Thats fair. I agree it doesn't have a point and thats why I do like it here!
Im talking from the pov that I dont think there are any working morality systems in any game ever. Plots happen anyway with or without it. Any game dev that sets out to make one to describe humanity or a persons actions, thoughts and feelings fails miserably before they even start. All moral systems are bad because people are not that very much alike at all nor thinks the same. With a couple choices or a you few you can generally get most people to agree that its internally consistent but when the choices pile up the branching possible moral viewpoints multiply exponentially and the whole thing shits the bed. Thats why moral systems suck and shouldnt exist unless handled like in BaDik imo(for now).
The "all or nothing" was more a general note on game development and not in regards to BaDik. If you go the other way and want to make morality a part of the game devs simplify it to bring people on board by making the choices so obviously slanted, slaughter all the things vs saving all the things or something like it. Which makes it a pointless system too imo. Thats what I meant about all or nothing. Theres never really room for nuance. With nuance you run into the mentioned exponential outcome problem of people getting angry or confused or unsatisfied with the choices because they dont lead to what they think is fair or reasonable. On a sidenote, if we all in here sat down and looked at every major dik/chick choice I bet we could argue and overturn every single major dik/chick choice to be the reverse of what it is, or change it to neutral at least. Its just the nature of differing human experience and perception.
Thats why I like the system (PRESENTLY) in BaDik. Its kind of a story guide (in the shape of a moral system) than an actual moral system. The MC is largely the same person regardless of what you do imo. Its more about specific choices, and the choices are not forced upon you by the system, yet. IMO nothing fucking breaks immersion like bad good/evil choices if youre forced to take one.
BaDik have yet to force a bad choice on me. And I LOVE it for that.
No other game with a moral system have ever worked and been better for it due to the system. Usually two unsatisfying paragon endings of either moralising virtue or depraved sin with sometimes a third shitty middle ground not leading to any decent ending.
affinity is fine with me as a system to increase, albeit somewhat artifactually, playability
but it remains a morality system (with all the flaws you listed) only it is completely passive, it doesn't change the personality of the protagonist but it does change the way he is regarded by others.
and it does this by the worst possible mechanism: the accumulation of points tied to fairly random choices that meet only 2 criteria (that do not directly involve an LI and that are arranged within the chapter evenly: one after the beginning part and one a little before the last part)
wanting there would also be a third criterion whereby of epr se none of the major choices is decisive in anything, at most it is the premise to something, but it is never a really important choice
if they were not flagged, most of the major choices would go completely unnoticed in the set of choices that are continuously made
