If Pillars of Eternity had romances

[rheingold]

Congratulations Izzie, you have graduated with flying colors, you are no longer a troll but rather a huge, slightly demented ogre.

[NightRevan]

Just in reference to the discussion about a romantic arc between a PC and a NPC (companion or otherwise) that would not have them being (or desiring) physical intimacy (or both), for instance if one or both is a godlike which has left them unable to have this or due to some other traumatic experience or just lack of sexual desire shouldn't mean there could not be a romantic arc that would be possible with them, just that the arc would be a little different and focus on exploring the building bond, affection and attraction to each other as persons, of the growth of love and commitment between them (or it's destruction, betrayal or other more tragic elements etc depending on how you respond as a PC, the NPC and their reactions and the wider narrative).

 

After all, even for those who can't or don't desire sexual intimacy doesn't mean they don't desire the particular romantic companionship and bond and the other kinds of intimacy it provides. Such s relationship is still romantic even though it is not actively sexual, and written well could be very interesting.

 

And from what I remember there was just that kind of romantic arc in PS:T with Falls-from-Grace where due to her unique situation physical intimacy was off the table between TNO and her, but I remember really enjoying it as part of the story and game, and found (if I'm remembering right as it has been a while) her promise to wait for my TNO when he goes to his fate quite a moving and powerful moment ss part of the whole finale, it definitely added to the whole experience of that game for me.

 

To some extent Visa Marr of KOTOR 2 features this in which at least the sexual aspect of the attraction and relationship between her and the male Exile is muted but was more connection and growing intimacy through the Force (leading to the mediating scene together as you go after Kreia), though I now not all the companion arcs, including romances, were implemented at the time so physical attraction may have been emphasized in what wasn't implemented

 

 

But as it is I think both are models for approaching a companion arc with romance, that forms a definitely romantic relationship with various outcomes (with Visa it could at least with restoration mod, it could lead to redemptive or dark end, or to sacrificing her, which could happen through the non-romantic interactions of course, but impact when the Exile is in a romantic relationship and one of the above events or outcomes occurs has allot of impact and RP affect for the PC

. Similar to KOTOR 1 where one PC of mine had romanced and was in love with Bastila, stayed loyal to Jedi, tried to save her in their fight, failed and had to kill her, I found it a powerful but tragic moment, as is succeeding in saving her or RPing that through the game your bond with her was holding the dark side at bay and so falling to it during the fight on the Rakatan temple).

 

A little off track at the end there, but looking at how those games did it, I think romances without physical intimacy bring possible or a factor at least through the game can be done well and be powerful and effective as a character interaction and relational arc through the game and yield and powerful romantic aspect into the narrative giving just as strong an impact as romantic arcs where physical attraction and intimacy plays a stronger role in the narrative and interaction

 

 

It possible has a benefit of focusing the writers on really focusing on the attraction and potentially growing love and bond the characters and how events affect that and how the relationship turns out.

 

Of course whether there are romances in future games depends on whether the developers want them. I like the in companion, story-focused RPGs but if the writers felt forced to do them because maybe allot of players might want them in (assuming for the sake of argument that is the case, which it might well not be) that shouldn't happen. Because if it's not something their heart was in it in all likelihood wouldn't be that good and feel shoe-horned in, a little to how some view the stronghold in PoE (though I haven't gotten far enough I to making a judgment about it myself). But I do think romances without physical intimacy as part of the arc can be done and done well with the right writing

[Tylaris]

True...oddly enough, the best romances I've seen in these kind of games come from mods...I remember Amber and Fade mods that added a lot of humor and the romance track went along very well with the friendship one. And then, there is Hubbelpot. 

[Razorchain]

A wild orlan male and a squirell I guess.

 

I mean a Orlan+squirell= wild orlan

Edited May 10, 2015 by Razorchain

[Namutree]

I'd just like to add that if POE 2 adds romance, please make sure the female is perpetually clad in a head covering and full-length robe, conservative Islam style, such that she could look either beatiful or mannish but folks like luzarius would never know for sure and would have to actually listen to her words to determine if she was a loveable character to them.

