Player family?

[Kane_Severance]

In games like Fallout it was possible to marry an NPC and they often became a worthless follower. In PE if you find someone to become your bride, they don't have to follow you around because there is a stronghold to manage.

 

Now I want to have a storyline where you come back to your stronghold only to find that your S.O. has turned it into a bed and breakfast.

 

Lol!

 

"Where are all my guards?!"

 

"Oh, they're taking breakfast orders. Do you like their new uniforms? Pink silk was on sale."

 

"AAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!"

[Azarkon]

The idea of player families offers excellent opportunities for future RPG design, but this sort of player family feature requires time lapses to be present in the game. It is thus available only to RPGs that do not take place within the span of a sequence of adventures, but over the course of a timeline / life time. Given that doing player family correctly requires a great deal of resources spent on family interactions, it's best left to games that have a thematic drive for such features and ought not to be just haphazardly inserted into a game.

Edited October 23, 2012 by Azarkon

[Dawn_]

I hope Obsidian won't make that mistake. I don't think people want a Sim's game.

 

Eck, i almost find sometimes romance being an hinderance to the story (well not correctly handled).

Let's focus on deep character with a lot of background and forget those kind of thought.

Edited October 23, 2012 by Dawn_

[kenup]

Not sure where you're getting that I'm asking for erotic fanfiction. I have had conversationswith and listened to interview with developers about writing dialog and it is one of the least resource intensive things involved in making games. Whether the writing is good depends on the writer.

Which developer(s)? Time is also a limited resource. And "writing" is only part of the process, kind of like coding being only part of programming. And yes, what you ask is very close to bad erotic fanfiction. This is just a follow up to the romance thread.

Edited October 23, 2012 by kenup

[Monte Carlo]

[Kilroy_Was_Here]

In one of the romance threads I suggested that it should be an option at character creation that the PC already has/had a spouse/children. This removes the time lapse problem with kids and, being optional, avoids the problem about being railroaded. It also adds the idea that your character can avoid a romance that many players seem to hate without having to be celebate the entire game.

 

After all, only in an Elder Scrolls game does your character come into existence when you hit the 'new game' button. In other RPGs the PC had some kind of existence before the game started; why not have this be a part of it?

[kenup]

A copy of the sims that was offered to me had a black eye in 5 seconds! So yes, I do simply beat the sims!

[motorizer]

 

I doubt that, they've already said they hope to make sequels where you carry your character over

 

What's to doubt? If my character lives from one game to the next, it means i lived past the end of the first game. And when all 17 sequals are released, I would still like to be alive and see my loved onces, country, and coffer grow, as I retire near a beach I have cleared out to drink fictional ****tails with little umbrellas poking out of the top.

I meant I doubt they'll martyr you...not I doubt you'll live happily ever after Edited October 23, 2012 by motorizer

[Pshaw]

I really don't mind the idea in general. I just don't strictly see how it would fit into the game. Who would you marry? If the answer is anybody then you end up with a Fable type system where you seduce and marry anybody in a bad excuse for a mini game. I don't think this fits into the overall theme of a game like PE where I imagine most characters will be deep and interesting and reducing their affections to some sort of game mechanic would detract from the characters as a whole.

 

The other alternative is through romance options with party members and/or NPCs out in the world. While I personally am a big fan of romances and would very much like to see them included in this game I still don't think marriage and family life fits in here. I say this because even if romances are included, as many people have declared their distaste for them, I don't believe that everybody should be able to be married. Even if they did I don't think they should strictly want to become a housewife/husband as clearly in the case of your companions they had chosen a life of adventure. It wouldn't make sense for me companions to suddenly want to give that up to go live in your stronghold and raise a family.

 

Beyond that I think this would be a bit immersion breaking if it was included. Male player romances / knocks up female companion or NPC then suddenly there's a baby. Was that person able to still adventure with you through all 9 months of pregnancy? What if your main character is female? Does that mean at some point in your story you need to stop and go sit around your keep for months while the events of the story are put on hold until you're able to get back out there? Personally I just don't think it works.

