JediMB

I would venture to say that adventure is far more integral to the RPG experience Only in an adventure-oriented RPG. Which, granted, is exactly what this is. But, you know, you could have a War RPG or any number of other RPG variations that don't involve adventuring. And for a lot of people, the Adventure genre (both in film and games) involves romance in some form. Define "RPG elements". I'm pretty sure "role-playing" could be an essential part of the experience, and when you're role-playing as a hero out on adventures with people s-/he potentially grows close with... Yeah. And, really, visual novels--in my limited experience--tend to be fairly stripped-down RPGs, mechanically, so it's not like those mechanics have no place in an RPG.

An RPG doesn't necessarily need adventure either, but no one is saying to leave those for the adventure games. I agree on that there are too many threads on the subject, though. Perhaps the moderators should try to enforce keeping most of the romance discussion in the same thread.

Yes. No. No. Not fond of "boobplates" for armor. Other than those the style is very nice, though.

I voted for #2 mostly because an animated character portrait would be essential to show facial expressions in an isometric game. Of course, if they (and people loading in custom portraits) are prepared to have a huge variety of expressions drawn for their 2D faces instead, I'm fine with that.

I vote #1, since no one else had, but certainly I want #3 as well. So inclusiveness and depth, yes?

I'm all for there being an optional (hardcore) mode, with a balanced amount of management needed. Food would be consumed automatically (perhaps when the characters rest to regain health and such), and you only need to make sure you have enough in your inventory. Perhaps (just perhaps) different companions could have different preferences, so carrying whatever they like the most could affect morale or interpersonal relationships in a positive manner. Wouldn't want it to get too complicated, though.

Indeed. While I like the idea of giving a companion gifts, they should in most cases be rare and not be obviously listed as "gift items". If there are gifts in the game, they should actually mean something, and not just be trinkets you buy in bulk from a vendor and throw at your companions. Also, all the gifts in the world shouldn't be able to sway a character who hates your guts for your orphan-murdering ways. EDIT: Also, I'd prefer not having a visible affection meter. Let the characters themselves show how much they like/hate you.

Jeez, people are really missing the point of this thread. I agree with the OP that Obsidian's limited information may be hurting the project at the moment, although I do honestly believe that the people who felt offended will come back once the team has had the time to elaborate on the "whys" of the stretch goals. Hopefully the issue has already come to their attention, so they know what to fix.

I'd be fine with some of these things being brought up towards the end of the game, and during the epilogue. Wouldn't want to disturb or overly complicate the flow of the game. I love the Fallout series' and Dragon Age: Origins' epilogue style, where the long-term consequences of one's actions are showcased, and of course I'd appreciate if it touched on smaller details like promises made between the main character and companions as well. Damn it. Now you've got me thinking about the possibility of single characters or same-sex couples adopting orphans. Something like if my Dalish Warden and Leliana could adopt a City Elf kid in DAO, once the whole dragon-slaying business was over. At the end of the day, I'll just trust Obsidian to do what they think is best for the game.