why tf should the dev fix a "mechanic" they intentionally put into the game? They have been very vocal about the dating system etc.
Because it's very easy to miss, has no reason to be very easy to miss, and it's implementation is genuinely so poor that it breaks the story line and leaves unfinished broken scenes around the map if you miss something.
There are a thousand easy ways to make it better that have already been implemented by similar games. Meaning lack of knowledge isn't even an excuse.
It's a mess that needs to be cleaned up so that it can be a mechanic. The only way for the player to clean up the mess themselves is to use the debug mode. Which should be the tip off that no, it wasn't implemented well, and needs to be fixed.
these people are very insistent and vocal that any part of a game they don't like (whether that be mechanics, narrative, or kinks) is a bug that needs fixing, until every game is perfectly targeted to that person's specific tastes.
heaven forbid they just move on from games they don't like and instead play games they would enjoy.
The dev's taken a "my way or the highway" on something that is obviously poorly implemented. He is getting a proper response. If you don't like these responses. Well kindly fuckoff from this conversation and go engage in a conversation you do like.