Romances in RPGs

[alanschu]

I was just wondering what people thought about romances in RPGs.

 

 

I'll admit, when I first clued in that I my relationship with Jaheira was actually turning into a romance in BG2, I was thinking it was very neat.

 

I also enjoyed the little bit of Annah opening up towards TNO in PS:T

 

 

However, for the most part, I find romances to sometimes be rather rushed, and seem to just be included as it's "the in thing" to do right now. Bastila's romance wasn't too bad, but given the huge amount of fanbois that seem to profess their love for her, I am almost wondering if it was me. I guess if you put an attractive woman in a game with a nice voice, simply having her show some sort of response to the male hormonal urges is like a win for some. While there were times I found it pretty amusing ("That starship doesn't fly with me"), I certainly didn't find it essential, nor did it make me think that Bastila was suddenly a very deep character. It seemed like something that was added because somewhere someone knew that young males (and perhaps females) would find her attractive and would go through the motions to snag a kiss (although I'm sure they were hoping for a bit more).

 

 

Romances for female players seem even worse. I suspect it's because games are largely created by males, so there's not much perspective of things there. They tried to make Carth a sensitive man, but I think they tried to make the romance a bit too funny with some of his lines, which ended up coming off a rather corny. Meh.

 

 

Let me know what you guys think. And I'll be keeping a running total of the amount of "I Bastila, she's so hotz0rs" posts for fun

[Darque]

I Bastila, she's so hotz0rs

[alanschu]

1

[Lancer]

I am too tired to be coherent now.. So if I babble realize this...

 

Anyhow, I think romances in RPGs is a good thing to have. I mean, it is part of roleplaying right? And if you want your character to have a mate than by gosh let him/her have the option to find a mate. I also think that the romance option should ideally be kept optional, however, and not forced in most circumstances for those that don't dig that sort of thing.

 

BTW, the romances you mentioned in your post (Annah, Bastila) are probably the best computer RPG romances in recent memory. I like how the Annah romance was kept completely optional in PS:T and IIRC it was your choice if you wanted to kiss her or not..etc

[Lancer]

Oh yeah.. just to be complete:

 

I Bastila, she's so hotz0rs.

[EnderAndrew]

The romance in Jade Empire also seemed to be forced. You were always in love, so there was no need to create the romance. Yet the object of your romance is hesitant and refuses to acknowledge the romance for no apparent reason. They simply say to wait.

 

After an arbitrary period of time, they magically acknowledge said relationship and you kiss. It was all really silly.

 

RPGs can be interacative stories with all the depth of any other story. Yet romance is poorly represented. I remember when Squaresoft said that FFVIII was going to be this huge romance, and it really wasn't.

[SteveThaiBinh]

Real romance is often very corny when viewed from the outside. No matter how good the game, I don't suppose you're ever going to identify so much with your character that you will share his or her romantic feelings for another, although I suspect there are some honorable exceptions we all know. :D

 

I agree that it can sometimes feel rushed and unrealistic for being so. Kotor 1 did OK - the romances didn't really get beyond the first kiss/declaration of love, which is reasonable in a short time frame. To have them kissing and cuddling and getting married would have been overkill.

 

I like romances. They're another choice in games where there are often fewer choices than you might wish. They add to replay value and the sense that your character is on an important personal journey, especially in a game where the main object is to save the world. They can lighten an obsessively oppressive atmosphere. They can give the protagonist something to fight for. They also make the game feel more like a movie, something that game makers and advertisers apparently value.

 

The lack of female designers has many implications, and I don't think the crafting of romance storylines is the greatest. By the way, Obsidian, have you hired any women yet?

[EnderAndrew]

I don't mind movies with real good love stories, nor books. I think a mature audience would appreciate a good love story in an RPG.

[LadyCrimson]

I have yet to encounter any in-game romance arcs that really felt like romance to me. Course, I'm not a terribly romantic person to begin with....

 

Mostly, I just get 'attached' to a (male) character or two and the romance is all in my fevered mind.

In BG1, I was quite enamoured with Xan. He cracked me up. :D

 

Anyway, I'd agree, when they're there, script-wise, they're usually rushed/lacking, scripted like bad romance novels...but if you end up liking the character, you don't mind too much I guess. Games are kind of a limited format for romance, IMO.

[EnderAndrew]

Not even with Atton?

[SteveThaiBinh]

But that's the point - the romance with Atton wasn't in the game. It exists only in the fanfics, albeit in a very well developed form.

