JohanKris

Right, I should probably have said "Japanese visual novels", although I don't know if or how many that are translated. Not the flash games or even the classic "true love". Like I mentioned, I see a market opportunity here, pretty much no games like this are made. There is just interactive fiction AFAIK.

And not neccesarily romance. I would love for some scene were you sit at a tavern with your companions and someone tell a story or you have a drinking game or something. These things are never in RPGs. Comradeship. Someone sitting there with his beer and saying: NPC: I think I saved your butt again PC: What? you were lying on the ground bleeding while I killed them all NPC: Yeah, but that was only because I took all their arrows to my chest!

Liked everything you said apart from the last paragrapgh. I want a game wih an amazing story, meaningful relationships and characterisation (and yes, some romance) and good solid combat - Mask of the betrayer pretty much sums it up to me. Well, that is more of a suggestion (to try a game focused on romance). It is hard to get some really satisfying or well-made romance in a RPG were it is more of a afterthought or a side-quest. Personally I will praise the writers for what I think is well written and critize them for what I think is poor. Despite it flaws, the only romance I liked in a game was Bastila Shan in KOTOR, but that might have been due to my old crush on princess Leia and that emotional connection more than how well written it was. I can't testify about the Jap games, but that market is huge. I seen it, I been there. I suspect that more than shallow they follow a formula and a way of Romance (and characters) that don't connect well with westerners. It is strange no western games like this have been made, I see there might be potential/customers for it. Au contrarie! See, I didn't tell you/someone to go play a RPG with romance instead of asking this one to have Romance. I suggested you would go look for a game spezialised for that feature as that might be something that fits your wants. This is the comparison to an action movie with a romance subplot and a romantic movie. People don't watch a action movie for the romantic subplot, just like an RPG isn't played because a romantic subplot. If that is the most important part, then you should probably try for the thing that really is about it. That is not to say a romantic sub-plot have no place, but we should treat as it is, a small and overal unimportant part of the experience. And this I would not disagree with, although it is often best to have something as this optional. Some players might be put off if the plot is heavily around a romance. Still, it might give a great experience even if your heart is made of obsidian. I said nothing telling them to do this or that, just that I want it well-written.

Romance in a cRPG is like the Romance in an Hollywood action movie, it is there for no more than a reason to have something to look at. Well, in the RPG is more about validation for the player, but I won't delve into that. As long as you have companions any form of relationship is only a good thing in giving them personality. Please note that I with "relationship" don't mean "Romance with a sex scene near game end". Baldurs gate if anything did something different in how it showed companions that was in a relationship with each other, not the PC. That gave them personality and can be used to tie into the plot. Imagine having two lovers in your party and one of them dies? Then the others should possibly become bitter or even leave the group. Dynamics like that is something I like. Or have someone talk about his parents that he send all his loot too, have two companions that are brothers and try to one-up each other, maybe even with seducing the player character and then not caring about you. I would find that hilarious, but I am not sure everyone here have the mental fortitude to go through that, even if it is a realistic scenario. For a romance with the player character being in it has to be really well-written and tied into the world and possibly plot. Not some strange mini-game were you agree to everything they say (which is how most romances I seen has been) with characters that have something sad to tell you, but only after you agreed to them for a while. But if you (whoever really really wants romances in the game) really is looking for games with romance I would point out that you would be much better off going for a game that specialises in that. A game that is all about that and can make a real build up and even make it romantic (not having... lets call him "Karth" dump emotional problems on you in a ****pit) with setting and situation. If nothing else, check the Japanese market, they got plenty of that stuff.