A suggestion for the romances you're considering (if any)

[Ravel]

Don't end the romantic relationship's development when you first have sex.

 

I hope that wasn't even what they were planning as far as any potential romantic relationships are concerned..., but I wanted to just go ahead and say this to get it out of the way.

 

I'm not trying to diminish how awesome sex is, or suggesting that all relationships need to have a deep emotional attachment (sometimes it's just bang-buddies, and that's ok) - but I'm tired of video games portraying sex as the final goal when it comes to romance.

 

Make it a stepping stone or a stumbling block, a scandal or a salve, so long as it isn't the finish line.

[twincast]

As much as I enjoy good romances, I won't throw a fit if there aren't any at all.

If they have some however, I do want them to spread them reasonably evenly across sexes and sexualities. (Special bonus points if they also spread them across gender identities and character ages.)

3D cutscenes being precluded from the get go I won't mind there not being any proper sex scenes, but I'd appreciate a couple seconds long 2D romps nonetheless (with some dialog before and after, not during it, thank you very much).

(Kind of related, but more an aspect of realism/verisimilitude: If I undress a character I want them to be either naked or at least in underwear. And the environment should react in some way on my character's crazy nudist antics.)

And I agree that sex shouldn't be the be all end all of the romance stories. Dragon Age: Origins handled it near perfectly IMHO (other than not even offering to see the sex scenes again after the first time). Ideally there should be casual sex (with both prostitutes and companions, maybe also "normal" NPC's you meet in an inn etc.) and romances that go the whole range from practically starting with the physical fun to being all about courting and building trust for an extended time until the "pay-off".

Regarding post-intercourse plots: For starters, I do enjoy love interest abductions, clich

[DAWUSS]

I'd like to see the PC get shot down in attempts to start a relationship. IMO in most (if not all) games with romance options, the PC gets whatever the PC wants with the NPC.

[Tigranes]

It'd be pretty cool to have an NPC who leads you on a romance arc, then betrays you, then promises he/she really loves you and it was only circumstance and they've changed, then betrays you again.

 

It'd be like an abusive non-relationship in your adventuring party. "Hey, [PC]! Getting some yet?"

[HoonDing]

For $1,000, we can at least put ourselves in the game as a romancable NPC, right?

[Tychoxi]

All I can say is: avoid like the plague unless you manage to make it develop in an organic way / not be cheesy.

And yeah, ideally casual sex should be there (with it's conceivable consequences), ideally all genders/orientations should be present (the problem with this is that can seem forced, or worse "lolz lets put a space bisexual blue babe so we can has lesbian sex"), a fade to black for sex is more than ok... its getting too ideal to be feasible rather easily.

I know MCA is rather against romances, so...

Edited September 15, 2012 by Tychoxi

[The Sharmat]

The typical videogame romance has turned a lot of people off the concept entirely. I think this is a shame, since romance and sexuality are a very fundamental part of human psychology and are virtually omnipresent themes. A heavily story and character driven game without it would seem sort of strange to me. But it's totally understandable why some people are put off. In the past, romance sub plots have been...uneven, at best. (Sorry Bioware)

 

Not every character should be romanceable. A romance should only occur if it actually adds to the story or character arc, not for the sake of having a romance option. And it should occur as naturally as possible. NPCs shouldn't fall in love with you because you did their major side quest and complimented them/agreed with them in every dialogue that was utterly isolated from the rest of the narrative. A character shouldn't be able to romance an NPC simply because that NPC is their favorite among the romance options. Base it on chemistry, and make it emerge from gameplay. Consistently make a certain sort of decision or consistently choose a certain sort of dialogue, and people will be interested or turned off accordingly. As if they had their own personalities and opinions or something. And as the OP says: SEX IS NOT THE APOTHEOSIS OF A RELATIONSHIP. It's an important step...but far from the most important one. Tons of stuff happens after that.

 

I'd like to see the PC get shot down in attempts to start a relationship. IMO in most (if not all) games with romance options, the PC gets whatever the PC wants with the NPC.

This happened in KOTOR 2 if you had a male Exile and tried to get with Mira. Can't remember the exact dialogue but it amounted to "Oh...heh, sorry. You're not my type. Also you're kind of...old." I rather liked it.