[EnderAndrew]

I don't read fanfic though. My wife is a big fan of it. She wants me to write her fanfic.

[Calax]

I like romance's, it gives me somthing to do other than a quest. but the K2 ones (if they even exsisted) seemed a tad bit too "WE LOVE YOU EXILE, PLEASE LOVE US BACK!!"

[LadyCrimson]

Well, in Kotor2, there were a few moments that got an emotional reaction out of me, but it wasn't romance. More like...sad empathy. I mean, like when Atton's jealously watching Di/Exile meditate, or when Di is pleading with the Exile not to go alone.

 

But actual romance...nope...not there.

 

I do remember tho, in Tombraider6, how freaked out/sad I was about Kurtis Trent's story arc/ending...Very freaked out. So there was a game that made me feel like the characters themselves had a connection or something. But they use a lot of well-scripted movies to get such things across - since the gameplay isn't RPG. Worked for me that time tho.

[EnderAndrew]

You just dissed Obsidian's flagship title for Tomb Raider.

 

Ouch.

[LadyCrimson]

I'm unclear how I dissed anything, since I said I liked the story/character plot and well-scripted movies.

[alanschu]

I like the idea of for a change NOT powering someone through until level 20 in one game, and slowing things down a bit from an overall XP thing.

 

This would give time for a romance to develop a bit more naturally.

 

 

I guess one thing I hate about romances is that the options for romance are usually too narrow. Why must my character only have romantic interests in Bastila, but not the capability of liking someone else more?

[Darque]

How come no one else is showing their love for Bastila?

[alanschu]

The fanbois are too busy professing their love for her in different threads and different forums?

[LadyCrimson]

Oh...never mind...I'm being dense. I see what he was saying.

I didn't say Tombraider6 was a great game - it's not (game-play wise - clunky controls and the like)...I just said I liked the ending and their character arc surprises blah blah.

[Darque]

that makes sense. :ph34r:

[alanschu]

Tomb Raider 6?

 

I lost count after 2

[LadyCrimson]

Heh..yeah...hubby kept buying them for himself, so I'd play them.

#7 looks like it might have more promise (new company attached or something) - if they ever get it out the door.

[EnderAndrew]

I was reaching for hyperbole there. I know you didn't say Tomb Raider 6 was a better overall game, but Obsidian has a crew that should be specializing in stories. When their RPG doesn't have the emotional depth of a Tomb Raider game, then that is saying something.

[Llyranor]

Romances, meh.

 

Heh, in BG2, I was playing a wild mage - which I suspect had something to do with it. For some unknown reason, I was having a romance with Jaheira. Harper quests, etc. At some point during the game, she stopped pestering me \o/ *Eventually*, I noticed that my avatar looked a bit weird, so I checked my character sheet.... female??? It was a permanent effect that lasted until the end of TOB, and NOT something I had done deliberately. Never touched that gender-bender belt, either. Jaheira stopped talking to me Just a quick side-story.

 

I haven't been impressed at all by romances in games. That being said, it has more to do with how they've been written. Poor writing will destroy any romance. There is a potential for good in-game romance, but I'm not seeing it so far.

 

One of the female she-dudes in my NWN2 team tried to convince me to allow PC romances in the mod we're working on. Her full-time job for the mod would be to focus solely on romance stuff. It sounded like a good idea, and I had enough confidence in her to think she would do a good job.

 

However:

 

http://swforums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html...353916&forum=76

http://www.petalsandthorns.com/thorns/viewtopic.php?t=199

 

Crap like that quickly changed my mind. And thus the PC was turned into an asexual being with no libido.

 

I'm having her work on romances for NPCs, that way fanpeople can dream all they want and I'll say "Yes, NPC X is so cool, too bad s/he hates you, BWAHAHAHAHAHA"

 

We WILL have full-fledged PC romances, but the only recipient we'll cater to is a freaking rock. Yes, you can romance a freaking rock.

 

"Oh rock, how wonderful it is to cuddle you, your soft and smooth texture reminds me of my homeland..... Unlike sand, which is so coarse and rough."

 

"Oh rock, I love you..... Erm, no, I love you more..... Oh, don't be silly."

 

"Of course this dress doesn't make you look fat, it's an optical illusion created by erosion.... I mean, of course you're not fat!"

 

[Cuddle the rock.]

 

[Fondle the rock.]