I don’t play the majority of WIPs a) because I don’t have time, b) because I don’t want to spoil them for myself and c) because, often, it feels more like an alpha than a beta (and I’m guilty of this as well, looooool, which is why I take longer to update, now)
Which, in my experience, there very rarely is. I don’t even necessarily mean *fake_choices - I mean fake choices, in general. There are choices that, unless you read the code, don’t seem to do anything or be any different than the other options. That makes the choice feel pointless for the player.
This is a big deal, too; I’ve noticed it in a few WIPs that I’ve read, but I tend to keep that kind of commentary/constructive criticism to myself, as it isn’t always taken well. It can also be incredibly jarring when someone’s speech sounds overly formal or stilted. Sometimes, there is a legitimate, story-based reason for it, but it oftentimes is just due to English not being the writer’s native language. Make use of the beta system, if English isn’t your native tongue. It’s invaluable!
I think you’ll only get the bad reviews if you specifically promise ROs and don’t deliver/under-deliver. Some people may be upset that a particular interesting character isn’t a romance option, but that’s the case for most games, tbh (I’ve noticed that, oftentimes, ROs are these boring, bland characters that are just there to be pretty, whilst the sidekick types are fleshed out and interesting…and unshagable).
I agree that the audience will likely be smaller, especially because, at this point, the whole “play as male or female, gay/straight/bisexual/asexual!” is literally the first tagline for these games.