 

But do give her beautiful eyes, thank you.

 

(Not saying Islam is a good or a bad thing. Or that its clothing practices are good. Just referencing the type of garb, let's not derail, thx.)

Is it weird if I'd actually want to see this?

[tinysalamander]

 

The sort of person that a character falls in love with and under what circumstances says a lot about who they are. If the character is willing to get involved with anyone, from the hairiest wild orlan to the mightiest aumua, same or opposite sex, from the cruelest Bleak Walker to the kindest Wayfarer, then you're basically taking a big chunk of their character and dissolving it into bland mush, all to service a player fantasy of getting some elf strange or whatever.

 

https://allthetropes.orain.org/wiki/Single-Target_Sexuality

[madrict]

If PoE had romances, I would actually buy it.........silly not to have the option imo.

 

Romances are a big part of RPG's for me, and the lack of romance options in PoE is the main reason I cant be bothered with this game.

 

Hopefully the next instalment will include them......

[luzarius]

If PoE had romances, I would actually buy it.........silly not to have the option imo.

 

Romances are a big part of RPG's for me, and the lack of romance options in PoE is the main reason I cant be bothered with this game.

 

Hopefully the next instalment will include them......

 

I agree.

 

Let's take a random fantasy movie.  Let's say Conan the Barbarian (old school).  Even he had a romance in that movie with the Valeria character.  It's all about immersion.  She was a companion that hanged out with him through out the movie.  Then of course Conan had his thief/archer friend. 

 

I too would like to see POE 2 take a shot at romance options, but I'll say this again.  PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THE WOMAN LOOK LIKE A MAN THE SAME WAY BIOWARE MADE CASSANDRA PENTAGHAST LOOK LIKE A MAN.  LOL, sorry I couldn't help myself.

 

This is an example of a strong woman who still retains her feminine quality.

 

 

 

Too human for me. I can date humans in real life. I'd want Obsidian to give us something nuts. Like an Aumaua, Wild Orlan, or Maybe a Death Godlike? I guess the best solution is IF there are multiple romances there could be some that are pretty grounded like the woman you posted, and some that are bonkers. What I don't want to see is a BG2 situation where my choices were:

 

1: Elf

2: Elf

3: Half-Elf

 

For goodness' sake there are 7 available races and they reused the same one twice! Even the third one is associated with Elves. Shouldn't have made Aerie romance-able and instead replaced her romance with a romance for Mazzy. Now that would be more interesting. 

 

 

 

Kotor 1 had this I think with the Juhani character.

 

Edited May 11, 2015 by luzarius

[Namutree]

 

If PoE had romances, I would actually buy it.........silly not to have the option imo.

 

Romances are a big part of RPG's for me, and the lack of romance options in PoE is the main reason I cant be bothered with this game.

 

Hopefully the next instalment will include them......

 

I agree.

 

Let's take a random fantasy movie.  Let's say Conan the Barbarian (old school).  Even he had a romance in that movie with the Valeria character.  It's all about immersion.  She was a companion that hanged out with him through out the movie.  Then of course Conan had his thief/archer friend. 

 

I too would like to see POE 2 take a shot at romance options, but I'll say this again.  PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THE WOMAN LOOK LIKE A MAN THE SAME WAY BIOWARE MADE CASSANDRA PENTAGHAST LOOK LIKE A MAN.  LOL, sorry I couldn't help myself.

 

This is an example of a strong woman who still retains her feminine quality.

 

 

Too human for me. I can date humans in real life. I'd want Obsidian to give us something nuts. Like an Aumaua, Wild Orlan, or Maybe a Death Godlike? I guess the best solution is IF there are multiple romances there could be some that are pretty grounded like the woman you posted, and some that are bonkers. What I don't want to see is a BG2 situation where my choices were:

 

1: Elf

2: Elf

3: Half-Elf

 

For goodness' sake there are 7 available races and they reused the same one twice! Even the third one is associated with Elves. Shouldn't have made Aerie romance-able and instead replaced her romance with a romance for Mazzy. Now that would be more interesting. 

