I think what bugs me most in IF are *fake_choice options. I know why they’re there, but if they don’t actually do anything or change the story in any discernible way (aside from, sometimes, a stat change being hidden in the code), they shouldn’t be there.
It feels like lazy writing to me. I’m guilty of having done it once or twice, but I’ve also noticed that many of the issues people have with bugs come from *fake_choice options - particularly stacked ones.
Now, if we are talking plot wise - I don’t like being forced to lock myself into a romance with a character before I’ve gotten to know them. It’s one thing to flirt, but it can be difficult to even know if you’re going to like the character, without having seen any interaction with them. (For instance, my favorite romance in any game, aside from Sem , is JP in Tin Star. So much interaction happened before you could even attempt to initiate a romance, and it felt so much more fulfilling.)
Same goes for friendships, etc. I also understand that, for story purposes, we are often forced into having positive relationships with characters, but, for instance, in Totem Force, I absolutely hated both of the friends your character has. They’re obnoxious and judgemental and boring. It was nice being able to tell them off, but it was just annoying to continue having to deal with them - they still treated MC as their best friend, despite my MC treating them like utter horse dung in attempts to get them to leave me alone.
I know there is a limit to how much an author can write - God, do I - but, in my opinion, if you want to emphasize character interactions, at all, you need to really do so, like in Way Walkers. Otherwise, just go the way of Life of a Wizard/Mobster, or perhaps Choice of Broadsides.