 

I think you could get all the same scenarios without the need to involve marriage and/or a family. Why not just have your companions or an important NPC get kidnapped and need to get rescued why would it need to be your spouse? Why not just have the children of a local village start vanishing and are in need of some saving and as lord of their lands it falls to you?

 

Once again I'm totally for romances and even marriage where it fits. However I think any family raising should be covered in the epilogue and not in game. Nor should so much content be developed around the idea of having a spouse. Not everybody wants to get married but plenty of people would feel obligated to slog through it if their was more content to be accessed by doing it. In my opinion any sort of romantic interests and so on should pretty much be covered in dialogue between your character and the NPCs in game with party banter to reinforce it. Beyond that it forces players who don't want any sort of romantic gameplay into doing it anyway in order to experience all of the content.

[eselle28]

I'm mildly pro-romance (less intrusive BGII-style ones, not overblown DA2 ones), but a player family just seems like it's a step in the wrong direction. I'm not going to make the resources argument. We all have features beyond the barebones RPG experience that we want, and I think we all have our reasons for why the ones we like should be included instead of the ones we'd just ignore or skip over.

 

A somewhat different objection I have is that having a player family takes the emphasis off of adventuring and the main storyline. I'm not under the impression that this is meant to be a home base centered RPG like DA2 was or a very unstructured open world like Skyrim. If the plot of the game puts the player on a quest that's intended to be finished within a year or two maximum, there doesn't seem to be time to form any kind of an appropriate family. I'm picturing the house more as a storage and meeting place and the stronghold as something with military value, and the player family idea doesn't seem to fit well with that. It's not an idea I dislike in all games, but it doens't seem like it's the best fit for one with the structure that's been proposed.

[Striky]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind some kind of romance, either. Doesn't have to lead all the way to marriage, but something subtle (Annah from P:T or Visas from KotOR II) would be nice.

Edited October 23, 2012 by Striky

[Winter Wolf]

The addition of a house and stronghold raises a question. Can the player start a family? In games like Fallout it was possible to marry an NPC and they often became a worthless follower. In PE if you find someone to become your bride, they don't have to follow you around because there is a stronghold to manage. I like the idea of having certain NPCs be romance options, rather than just be limited to your companions. You could marry and potentially have an heir. This also opens up quest options like having a family member kidnapped, or attempted assassinations.

 

If done I'd prefer it not to be like Skyrim or Fable where you can just walk up to someone random with a ring (or amulet) and have them marry you. They should be a few unique NPCs to choose from with different personalities and potentially different benifits. One might be an excellent financial manager who offers a bonus to stronghold income. One might be more martially inclined and add a boost to your personal guard.

 

Just a few thoughts, I'd like to hear from other people with suggestions, and of course from those that think it's a horrible idea and why.

 

[Winter Wolf]

Disclaimer: I actually have no real issue with the idea. It's a little out there and unlikely but hey, whatever you're into. The pictures just made me laugh. I wanted to contribute.

[Rosveen]

It might be interesting if the PC had an old flame that he or she could re-kindle... with a sufficient quantity of buttering up. That approach was taken (somewhat) in The WItcher and I think it would add more depth to the character's background. It would also cut to the chase faster.

 

The Witcher is a terrible example. Both romances felt forced, especially to people who read the books and knew that Geralt loved Yennefer (who was nowhere to be seen, much to my disappointment).

 

Besides, having an "old flame" essentialy means that my character loves someone and I have absolutely no idea why. I don't even know the person! If I end up hating them and the game insists on telling me that my character loves them (or even used to love), I'll be angry. This can work in a game with a pre-defined protagonist, but not in one with customized character creation.

 

On topic: I'm all for romance, but please, no marriage, kids and family life. I don't want The Sims in my RPGs.

[rjshae]

Besides, having an "old flame" essentialy means that my character loves someone and I have absolutely no idea why. I don't even know the person! If I end up hating them and the game insists on telling me that my character loves them (or even used to love), I'll be angry. This can work in a game with a pre-defined protagonist, but not in one with customized character creation.

 

Yes, nobody ever, ever comes to hate somebody they once loved. That's why divorce rates are so low.

[AlphaShard]

So no one likes the idea of a Generational story where the sequel or expansion your child could be you or an NPC? I liked how Phantasy Star III had a story that literaly went down the generation of a family.

