No romances confirmed

[Gfted1]

What would be your method if company wants to see if a particular component should be implemented in a game?

Email all the backers.

[IndiraLightfoot]

I'm curious about the other end too: How much animosity can you muster in your companions? I think I read somewhere that they can leave your party if you treat them bad. But why stop there? Say you dump three or four adventure hall characters you made, and then they return (higher level and bad-ass) in order to exact sweet revenge. Or perhaps the Obsidian-made companions get really cranky in various quest-related ways if you let them down, and this in-game, and not just at the very end, like in NWN2 OC.

[FlintlockJazz]

In regards to mentions of polls showing favour one way or the other, I don't remember any of the polls proving anything in regards to this issue.  I do remember that polls were set up in various leading ways to try to skew them in favour of whichever side the poster who made them was on, and that it was never really clear. 

 

Honestly, I think it's too late in development to change it now, and Obsidian never said that they were going to include romances in their KS bid (they said they were making a spiritual successor to the IE games, which includes the Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate 1 which did not have romanceable companions and they never made any post during the KS that they would have romances), so they have no obligation to do so.  This is the danger of KS, we are not businessmen and do not understand the importance of small print. :D

Edited February 11, 2014 by FlintlockJazz

[IndiraLightfoot]

Or make an official poll, like InXile did for turn-based combat vs RTwP. The turnout of KS backers was a huge success, IIRC.

[Auxilius]

I think that Kaelyn the Dove handled the level of friendship perfectly. So, go, MCA, go!!

Pretty much, and it was satisfying without going full creepy.

Sometimes, you can be loyal, sincere and moving without showing your body.

 

Same reason I liked Visas. She didn't like the hero but the idea he represented. It was more worship than love, reproducing the same mistake she did with Nihilus, and the PC could call her out on that.

 

It's nice to play with expectations sometimes. I hope the party will be able to tackle such similar situations.

[FlintlockJazz]

Or make an official poll, like InXile did for turn-based combat vs RTwP. The turnout of KS backers was a huge success, IIRC.

That would be the only way I can see of getting anything near a real idea of what is the real split of pro and anti romancers.  As controversal as it seemed to be, the inXile poll did seem to work, they got a huge number of feedback anyway at least compared to the usual polls.

[Trodat]

Great news. Keep up the good work!

[sesobebo]

things that can be debated over with some degree of objectivity can be left to polls. e.g. TToN's combat system.

 

things as subjectively perceived as romances shouldn't be; because debating something so particular would involve either spoiling the whole plot/sub-plot, or debating nothing at all.

 

and without debate there can't be an informed decision, i.e. pointless poll.

Edited February 11, 2014 by sesobebo

[Kjaamor]

Well, at least that's one ****storm that should settle a little, even if there'll still be a trickle of new people starting new threads on it from time to time.

 

Frankly, even before Chris Avellone made his thoughts abundantly clear, I would always have been surprised if PoE had ever featured romances. You stick to what you're good at, and are comfortable doing, after all.

 

Of far greater concern to me, is the wafting stench of grittiness that is coming from the pot of Eternity. Mature themes, racism, cynical outlooks... God forbid high fantasy should ever remain as just that.

[Sarex]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo, my bearded dwarf por... I mean romance, nooooooooooooooooooo!

[coffeetable]

Of far greater concern to me, is the wafting stench of grittiness that is coming from the pot of Eternity. Mature themes, racism, cynical outlooks...

This was touted from day one. I don't know what you were expecting.

[PrimeJunta]

But its not the end of the world, I'll get my Romance fix from DA:I and I'll still play and enjoy PoE

If more of us dealt with disappointment like this, the Net would be an altogether more agreeable place. :salute:

[Kjaamor]

This was touted from day one. I don't know what you were expecting.

 

Mature writing in the context of the IE games was touted, and it being Obsidian I would've been astonished if it was anything less. Unfortunately (for me), I'm getting the distinct impression that PoE's "maturity" is going to come in the form of another hopelessly bleak setting a la New Vegas, Game of Thrones and what seems like two thirds of fantasy of any form since 2010. And while I enjoyed New Vegas and, up to a point, Game of Thrones, the reality is that grittiness gets very draining.

 

While I sincerely hope that Obsidian and others benefiting from kickstarter can break free of the creative shackles of the big publishers and create games as an art form, it's not unreasonable for me to also expect to be entertained. Being hammered into depression against the anvil of dystopia is not what I had in mind.

[Cultist]

[FlintlockJazz]

 

This was touted from day one. I don't know what you were expecting.

 

Mature writing in the context of the IE games was touted, and it being Obsidian I would've been astonished if it was anything less. Unfortunately (for me), I'm getting the distinct impression that PoE's "maturity" is going to come in the form of another hopelessly bleak setting a la New Vegas, Game of Thrones and what seems like two thirds of fantasy of any form since 2010. And while I enjoyed New Vegas and, up to a point, Game of Thrones, the reality is that grittiness gets very draining.

