I think all sandbox games start at a disadvantage and it's only when the game is further along with more events and content popping off that people start to complain less. It could also just be personal bias, or the instant gratification crowd, like some people see an AI tag, rpgmaker, or the ntr tag and go off. No one likes an empty sandbox and the press the skip button/sleep button to get the next scene, it's not a good game mechanic. There are ways to mitigate this issue, with stuff like gradual corruption/relationship improvement changing characters, like different outfits and attitudes towards the mc. Those can serve as progress points in storyline advancement. In the end, some people will always prefer a linear story though. Personally, I like good games regardless of their form and this game is shaping up nicely.