From some of the feedback I got seemed like people wanted me to take the story into a "defined paths" route. Sort of a black and white way. "If he goes out on a date with this girl that means he is cheating on the other girl (whom he doesn't even think he loves). Everything should be clearly defined, if you like.
Speaking as someone who doesn't ever want to get "back" together with "the other girl" at this point, I'd probably find it really annoying if an objective narrator voice or the MC's forced inner monologue decided to tell me that I was cheating on her by being interested in other people.
For me, it's definitely not cheating until the MC himself actively and openly acknowledges that they're together in the first place. If he ever does.
And I honestly hope that there isn't a single "defined path" that results in them getting back together in the end. Sure, it should be a possibility if the story earns it and they both grow together again as characters over the course of the story, but at the moment I mostly just want to blow her off and pursue intriguing alternatives. Mostly because I've never been a fan of the ONE TRUE SOULMATE narrative in stories, or the idea that certain people are destined to be together, and that they'll automatically be sad if they don't successfully pursue that relationship and instead "settle" for "the wrong person". (And because what she did was really fucked up, even if she thinks it was justified or still has hopes to salvage things.)
Life is complex. Emotions are complex. Good stories tend to reflect that complexity.
While it might be nice in a VN to have all choices properly labeled "(Activate LI Romance Path)" or "(Close LI Romance Path)" (especially if all you care about is unlocking the lewd scenes), it doesn't necessarily relate in interesting stories.
That's not what I wanted. Both characters are distressed, confused, in pain and don't know where to go from here. Other people cross their paths with their own wants and baggage. Sometimes things don't go as planed and not everything is as clear as we'd like.
This is pretty much the sort of thing that drew me to check out this game in the first place.
Taking advice from the audience or feeling out what they want is good
to some degree, because they can point out things you missed, help you reconsider certain aspects in a different way, or otherwise indicate when certain aspects of the plot are going to be received extremely poorly. But at the end of the day it's still
your story, and only you really know where you want it to go or what message you want it to convey along the way. Don't feel bullied into changing important parts or losing control over the story because some people are shouting that they want X, Y, or Z (and always remember, the most vocal opinions aren't necessarily the most popular ones -
satisfied members of the audience often don't feel the need to tell you what they liked!). If they want something that you feel undermines the story you're trying to tell, feel free to say no.
Tell
your story. Avoid the obvious pitfalls (like the classic "If you're going to add NTR, make sure it's avoidable") and try to avoid imposing the MC's opinions on the player via inner dialogue and instead allow the player to shape their own narrative through choices, and you should be fine.
If you let the audience dictate every story beat or narrative direction, eventually the whole thing will start feeling like a chore, you'll start feeling burned out, and the game will likely become yet another [Abandoned] thread on the forums, with people talking about how it was a shame because the idea had so much potential.
