Dragon Age: Inquistion

[BruceVC]

There were no sex scenes in BGII  just the fade to black and that was that. You either participated in the "relationship" for the in game dialog or didn't and you got a little epilogue post ToB for your trouble.

 

That was better.

 

In other words they were better before they became a feature. Now they're obnoxious, made for the type of people who peruse tentacle hentai and have inflatable dolls of their favorite anime characters.

 

 

There were no sex scenes in BGII  just the fade to black and that was that. You either participated in the "relationship" for the in game dialog or didn't and you got a little epilogue post ToB for your trouble.

 

That was better.

 

In other words they were better before they became a feature. Now they're obnoxious, made for the type of people who peruse tentacle hentai and have inflatable dolls of their favorite anime characters.

 

This is an important point. I am not advocating for detailed  Romance cut scenes and I never have, I have access to adult websites if I wanted to watch videos. I am obviously not explaining my point properly. Romance  in BG2 was done fine IMO. The Romance arc in any RPG is really done in your head and in your imagination. This same logic applies to every other aspect in this type of game, that's why its called a Role Playing Game. You mentally identify with your character and his journey, you don't have to see every part of the story to make it significant

 

But you have to at least have the option for Romance to begin this identification

[Meshugger]

Comedy aside, what changes has been done to the gameplay compared to DA2? And add to that, has at least the encounter design been fixed? The hordes of enemies appearing from thin air was ridicolously bad.

[Monte Carlo]

I read an interview where the producer was at pains to explain that he's new to Bioware and had nothing to do with DA2. It's like being the mayor of a small German town in 1946. You had nothing to do with What Went Before.

[BruceVC]

Not necessarily but possibly. It's certainly obsessive. Tell me about your childhood.

 

The fact that people want Romance in  RPG is no more obsessive than people who want multi-levelled dungeons, interesting armour, varied questing, realistic monster ecosystems and dozens of other things I could name that define the RPG experience for a person. Remember Monte that we never  should presume to tell others what is acceptable content  around there RPG experience, its very subjective

[Drowsy Emperor]

The burning question is, how much time will I have in game before a male party member hits on my male PC.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Drowsy Emperor

[Monte Carlo]

 

Not necessarily but possibly. It's certainly obsessive. Tell me about your childhood.

 

The fact that people want Romance in  RPG is no more obsessive than people who want multi-levelled dungeons, interesting armour, varied questing, realistic monster ecosystems and dozens of other things I could name that define the RPG experience for a person. Remember Monte that we never  should presume to tell others what is acceptable content  around there RPG experience, its very subjective

 

 

Everything is subjective. Which is why saying it's subjective is, essentially pointless. I find Bioware's status as romance-purveyors of choice in their games unacceptable. There, I said it. I also strongly believe many of the wiser heads at that studio know full well the cul-de-sac that decision has trapped them in. Bioware has been hoisted on its own petard, imagine if one of their designers wanted to make a totally romance-free product? They couldn't. They are trapped.

 

Bwahahahahahah.

[Drowsy Emperor]

I can only imagine the rage on BSN if they announced no romance in a game. I'd be back there in a second to watch the Armageddon commence. It would be glorious.

 

It has just occurred to me how ridiculous it is for a social justice warrior company like Bioware to make a game where the main character is an inquisitor. Or perhaps they're perfect for the role.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Drowsy Emperor

[HoonDing]

I'll be happy if my "inquisitor" can burn even one Elf at the stake.

[BruceVC]

 

 

Not necessarily but possibly. It's certainly obsessive. Tell me about your childhood.

 

The fact that people want Romance in  RPG is no more obsessive than people who want multi-levelled dungeons, interesting armour, varied questing, realistic monster ecosystems and dozens of other things I could name that define the RPG experience for a person. Remember Monte that we never  should presume to tell others what is acceptable content  around there RPG experience, its very subjective

 

 

Everything is subjective. Which is why saying it's subjective is, essentially pointless. I find Bioware's status as romance-purveyors of choice in their games unacceptable. There, I said it. I also strongly believe many of the wiser heads at that studio know full well the cul-de-sac that decision has trapped them in. Bioware has been hoisted on its own petard, imagine if one of their designers wanted to make a totally romance-free product? They couldn't. They are trapped.

 

Bwahahahahahah.

 

 

You say you think Bioware made a bad strategic decision by implementing Romance and they possibly regret it. Maybe so, we will never know. And I agree if they tried to remove Romance options from there games this would be a very unpopular decision and lead to an unprecedented furore.

 

But I do know this. Bioware has millions of committed fans and tens of thousands of fans who support and enjoy Romance. These fans support the various RPG franchises that Bioware produces financially and Bioware generates large amounts of   revenue through these fans of Romance. So the reality is I'm sure Bioware sleeps fine at night, I know I would

Edited April 24, 2014 by BruceVC

[Monte Carlo]

No, Inquisitions are perfect for social justice warriors like Bio.