[Zwiebelchen]

 

The allure of fantasy games is that we undertake quests and activities not possible in the "real" world--it's an alternate reality.  So why clutter that up with a bunch of cartoon porn?  It's one thing to slay imaginary monsters and evil-doers in fantasy RPGs, quite another to have cartoon-fantasy sexual activity in a game.  There is enough of that on the Internet as it is...   No need to foul up the game with that kind of thing, imo.  I have no clue why people want this stuff in an RPG, and then want to fantasize even further and call it "romance."  When Geralt visits a whore for some (hopefully) VD-free fun in the Witcher universe, what does that do for the person playing the game?  Not much, actually.  I guess it's okay if your game of choice is the Sims. I guess.

 

 

Look, I'm not one of the promancers. I'm perfectly happy about Obsidians decision not to waste production resources on romance stuff, but there's just so many misconceptions in your post that I feel like I have to point out - because this bull is almost the same level as the "games make our kids aggressive" television-mantra from 10 years ago.

 

It's not about sex or fullfilling basic human desires. It's not about a guy fapping in front of his screen: it's about love. Shallow argument? Then let me ask you: what is the main topic in 90% of music and 70% of all movies ever made? Not literate enough? How about literature classics? Shakespear? Homer? Goethe? Sophokles?

 

A well-written love story is just what it is: a story. It's there to entertain and to immerse into. It's there because it's a reflection of what the world looks like. It's there because it's one of the main aspects of humans being rational beings.

And while I agree that love should not be reduced to just sexual attraction, this, among other things, is just what makes the world more believable.

 

If you're looking for a game that brought the whole "love" aspect to a whole new level, without any sexual component, focusing on an often totally unexplored aspect of love in games, take a look at telltale's The Walking Dead. Play it, then tell me that you didn't care for Clementine. The parental feeling invoked on the player is what brought this from an otherwise just a mediocre adventure game to a well-deserved game of the year.

The topic of love and affection can - done right - make a game, just like it can break a game if done horribly wrong.

Unfortunately, Bioware & other global players seem to focus only on the sexual attraction level of love. Why? Because it's the safe route. There's not much you can do wrong here. Some sexy models, some shallow dialogue. A kinky sex scene. Done.

 

Games as interactive media have all the tools in the world to present us with an interesting outlook on love in general. In fact, games as the first interactive medium ever have the opportunity to explore it on a way more immersive and personal level than any other medium could. It's unfortunate that after almost 30 years of gaming, the western culture still hasn't cought up on the east here.

 

 

Yeah, I've played it - I helped proof it even.  For length and sensitivity, it's not one of the worst out there (the guy worked really hard on it) but it's not the best either.. Sleeping with your half-sister is a hard sell.  I was thinking of the alt Nalia romance (JC's is excellent).  There are literally hundreds of mods out there and well over 20 romances... at least for the original game... don't know or care about EE.

 

 

Some trivia: the Imoen romance mod was actually made by a woman.

 

 

 

 

I guess that's true. Romantic love and familial bonds should really use different words rather than share the word "love".

 

Does familial bonds go for familiars as well? Like a Ranger's pet.

 

I'd also like to see something from WL2 where you can charm enemy animals and see where it leads, especially if you're a shapeshifting druid.

 

 

... MyLittlePony-fanfictions in a nutshell.

 

 

 

Bioware has done this with Tali. But I judged her based upon her unbelievably amazing figure which was extremely feminine in nature.  Her facial bone structure, although covered, still implies beauty because it adhered to a supermodels facial bone structure.  I could tell she has good genes with a high chance of physical beauty underneath which qualified her as a romance option.  Simply put, she was a safe bet and worth the risk!   Tali also had a thigh gap which is a sign of good genes.

 

A thigh gap is just a sign of a severe eating-disorder.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Zwiebelchen

[Namutree]

 

 

Yeah, I've played it - I helped proof it even.  For length and sensitivity, it's not one of the worst out there (the guy worked really hard on it) but it's not the best either.. Sleeping with your half-sister is a hard sell.  I was thinking of the alt Nalia romance (JC's is excellent).  There are literally hundreds of mods out there and well over 20 romances... at least for the original game... don't know or care about EE.

