, she's just doesn't want to follow the rules set forth by Ayna and the others. Then there's the difference between our boy and Father. Father is True Evil, and that's the other far extreme where our MC has drawn the line that he doesn't want to get there either. At least for now.
Certain decisions were made with regards to characters, to give you the choice to undo decisions you had made or reaffirm them. Mida is a big one. People who gave her away and cheated on her found themselves in situations to get her back. But if you didn't want her back you're given a lot opportunity to ignore her outright and even piss her off further.
Or even in this latest chapter, you apologize to the character after them coming back but then are given an opportunity to put them under your thumb.
Certain characters, like Katriona, he finds harder to just outright be an asshole to because of their history. Or people like Katla and Isabella who he believes he has a past with, he acts polite to them. There's also something to be said of him being a sleeper agent in the College right now. You know, and he knows, which path he is actually on.
All you're doing is biding your time. Until next month.
Al that said, do bear in mind that a path split will mean split updates again. Since it's clear that what people want is to separate out again, each update will be 2 or 3 months difference as opposed to the single update per month like usual. Now, he may still put out an update a month, but it will be marked G, N or E based on that fact.