 

The 'liberal' soft-left are morphing into McCarthyites, look at what happened at Mozilla. It's their way or the Highway.

[213374U]

There were no sex scenes in BGII  just the fade to black and that was that. You either participated in the "relationship" for the in game dialog or didn't and you got a little epilogue post ToB for your trouble.

 

That was better.

 

In other words they were better before they became a feature. Now they're obnoxious, made for the type of people who peruse tentacle hentai and have inflatable dolls of their favorite anime characters.

 

You also got some loot and XP out of the romance-triggered encounters. The Yochlol ambush was pretty cool. Wasn't there something with Harpers too? Funny how actual consequences and integration have gone down, while ego stroking and fan service have gone through the roof.

 

I seem to remember that Isabela's actions at a critical point in DA2 were also influenced by romance, but I'm not sure if that was necessarily locked to the romance—only played that game once.

[BruceVC]

 

There were no sex scenes in BGII  just the fade to black and that was that. You either participated in the "relationship" for the in game dialog or didn't and you got a little epilogue post ToB for your trouble.

 

That was better.

 

In other words they were better before they became a feature. Now they're obnoxious, made for the type of people who peruse tentacle hentai and have inflatable dolls of their favorite anime characters.

 

You also got some loot and XP out of the romance-triggered encounters. The Yochlol ambush was pretty cool. Wasn't there something with Harpers too? Funny how actual consequences and integration have gone down, while ego stroking and fan service have gone through the roof.

 

I seem to remember that Isabela's actions at a critical point in DA2 were also influenced by romance, but I'm not sure if that was necessarily locked to the romance—only played that game once.

 

 

 

There were no sex scenes in BGII  just the fade to black and that was that. You either participated in the "relationship" for the in game dialog or didn't and you got a little epilogue post ToB for your trouble.

 

That was better.

 

In other words they were better before they became a feature. Now they're obnoxious, made for the type of people who peruse tentacle hentai and have inflatable dolls of their favorite anime characters.

 

You also got some loot and XP out of the romance-triggered encounters. The Yochlol ambush was pretty cool. Wasn't there something with Harpers too? Funny how actual consequences and integration have gone down, while ego stroking and fan service have gone through the roof.

 

I seem to remember that Isabela's actions at a critical point in DA2 were also influenced by romance, but I'm not sure if that was necessarily locked to the romance—only played that game once.

 

 

Hi 2133

 

Where have you been, you have been conspicuous by your absence

Edited April 24, 2014 by BruceVC

[Nepenthe]

I suggest that there are people with much deeper-rooted obsessions than anything Bruce has present in this thread...

 

Are the characters pictured in the Last Supper-esque screenshot, all of your potential party members?

 

Apparently 9 potential party members and 3 non-combat support characters à la Traynor and that guy who's name I can't remember but who kept going on and on about his husband in ME3.
 

[213374U]

 

There was no black screen when Aerie popped her sprog during the battle with Abazigal.

 

Oh, yes, I didn't remember that. I had that happen during one of the "breaks" in the final encounter. "Place of Birth: The Throne of Blood".

 

Good ol' Bioware.

 

 

 

I suggest that there are people with much deeper-rooted obsessions than anything Bruce has present in this thread...

 

Look man, I've been trying to quit peanut butter and bacon sandwiches, okay? It's just that the flesh is weak and, well... bacon.

[Amentep]

I can only imagine the rage on BSN if they announced no romance in a game. I'd be back there in a second to watch the Armageddon commence. It would be glorious.

You are King Cailan and I claim my £5.

[Malcador]

Bioware has millions of committed fans and tens of thousands of fans who support and enjoy Romance

Sadly, not the kind of committed they deserve.

[Amentep]

 

Bioware has millions of committed fans and tens of thousands of fans who support and enjoy Romance

Sadly, not the kind of committed they deserve.

 

They're romance fans. They're in to commitment.  Can't be too surprised, really.

 

[Sarex]

Lol, I still remember when DA2 was going to come out (while I still visited BW forums) the fans were asking can you romance you sister/brother. The funny thing is that lot's of them were serious and were saying how it would add realism to the game. I'm cracking up as I'm writing this.

[TheChris92]

I'm gonna throw my thoughts into the whole romance debacle and by the time I've posted people will already talk about something else so my apologies. Had to rewrite the whole damn thing... Anyway -- On one hand I agree with mute on the other with Bruce. Gonna quote something meshugger said in the previous thread

 

As for romance, i do not like it in an RPG since it is handled like a vapid romantic comedy, which i hate with a burning passion. Love however, would be great in an RPG though, think of the interaction that would be at par of "The Eternal Sunshine and the Spotless Mind", "Lost in Translation" or "Her"

There's no question I'm a fan of these movies because they do what they do and they do it right.