[perezca]

Idk they never let me have a relationship with royalty, I'd like to get some rich action for once!

[Catamite]

All I can say is: avoid like the plague unless you manage to make it develop in an organic way / not be cheesy.

And yeah, ideally casual sex should be there (with it's conceivable consequences), ideally all genders/orientations should be present (the problem with this is that can seem forced, or worse "lolz lets put a space bisexual blue babe so we can has lesbian sex"), a fade to black for sex is more than ok... its getting too ideal to be feasible rather easily.

I know MCA is rather against romances, so...

 

Spot on Tychoxi, having casual sex in the game gets that cheesyness out of the way, then hopefully deeper and more interesting relationships could develop.

 

Hopefully this game is as narratively deep as Planescape, developers- please don't overlook the power of betrayal, tragedy, redemption etc- The NPC's shouldn't always give us what we want or what we expect.

[perezca]

For the person that chooses to not develop a relationship with anyone, can there finally be an option for masturbation at that big climatic evening the night before the end of the game?

[Nonek]

No romances is fine by me, npc's sexuality should remain their own business like in New Vegas. Whatever you do however please don't have situations like Dragon Age 2 where we are assaulted by constant juvenile come ons when we've only tipped our hats in passing.

[Tamerlane]

The typical videogame romance has turned a lot of people off the concept entirely. I think this is a shame, since romance and sexuality are a very fundamental part of human psychology and are virtually omnipresent themes. A heavily story and character driven game without it would seem sort of strange to me. But it's totally understandable why some people are put off. In the past, romance sub plots have been...uneven, at best. (Sorry Bioware)

 

Not every character should be romanceable. A romance should only occur if it actually adds to the story or character arc, not for the sake of having a romance option. And it should occur as naturally as possible. NPCs shouldn't fall in love with you because you did their major side quest and complimented them/agreed with them in every dialogue that was utterly isolated from the rest of the narrative. A character shouldn't be able to romance an NPC simply because that NPC is their favorite among the romance options. Base it on chemistry, and make it emerge from gameplay. Consistently make a certain sort of decision or consistently choose a certain sort of dialogue, and people will be interested or turned off accordingly. As if they had their own personalities and opinions or something. And as the OP says: SEX IS NOT THE APOTHEOSIS OF A RELATIONSHIP. It's an important step...but far from the most important one. Tons of stuff happens after that.

I'm with this guy/gal. It gets done so clumsily so often that people are naturally apprehensive, but it can be very conspicuous in its absence.

 

Whatever y'all do, I trust y'all will do it well.

Edited September 15, 2012 by Tamerlane

[Ieo]

I posted something about romances in the 'tropes' thread, but thinking more about it here...

 

What I'd like to see:

 

PS:T levels of party interaction (breadth and colossal depth) but no outright romance options for main character. Inter- and intra- party romance lines with main character serving as counselor. We'd need at least two relationship counselors to help with the dialogue, though. Hey, it could be therapeutic and terribly enlightening. Not to mention I doubt any other game has tried something like that.

 

In all seriousness, there are issues in both quantity and quality that can bog down a game depending on how much content is devoted to this type of relationship. Devs risk exclusion if they concentrate on, say, 2 appropriately nuanced romances--orientation, races, age, "alignment" if there's anything like that. Devs risk shoddy quality if they try to cast the net wide enough to cover all the bases, so to speak. Neither are any good, and though I suspect most will favor quality over quantity, I'll add that game players often like to play something 'representative' besides a good ol' creative role-play. Hacks aren't a decent way to address this, either (e.g. changing the main character's sex flag might open a romance option, but all the text is written for the opposite sex--kinda breaks immersion).

 

Can both be done? Yes, absolutely--I truly believe it's possible with sensitive writers and substantial feedback testing, but this along with all the other game content falls under the project management trilemma: "Quick, cheap, good: pick two."

 

So thinking about all of that and the realistic limitations placed on software development like this, I keep coming to the conclusion that it's better to leave openings for player imagination on their own terms (maybe mod opportunities) but flesh out a tremendous setting with a goodly number of freaking awesome party members... much like in PS:T.

[zrani]

I'd like to see the PC get shot down in attempts to start a relationship. IMO in most (if not all) games with romance options, the PC gets whatever the PC wants with the NPC.

like when mira shoots you down in kotor 2 for being too old

[ComradeGoby]

Oh great just what a game needs.

