I'm just starting my first playthrough and I would like to pick choices closest to myself without worrying about the dik and chick system. Does this game punish you if you don't commit to a certain path? Like will I miss out on all the special dialogue?
This is a simple question with an infuriatingly over-complicated answer.
Your Status (the result of choosing certain dialog options) limits a few options in the early chapters, but it only prevents you from seeing some lewd scenes. After that, it does almost nothing but change the MC's spoken lines (DIKs tend to express themselves crudely).
Your Affinity (the result of Major Decisions removing bars from either end of the CHICK/DIK meter) starts coming into play in Episode 3 and does have some serious implications that aren't always clear ahead of time. To make matters worse, the way the game calculates the three Affinities (CHICK, DIK, and Neutral) changes late in Episode 8 which can add even more confusion in a few cases.
Lastly, the game is generally more about the specific decisions you make than it is about Affinity. Even path gateways with an Affinity requirement usually have other requirements as well, so Affinity isn't the most important consideration when you get into the weeds on a given path.
To try and sum it all up, if you're comfortable with what the CHICK or DIK paths represent, you'll probably be fine sticking with one of them. CHICKs are more about long-term relationships (especially with the main girls), DIKs are about playing the field; a few of the girls respond badly to certain Affinities at various points, but getting into specifics might be a bit spoilery. Neutral Affinity is the moderate path. It will usually give you the best of both worlds, but even then there are a few exceptions and it can be tricky to maintain depending on how your MC feels about the various Major Decisions.
When in doubt, I say go with your gut and then break out one of the various walkthroughs for alternate paths if you want to see what you missed. Good luck!