 

While I sincerely hope that Obsidian and others benefiting from kickstarter can break free of the creative shackles of the big publishers and create games as an art form, it's not unreasonable for me to also expect to be entertained. Being hammered into depression against the anvil of dystopia is not what I had in mind.

 

I get what you are saying.  I did pick up however that they said that the racism wasn't going to be the blatant in your face kind, which actually gives me hope.  The problem with the grimdark stuff for me normally is that the writers of the bad stuff tend to think having everyone be evil and nasty and depressive and moody and have no fun whatsoever, not realising that 'good' mature fantasy still has good people and jokes and light hearted humour as well.  Basically, the problem as I see it is that people confuse mature and dealing with adult themes with teen wangst grimdark, and most developers these days seem to make that mistake too, but hopefully Obs won't and we'll get a mature and fun game.

[IndiraLightfoot]

 

 

Obs won't and we'll get a mature and fun game.

 

That's like Obsidian's hallmark right there!

[tajerio]

 

This was touted from day one. I don't know what you were expecting.

 

Mature writing in the context of the IE games was touted, and it being Obsidian I would've been astonished if it was anything less. Unfortunately (for me), I'm getting the distinct impression that PoE's "maturity" is going to come in the form of another hopelessly bleak setting a la New Vegas, Game of Thrones and what seems like two thirds of fantasy of any form since 2010. And while I enjoyed New Vegas and, up to a point, Game of Thrones, the reality is that grittiness gets very draining.

 

While I sincerely hope that Obsidian and others benefiting from kickstarter can break free of the creative shackles of the big publishers and create games as an art form, it's not unreasonable for me to also expect to be entertained. Being hammered into depression against the anvil of dystopia is not what I had in mind.

 

 

I really sincerely doubt that Obsidian's going to hand us a dystopia.  The premise of the Fallout series is postapocalyptic, while the premise of PoE is a Renaissance-esque age of discovery and exploration.  Dystopia's far more appropriate in the former setting than it is in the latter setting.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Should we start taking bets on how long it takes for someone to mod romance into the game?

[rjshae]

Yet another romance thread. Heh.

[PIP-Clownboy]

Should we start taking bets on how long it takes for someone to mod romance into the game?

 

Probably not before Nexus poops out a nude mod.  But probably a hour or two if they had access to beta. 

Edited February 11, 2014 by PIP-Clownboy

[Kjaamor]

I really sincerely doubt that Obsidian's going to hand us a dystopia.  The premise of the Fallout series is postapocalyptic, while the premise of PoE is a Renaissance-esque age of discovery and exploration.  Dystopia's far more appropriate in the former setting than it is in the latter setting.

 

Although the post-nuclear apocalypse setting is inherently dystopic, the experiences of the...you know what? I had typed a long argument here, but it's better summed up as this:

 

Fallout 1+2 didn't have kids being tied up and set ablaze and people semi-routinely shooting themselves in the face over how grim things were.

 

The setting matters far less than the general writing styles of the time.

 

 

Should we start taking bets on how long it takes for someone to mod romance into the game?

 

Probably not before Nexus poops out a nude mod. But 72 hours sounds about right. 

 

H'yep.

[tajerio]

 

I really sincerely doubt that Obsidian's going to hand us a dystopia.  The premise of the Fallout series is postapocalyptic, while the premise of PoE is a Renaissance-esque age of discovery and exploration.  Dystopia's far more appropriate in the former setting than it is in the latter setting.

 

Although the post-nuclear apocalypse setting is inherently dystopic, the experiences of the...you know what? I had typed a long argument here, but it's better summed up as this:

 

Fallout 1+2 didn't have kids being tied up and set ablaze and people semi-routinely shooting themselves in the face over how grim things were.

 

The setting matters far less than the general writing styles of the time.

 

 

 Frankly, I thought New Vegas was quite deliberately taking the piss with a lot of the grimdark.  I also don't think that a prevailing writing style of the time is going to sway the PoE team overmuch.  They seem a pretty independently minded group.  

[Lu Jo]

Romances between you and fellow adventurers seem to be a de facto feature of role-playing games today. But Obsidian isn't doing them in Pillars of Eternity.

"We're not doing romances," said Sawyer, "but [the other characters] do have pretty detailed stories, they do have their own personal motivations and goals that sometimes align with yours and sometimes they don't. They interject into your conversations, they argue with you, they argue with each other."

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAAH

Remember, this is not the BSN.

[Sabotin]

Well, I don't really mind either way. I guess it's better to not make it if they're not feeling up to the task of doing it right, since so many people feel strongly about romances.

[BruceVC]

Should we start taking bets on how long it takes for someone to mod romance into the game?

 

Excellent idea Kaine, when can we expect your first Mod around a Romance offering in PoE ?