 

Strong "womyn" who no need no man

[Courier_Six]

I'd like to see the PC get shot down in attempts to start a relationship. IMO in most (if not all) games with romance options, the PC gets whatever the PC wants with the NPC.

like when mira shoots you down in kotor 2 for being too old

 

She also mentions the other women fighting over the Exile (and not wanting to get involved in said fighting with Handmaiden\Visas). Besides, the K2 ones seemed almost shoehorned in (as though LucasArts requested it or something).

 

I think Planescape Torment handled it well, maybe a little more dialogue from Fall-from-Grace would have been good but I'm not concerned about romances anyway. I wouldn't want to see the game compromised for the sake of including them.

[ComradeGoby]

I think romances can work as long as they fit in with the charcter and story.

 

Just becasue Bioware made them terribly doesn't mean the whole concept is shot.

Edited September 15, 2012 by ComradeGoby

[Courier_Six]

I think romances can work as long as they fit in with the charcter and story.

 

Just becasue Bioware made them terribly doesn't mean the whole concept is shot.

 

MCA said the romances in Alpha Protocol weren't included by choice and that four of them were a "pain in the posterior" to write. By all means, if they can be integrated well, go for it. For me that's a secondary item compared to combat mechanics and quest design.

[Tychoxi]

I'd like to see the PC get shot down in attempts to start a relationship. IMO in most (if not all) games with romance options, the PC gets whatever the PC wants with the NPC.

like when mira shoots you down in kotor 2 for being too old

 

She also mentions the other women fighting over the Exile (and not wanting to get involved in said fighting with Handmaiden\Visas). Besides, the K2 ones seemed almost shoehorned in (as though LucasArts requested it or something).

 

I think Planescape Torment handled it well, maybe a little more dialogue from Fall-from-Grace would have been good but I'm not concerned about romances anyway. I wouldn't want to see the game compromised for the sake of including them.

 

Torment. I remember there being some sexual tension between TNO and Annah, and it was just that, a few glimpses and eventually the endgame. It fit perfectly with the game, the tormented aint gettin' no romance, no sir!

[oldmanpaco]

I say the romances should be like the ones in the 'Romantic Encounters' mod for BG. That was some epic writing.

 

 

Or Saerileth. Read this review and tell me your not intrigued.

 

[saerileth] has a well-developed personality, and romancing her has been more fun that it ever was with the Bioware NPC's . . . . all in all, this must be one of the best mods for BG2 that I've ever tried, especially because I enjoyed the quests that came with her.

--Grunker

[Humanoid]

Whether a romance fits into a game has a lot to do with the timescale of the game. Do the events of the game happen through the course of a week, a few months, or years? This is part of why Mass Effect romances tended to feel like absurd wham-bam-thank-you-mam affairs, while it's a bit more natural in the long form games where your companions basically *are* your social circle.

[Bos_hybrid]

........................

 

I don't really see a need for romances......

[Moonlight Butterfly]

Don't end the romantic relationship's development when you first have sex.

 

I hope that wasn't even what they were planning as far as any potential romantic relationships are concerned..., but I wanted to just go ahead and say this to get it out of the way.

 

I'm not trying to diminish how awesome sex is, or suggesting that all relationships need to have a deep emotional attachment (sometimes it's just bang-buddies, and that's ok) - but I'm tired of video games portraying sex as the final goal when it comes to romance.

 

Make it a stepping stone or a stumbling block, a scandal or a salve, so long as it isn't the finish line.

 

I totally agree. I'd also like a decent relationship for straight females and NPC's who are either shy or come onto the player the character. Not everyone is the same irl after all. The PC getting shot down would be funny too. xD

[Calax]

If this runs long enough... would there be some sort of kids popping up?

[Arquebusier]

Or Saerileth.

 

Thank you! Saerileth's overall story arc (especially in Throne of Bhaal) is an absolute gem of storytelling, and made you realize exaclty what it was like to romance a paladin, especially with the emphasis on LAWFUL Good!

 

There should also be the option for a more reserved character or two in the party; someone who you actually need to marry before having sex. If we're trying to be inclusive with the different sexuality types, why not include someone for the more traditionally-minded gamers?