"As for role playing, the game will incorporate relationships that other Obsidian RPGs have used, but there won't be any romantic options."

 

http://www.polygon.com/2014/6/19/5823118/pillars-of-eternity-preview-e3-2014

 

Full featured role playing games often use romance or marriage systems. Amazing games such as Baldur's Gate II, Neverwinter Nights, Skyrim, Knights of the Old Republic etc. As a backer, personally I'm disappointed in the lack of romances in Pillars of Eternity.

 

For fans of this style of optional content, there's no upside to their absence.

 

Much appreciated, but the developers have directly confirmed this well prior to now.

Romance thread alert!

 

Time to batten down the hatch.

I was aware of this way back during the KS campaign.  I don't think this is anything new.

"As for role playing, the game will incorporate relationships that other Obsidian RPGs have used, but there won't be any romantic options."

 

http://www.polygon.com/2014/6/19/5823118/pillars-of-eternity-preview-e3-2014

 

Full featured role playing games often use romance or marriage systems. Amazing games such as Baldur's Gate II, Neverwinter Nights, Skyrim, Knights of the Old Republic etc. As a backer, personally I'm disappointed in the lack of romances in Pillars of Eternity.

 

For fans of this style of optional content, there's no upside to their absence.

It's probably best that they hold off on romance until poe2.  The farthest they should go in terms of romance in poe would be a bit of flirting. While it is clear there will be no romance in poe; no one has said they won't allude to possible future romances. Besides, mods will give the community romances anyway.

That is a nice thing about very little voice acting.  It will be easier to mod in romances.

Personally, I wasn't aware of developer confirmation prior to the linked preview. Regardless, the link and quote were provided as context for my accompanying statement.

 

That being said, this thread isn't a call to action, a shaming of the developers, or condemnation of this title in any way shape or form. The creators of this game are artists and rightfully have the freedom to express themselves as they wish.

 

Likewise, I felt the need to express my feelings toward a game feature wish I greatly value in the role playing games I choose to play. That's the full extent of the post.

Personally, I wasn't aware of developer confirmation prior to the linked preview. Regardless, the link and quote were provided as context for my accompanying statement.

 

That being said, this thread isn't a call to action, a shaming of the developers, or condemnation of this title in any way shape or form. The creators of this game are artists and rightfully have the freedom to express themselves as they wish.

 

Likewise, I felt the need to express my feelings toward a game feature wish I greatly value in the role playing games I choose to play. That's the full extent of the post.

 

You have to understand the context here: this topic has been a mine field for years.

 

Anyway there were no romances in PS:T either so don't get too worried that somehow something might be lacking in interaction with the companions.  All I am saying is give no romances a chance.

Edited July 2, 201411 yr by Valmy

Suffer not the promancer to talk, else his squeeing echo.

Suffer not the promancer to see, lest he lay his diseased gaze on a goodly woman.

Suffer not the promancer to touch, for he is debased and diseased.

Suffer not the promancer to hear, for all he shall hear is scorn.

Suffer not the promancer to taste, do not nourish evil.

Suffer not the promancer to live, else his deviancy spread.

Personally, I wasn't aware of developer confirmation prior to the linked preview. Regardless, the link and quote were provided as context for my accompanying statement.

No worries. I wasn't trying to jump on you or anything. Just letting you know that, for what it's worth, this has been dredged and re-dredged about 300 times by a lot of people here. So, just... prepare thineself.

O Noes not again.

 

Quick, create new topics and hide this thread to page two or three before HE shows up.

Or we could all just post so many "Oh no, not again!"s that, without any actual romance discussion, this thread goes on for 17 pages, and people being ironically asking "why is this thread still going?!",

Or we could all just post so many "Oh no, not again!"s that, without any actual romance discussion, this thread goes on for 17 pages, and people being ironically asking "why is this thread still going?!",

Now that's just spam. Poor form. Poor form.

 

My stance has always been thus: shagging for shagging's sake and less...romancing.

 

EX: Alpha Protocol.

I like romances in games too, but I've hated every romance in Obsidian games so far so I'm quite alright without them.

Romance thread alert!

 

Time to batten down the hatch.

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWwOJlOI1nU

O Noes not again.

 

Quick, create new topics and hide this thread to page two or three before HE shows up.

I'm on it, but I can't think of anything to talk about.

Romance... hmmm.. 

 

Not something that I'll miss in the game.

