This guy might have gone on a little too far at times, but you can't have a realistic MC without a little introspection, unless what you're going for is a simpleton manwhore or a sociopath. I've tried VNs with both of those types, and abandoned them within a couple of releases. With all the commentary I've seen on all the threads I follow, I know we have scads of fans for both of those, but I think those are on the extremes, not necessarily the sweet spot.
i didn't say the next MC is completely out of thoughts or a psychopath.
But what we did wrong in SL and what we want to change in next game is situations like:
MC (thinking):
Oh, she has a stunning body. Maybe i should spy on her. But it's not normal to spy on your sister. I shouldn't do that - she might catch me.
1.) peep on her nevertheless
2.) go away
....
There is no need to have such inner monologue. The player is the one leading MC's choices. So the player should be the one having such thoughts. We shouldn't tell the player what he/she has to think. It's more immersive when players make their own thoughts about what to do and why to do and maybe even feel the consequences.
It just would be weird to script "second thoughts" or even "morality" and let the player act the opposite way. Same goes other way around. If we would make the player having thoughts like a douchebag, the player will be upset too (see for example the flight at the end of SL).
We want the player to be more free in his own thoughts and being able to act that way he wants to play based on his own morality, and not based on a scripted one.
This has been the main "issue" i managed to convince MrDots to change about the games. And he liked my point of view. That's the reason i was called into the core team to develop the story arcs. Also my job is to "proofread" the scenes once they are written by Hearsz and change/tweak scenes where they "fall back into old habbits".
As the first release scenes are already written, i can assure you, that the mentionned "issues" are "solved" in "Thief of Hearts". It will be again a game with a main story arc like a novel, and not just a senseless fuck feast. Also this time there will be a dedicated possible full harem ending right from the start (on players choice).
(Sidenote: one of the main Sidegirls (we get to see her in first update for a short scene already) , having massive impact on the story the one way or the other, has been more or less my doing. She is exactly as i wanted her to be - by character, background story and her looks.)