 

The underlying problem with romances in BioWare games is that they aren't treated as 'romances' at all but more on par with wish-fulfilling.-sexually-frustrated-pants-on-dry-humping-fantasy, where love is as an alien concept as 'subtlety'. It's as awful as your average Hugh Grant-film. There isn't a mutual attraction between 2 individuals, because it still has to remember it's a game where the central focus is not relationships, as a result the power of the relationship is entirely in the player's hands. Because the impression is that Western RPGs tends to go for a much less linear approach to both gamplay and storytelling, which is where the challenge of implementation lies. I'd go as far to say that some of the BioWare romances feel as shameless as HBO's approach to nudity -- Like it's only there to satisfy the status quo. It feels so token and about as complex as Branston Pickles.

Love, however, is something I'd like to see. It's uncompromising, and it can hurt as much as it can bring joy. The movie Adele's Life showcases this with an unforgiving edge, wild fantasies of the heart and mind are what take flight from the sometimes disappointing and imperfect realities of life.   -- Spike Jonze's Her, puts things into a broader perspective by asking the question of which relationships are most important, the things that draws us to other people and why we crave it, and physical comsumation doesn't matter in order to achieve emotional gratification. Eternal Sunshine makes the argument that imperfection, imbalance, miscommunication; these are the parts that make and eventually break a relationship, but there is always hope, and it functions as a tool for us to complete ourselves, we search for the things that we lack in our partners, so we can become whole.

All of this is easier within the film medium, because there you have tighter frames to work with the concept of a relationship between 2 people. I'd argue that games haven't been able to do that yet but that shouldn't mean there's no room for trying. The closest thing games have come to this point would be with Atlus' Persona games & a game called Catherine (which is essentially based around the difficulties of a relationship). The central focus in the former is dungeon crawling and building relationships, that is to say, relationships that can be either end up being mutual respect for people, friendship or love. Some of these relationships aren't really necessarily out of friendship but rather a shared understanding between individuals world outlook.

I like that approach as it feels level-headed without resorting to personalized amalgamation of what we see typical Hollywood flicks, listen to in songs, read about in novels  The games' reaches for a niche appeal, but I like how aesthetically real they feel,, I just don't see it working for BioWare when their top priority will never be 'love' or 'romance' or even crafting a plot based around the impetus of commitment.

Heck there are other games build around love and or relationships, like Shadow of the Colossus, Castlevania, FF 8,9 & 10 (before it totally sold out with X-2) and even one of my favorite games of all time Silent Hill 2 -- Though here they function as a vehicle to drive the plot and they become necessary for character progression and even story.

 

Basically I'm in agreement with Mute that the romances feel unnecessary and preposterous without any larger depth placed into them. On the other hand I agree with Bruce that showcasing 'love' with a serious approach would be a welcome gesture. Games after all have grown up and so has gamers, right? 

Edited April 24, 2014 by TheChris92

[Amentep]

Lol, I still remember when DA2 was going to come out (while I still visited BW forums) the fans were asking can you romance you sister/brother. The funny thing is that lot's of them were serious and were saying how it would add realism to the game. I'm cracking up as I'm writing this.

 

That was when I left the Bio boards.  There was a poster demanding he be able to romance his sister because he wanted to play a "Jamie Lannister" character and I'm not sure how serious he was, but then a bunch of others took it up and that was it for me.

[TheChris92]

I suggest that there are people with much deeper-rooted obsessions than anything Bruce has present in this thread...

 

Are the characters pictured in the Last Supper-esque screenshot, all of your potential party members?

 

Apparently 9 potential party members and 3 non-combat support characters à la Traynor and that guy who's name I can't remember but who kept going on and on about his husband in ME3.

 

His name was....

[Drowsy Emperor]

 

I can only imagine the rage on BSN if they announced no romance in a game. I'd be back there in a second to watch the Armageddon commence. It would be glorious.

You are King Cailan and I claim my £5.

 

 

Who?

[Amentep]

 

 

I can only imagine the rage on BSN if they announced no romance in a game. I'd be back there in a second to watch the Armageddon commence. It would be glorious.

You are King Cailan and I claim my £5.

 

 

Who?

 

 

Tch, and in a dragon age thread, no less...

 

[TheChris92]

Now that's what I call Glorious.

 

Loghain: Your fascination with GLORY and legend will be your undoing Cailan.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP8EvJ_4hy8

Edited April 24, 2014 by TheChris92

[Garryydde]

Gather 'round children! Let a jaded Bioware Forum user tell you a story about romance.

 

Romances are the worst aspect of a Bioware game, not because of the content within said romance but because of what to does to the fanbase. There's just something about romances that brings out the worst in people and it shows when reading the DA: I forums. Most of the threads are about either romances or sexuality instead of discussing things like gameplay mechanics or story elements. Romance threads also get way more replies than other threads.

 

There is also a sub community of 'special snowflakes' who demand that the game cater to their wants or they'll write a really long forum/blog post about how BW are 'heteronormative scum'. Any recent frequenter here will probably know of one particular user who is the most whiny, insufferable entitled piece of trash to ever grace an internet forum. Romances should be scrapped because it would remove a cancerous tumour on the gaming community.