Edited October 23, 2012 by AlphaShard

[Rosveen]

Besides, having an "old flame" essentialy means that my character loves someone and I have absolutely no idea why. I don't even know the person! If I end up hating them and the game insists on telling me that my character loves them (or even used to love), I'll be angry. This can work in a game with a pre-defined protagonist, but not in one with customized character creation.

 

Yes, nobody ever, ever comes to hate somebody they once loved. That's why divorce rates are so low.

That's not what I meant and you know it (I hope )

It's different when you watch your character fall in love with someone and then (as a player) get bored of them 15 hours later and try to explain it with "well, people get divorced". This, however, is seeing a stranger and reading "here, love of your life, live happily ever after". But you don't feel any emotional connection to this person because you just met them. Imagine creating a character, inventing her backstory, believing - knowing - that her loved one died years ago; then suddenly 10 hours in you meet a long forgotten love and all you think is: WTF?! This is all wrong. That's not what happened.

Edited October 23, 2012 by Rosveen

[eselle28]

Besides, having an "old flame" essentialy means that my character loves someone and I have absolutely no idea why. I don't even know the person! If I end up hating them and the game insists on telling me that my character loves them (or even used to love), I'll be angry. This can work in a game with a pre-defined protagonist, but not in one with customized character creation.

 

Yes, nobody ever, ever comes to hate somebody they once loved. That's why divorce rates are so low.

 

The game is still assuming that I once liked that sort of person. It's also assuming that my character isn't a young person who's never been in love or a celibate member of some religious group. And unless the scripting gets very involved, it's going to run into awkward territory. Will there be a love interest of both genders? Will the game accomodate players who design characters who aren't interested in the opposite sex?

 

There are so many cool stories to tell. For me, this one isn't woth making so many decisions for players.

Edited October 23, 2012 by eselle28

[Superdeluxe]

I wouldn't mind the discussion of children in a epilogue (perhaps said child could be in PE 2?)

[SunBroSolaire]

So no one likes the idea of a Generational story where the sequel or expansion your child could be you or an NPC? I liked how Phantasy Star III had a story that literaly went down the generation of a family.

I do not. Maybe for another family unrelated to the PC. It really limits what type of character I can roleplay as if they have to fit into a bunch of pre-existing relationships.

[Amentep]

I dunno, player families might work in a game where the scope was started with the idea of being a multi-generational saga. But I don't get that impression of intention for this game and fear it'll turn into baby-as-inventory-item ala Aerie / PC relationship in BG2.

[Kilroy_Was_Here]

I dunno, player families might work in a game where the scope was started with the idea of being a multi-generational saga. But I don't get that impression of intention for this game and fear it'll turn into baby-as-inventory-item ala Aerie / PC relationship in BG2.

 

I'm pretty sure you couldn't sell it but wasn't that item droppable? Seems like it had the potential for some awkward conversations...

 

'Where's our child? I thought I handed them to you in that last dungeon.' 'The one with the mind flayers?' 'Oops...'

 

Or what if you put it in the bag of holding and it glitched and duplicated? Twins!! You know, I think there's a wealth of possibilities here...

[Juneau]

OP, I actually think it could be a good when you take into consideration the introduction of the Stronghold. It opens up a lot of possibilities where STORY wise you can marry, become a feudal lord/lady. Heck for all we know there could be several and I'm going to say "romanceable" characters (note: I haven't mentioned sex/erotisicm etc...) in the two BIG cities.

 

Now say this Stronghold assigns you a reagent (as in someone who cares/runs the Stronghold whilst your away) what's to say you can't replace the Reagent with your Husband/Wife. It doesn't have to be massively complicated or complex but it add's a little more Story to a game and instead of having your Reagent send you missives with updates on your Stronghold, your spouse does.

[Barothmuk]

Truth be told, theoretically, I support the idea. It allows more roleplaying freedom and adds another potential layer of depth to the player character. However I do fear it might end up attracting swarms of 'fans' who try to turn the game/franchise into a pathetic, wishfulfilling substitute for their own sad lonley existence.

 

tl;dr, ****ing Bioware fans ruining everything.