I don't know why you are so sure that you won't care or even dislike a hypotetical character that you don't event know yet (*) but you seen really convinced (you wrote the words "don't care", "not care" and "dislike" a lot), so good for you.
I said it, it's because it's a harem game and he's a guy. You'll need to make him really likable, and do this way before the players have the possibility to ignore him, for them to care.
Take a look at WVM thread by example ; if you have the courage. You'll find players that felt betrayed by Damien, because he was inserted into the story as MC's future BFF ; yet most of them flirted with his girl right from the start. But you'll not find many who cared about Kenji (who was neutral), or care about the other male characters. And obviously, Ryker being a dick, everyone is happy about his situation.
Even if he's the best friend, a guy is an enemy in a harem game. With the release of the final edition of Dreams of Desire, I wonder how many players choose to share his mother with him.
(*) Until I read this. To be honest I feel kinda dissapointed because I thought you were better than this, but this is 100% the idea I had of you so of course this is totally my own B.
To my defense, it was really late, and I failed many time to find the right way to present my thoughts.
No, "harem game" doesn't mean that every woman with a hole in her body must end on top of the MC's dick. "Good ending" doesn't mean that every human being with two X chromosomes must be in the picture surrounding the MC. That would be "Harem ending", which you can get regardless of that choice but with more or less girls.
Please, ask for this to be added in the tag definition thread. It would do so much good to put some rationality in many brains.
Still, for everyonw who thinks that way, then again, it's a totally valid option represented by option "He'll die no matter what" I want that people to vote for that if that how they feel.
The main problem I have is still the lack of effective choice. Or perhaps a better phrasing would be that the choice do not happen in the game.
As I said, only one third of the players (not in terms of number, but in term of attitude regarding the character) will have to make this choice. Only those who liked this character, and therefore befriended him, will come to the thread and see that they could have had the girls, to the cost of his life.
It's at this moment that they'll make the choice: Will I, or not, go back to the game, in order to have the girls.
Due to brain compartmentalization, when they'll decide to go back, it will be with the idea that they'll let a purely virtual character die. It's not really a moral dilemma. And the time they reach the right choice, they will already be totally decided ; it would be stupid to have replayed the game just to make the decision they made the first time. Here again, it's not really a moral dilemma.
A morality choice, in regard of player's morality, happen only when the consequences are direct:
Code:
Your friend will left the town forever, so many adventures that you could have had together.
Learning this, you rush to his home, and find him, on the other side of the street, ready to leave.
menu:
"Yell that he's like a brother, that you'll help them, him and his family. They don't have to leave."
Hearing you say all this, hope came back in his life.
Without warning he ran across the street to reunite with you. Together you'll fight the world !
He was at less than two meters from you when the car hit him...
His mother and three sisters cried for months, but fortunately you were here for them.
You, who were near to be a stranger in their life, are now welcome in their bed anytime you want.
"Do nothing, let him go."
You look at him, silently. Here end a so big part of your life.
While you look at his mother and three sister joining him, you can't prevent your pervert mind to wander.
God, the things you would do to have the possibility to fuck them. But they are gone now.
Perhaps have you missed an opportunity here.
Confronted to the death of his friend, he'll rollback and choose to do nothing, and see that he then loose the girls. At the opposite, the "missed opportunity" will make him wonder what happen if he make the other choice. In both case he will rollback, to see what is outcome of the other choice.
Then, he will be confronted to a direct moral dilemma. Should he go with the, "oh fuck ! He died", outcome, or should he choose the, "shit, I don't get the girls", one ?
But, at least as I get it, your scenario put the decision far before its consequences. What mean that, like I said, the decision will come when the player will learn about the second outcome, probably outside of the game.