I am neither happy nor sad about this. I enjoy the occassional romance but not every game needs it.

 

Or we could all just post so many "Oh no, not again!"s that, without any actual romance discussion, this thread goes on for 17 pages, and people being ironically asking "why is this thread still going?!",

Now that's just spam. Poor form. Poor form.

 

My stance has always been thus: shagging for shagging's sake and less...romancing.

 

EX: Alpha Protocol.

 

 

You're jelly 'cause the redhead held out on you, aren't ya? ;-)

 

In that 'Top 70 RGPs of all time' RPG Codex did (an article I have a mountain of problems with, but that's for another thread), BG2 was right up at the top and praised for it's romances while the ME series was shafted as being some kind of Sims-lite romance simulator. I'll take the latter over BG2's anyday, I think they were poorly implemented. Especially the bit in ToB where Aerie gives birth, that was funny as hell.

 

Romances done right are needed. My personal favourite game romance is Tali from the Mass Effect series, because if you terribly in ME3 and she offs herself you can roleplay Shepard as the husk of a man he once was who has lost his only reason to save the galaxy.

 

The game will fare fine without them I think. The head crushing level of other stuff going on will keep us occupied and the last thing you want is the romance shoe-horned and we all go "eeeeeh...it was alright, I guess".

Edited July 3, 201411 yr by Ashen Rohk

*grumble*

 

the bioware-style, tangential and insular sex-'em-up side-quests/mini-games is not romances as Gromnir would define. am always a bit perturbed that romance in crpgs has become inexplicably linked with the bioware companion mini-game. whenever we sees folks lamenting the absence o' romance in a game when what they is actual requesting is the sex-'em up side-quests, we feels the need to jump in like king kong-- start throwing buses and biplanes in animal rage at tiny villains.

 

...

 

in retrospect, our reaction is particular appropriate given that king kong were a far better romance story than we has ever seen via the mini-game approach.

 

HA! Good Fun!

As long as the companions are interesting and reactive, I don't feel that romance needs to be in the game. Not every story supports romance (nor should it).

I would like a well written one (no canoodling necessary, at all). I just can't think of any great examples off the top of my head. I guess that makes me a promancer.

That said, I'm pretty sure no romance has been established for awhile now.

 

*ducks for cover*

I would like a well written one (no canoodling necessary, at all). I just can't think of any great examples off the top of my head. I guess that makes me a promancer.

That said, I'm pretty sure no romance has been established for awhile now.

 

*ducks for cover*

 

Don't duck for cover, your feelings are the ones people naturally exhibit.

 

I think a good, believe-able romance would be enjoyable. Obsidian did not include romance because they believed they could not do so with the game's budget and still keep attention to all the other aspects they wanted (source: Newegg interview). All said and done, humans still naturally take interest in the opposite sex, or whatever preference they may have. A romance makes people feel good so long as it is believe-able; so long as a romance can give us some feels for the character we are romancing, then the job has been done. The problem with romance in RPGs nowadays is that the characterization of many romancable NPCs is so flawed, unbelievable, or perhaps the 'courting' as it were, is so easy that no satisfaction of the experience nor attachment is achieved, unless the player is aiming for sex and sex only, in which case he has both.

 

But that is once again the pitfall. Relationships are so much more than sex. They are a slow regard of silent things spoken between two people. A whimsical dance of flirtatiousness and yet shyness, a battle between two hearts to wrestle what it is they exactly feel. All's fair in love and war, because love itself is a battle. These things are what make romance, and these are the things which are lacking in RPGs.

 

Sadly, this sort of lacking has caused a distaste for romance in a lot of people. I hope that can be overturned in Obsidian's next Eternity game, so long as they do indeed have enough resources for it. I certainly enjoy a well done romance, hopefully it can happen but it is certainly not required.

 

Whoa there, I sense ton of romanticism in this post. No pun intended... Looks like listening to waltzes in the background changes my writing style quite a bit.

 

Edit: A great example of a romance in which canoodling is not one of the prime components is the romance in the Kingkiller Chronicles (you know what I'm talking about). I has all the elements I mention above, and there is not much kissing and cuddling. Of course, this is a romance in a book, but I believe it still applies.

Edited July 4, 201411 yr by Natusake

Restrict romances in Eternity at a brothel. And by romances, I mean quid pro quo. As in prostitution. Exchange of legal tender for nookie.

 

With apologies to Nepenthe.