That's a more reasoned response than a lot of others I've heard! My first response is
play the game, don't
game the game.
While it isn't without its flaws, and there are things I would have done differently with the benefit of hindsight, I think it's reasonable within its own strange take on the world.
There's no winning or losing. There's no "right way" to play. There are very few irrevocable choices you could make and I think they would be clear enough and in at least one case (saying no to Kari) you are absolutely warned something's a game-changer.
It's also true that it's far from complete, so nothing is out of the question at this stage. I've mentioned this before, but let's examine Ashley. Assuming you frequent the coffee shop regularly and tip her well, she proposes a sugar baby arrangement. You can turn that down and the later option to bring her in as a legal assistant keeps her potentially available.
Likewise, you can only choose two receptionists, plus an optional intern and the flight attendant. But in the latest version, Lois wants more staff and (lo and behold) the girls you passed on previously are back in the mix (along with some new options). Down the line, once their story's been told some of the reception staff (for example) will move on, allowing another opportunity to shuffle the deck, so to speak.
As I was putting this version together, I made a point to go way back and check for inconsistencies if a player chose NOT to pursue relationships with Kari and/or Lois (which I'd really always assumed they would). Certainly in the near future the possibility of having Kari move out (or even someone else move in) will be properly catered for.
I put in the option to add a note to a save to encourage people to explore different options and I really feel like walkthrough mods push you down a certain path based on what is almost an incomplete understanding of the mechanics of the game.
That's why I very deliberately chose to "hide" the stats - what you (or a mod) might think they mean aren't necessarily the way I view them. Variables like slutty or submissive mean very different things when applied to different characters and become of less consequence as relationships develop anyway.
I'm a first-time developer (at least of something like this). I've made enough mistakes and problems for myself to keep me busy enough, but I've slowly learned what kinds of things are more or less likely to be problems.
But it feels like half the discussion here is to deal with problems caused by mods and it's like I'm banging my head against a wall, to the extent that there are times I want to walk away from it (the discussion, not the making of the game). To be honest, if I could break off and have an "official" topic that completely excluded mods I'd do it in a heartbeat.
I think I'm pretty accessible. It's not like I won't give you the answer (or at least a heavy hint) if you have a question.
And one final thought: when you talk to actors they'll often tell you how much fun it is when they're cast against type. People are often inconsistent, inconsiderate, or thoughtless - when I play the game as the "nice guy" I still make a point of telling Kari her food wasn't that great which I'm sure a walkthrough mod would advise against!
Okay, I've gone on long enough, I suppose I should get back to Lois or Emelex will be doubly pissed off at me!
