Will the character be a warrior? A lizardman? Will you be stealthy? Persuasive? What are the consequences of these choices?
Well, if you focus on stealth or on being persuasive, then you have to be prepared for the fact that the D:OS is fundamentally designed against you. The mechanics for these play styles are not terribly deep, and the game is not designed to let you finish the game by entirely focusing on these specialties.
Long post, but finaly you nailed it. It looks like that ability to do an action (kiss or kill) is not so important as consequences. The wide range of response of enviroment on the player's action is the issue. Make every one in the game killable is nice, but if the only one consequence is xp gain - meh.
It looks like : consequences and optional ways of solving a quest are bigger value for a player than the majestic rule - everyone could be killed.
D:OS speciality - choose a skill which is totaly dull
Whetherproof or Guerilla these are painful example of non-consequence options. There might be Hairdresser or Sheppard talents with same amount of consequences - non.
Option to do something, option to choose somethin withou any usefullnes/consequences/enviroment reaction drags the RPG down.
The reaction is true value of any RPG world.
I think that Larians preview for DOS2 focused for add options to do. Add wide range of options. Add races, add origins, add spells, add mechanics, add vertiaclity, add ...
But there is no emphasis on consequences. You could cast a super might source mega spell. One of 300 spells in the game. It plays a nice vfx effect for 3sec. then it dissapear so forniture in there remains shiny, carpet is like a new only characters with HP are heap of ashes. And xp ding sound comes. Very limited consequences. It looks like DOS2 grows wide but players would welcome deep. It looks like the Dragon commander issue - heaps of options with blury results would strike DOS2 again.
Just my 2cents.