 

 

Some trivia: the Imoen romance mod was actually made by a woman.

 

It's also pretty terrible. It completely fails to emulate Imoen's personality and some of it's flashback dream sequences ruin role-playing by having your character act a specific way that contradicts the way you've been role-playing.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Namutree

[luzarius]

 

 

Bioware has done this with Tali. But I judged her based upon her unbelievably amazing figure which was extremely feminine in nature.  Her facial bone structure, although covered, still implies beauty because it adhered to a supermodels facial bone structure.  I could tell she has good genes with a high chance of physical beauty underneath which qualified her as a romance option.  Simply put, she was a safe bet and worth the risk!   Tali also had a thigh gap which is a sign of good genes.

 

A thigh gap is just a sign of a severe eating-disorder.

 

 

I'm going to delve deep into your comment

 

 

Please not.

 

 

Fair enough. I edited my post and removed my response out of respect. *cheers*.  I take it you are a lady?

Edited May 11, 2015 by luzarius

[Zwiebelchen]

 

Bioware has done this with Tali. But I judged her based upon her unbelievably amazing figure which was extremely feminine in nature.  Her facial bone structure, although covered, still implies beauty because it adhered to a supermodels facial bone structure.  I could tell she has good genes with a high chance of physical beauty underneath which qualified her as a romance option.  Simply put, she was a safe bet and worth the risk!   Tali also had a thigh gap which is a sign of good genes.

 

A thigh gap is just a sign of a severe eating-disorder.

 

 

I'm going to delve deep into your comment

 

 

Please not.

[.niamh.]

 

 

 

 

And GM is written very well.

 

 

I'll say that GM is the best written companion of the group. Eder has alot of heart in his character but the quality of writing in GM's dialog and interactions is a whole 'nother level. I hope -when- they put in romances Chris Avellone writes at least one.

 

Considering Chris Avellone's stated opinions on romances I don't think they would turn out the way you would want...

 

 

"So if I were to implement a romance subplot in Eternity - I wouldn’t. I’d examine interpersonal relationships from another angle and I wouldn’t confine it to love and romance. Maybe I’d explore it after a “loving” relationship crashed and burned, and one or both was killed in the aftermath enough for them to see if it had really been worth it spending the last few years of their physical existence chained to each other in a dance of human misery and/or a plateau of soul-killing compromise. Or maybe I’d explore a veteran’s love affair with his craft of murder and allowing souls to be freed to travel beyond their bleeding shell, or a Cipher’s obsession with plucking the emotions of deep-rooted souls to try and see what makes people attracted to each other beyond their baser instincts and discovers love... specifically, his love of manipulating others. You could build an entire dungeon and quest where he devotes himself to replicating facsimiles of love, reducer a Higher Love to a baser thing and using NPCs he encounters as puppets for his experimentations, turning something supposedly beautiful into something filthy, mechanical, but surrounded by blank-eyed soul-twisted drones echoing all the hollow Disney-like platitudes and fairy tale existence where everyone lives happily ever after."

 

Those sound like pretty cool ideas to me :D

 

And he did the Alpha Protocol romances so he's capable of it if ordered to do so. So there's hope for off the wall stuff and traditional romances from him!

 

source -> http://www.gameranx.com/features/id/10388/article/an-interview-with-chris-avellone-on-project-eternity/

 

 

 

those are pretty cool ideas.

 

so this topic has been on my mind for quite some time now, alas all the previous "romance in rpg" topics are closed off so i apologize in advance if this is not a proper place to say this - feel free to edit or remove this post, no hard feelings. and i do apologize for the length.

 

as for PoE - it's fine as is. don't mind anything. could it be better? everything can be better. personally i'd like more in-depth controversial npc development. not finished yet, so will revise on this when i do. why is it such a stress factor? i figure, unless you're an own-the-world kind of irl person, gaming is the only world you can make an impact to. with or without romances.

 

anyways here's my point of view: i don't care either way, it usually is an irritating add-on to the gore and bloodshed but imho romance can be a brilliant plot device, not a crutch, but a perfidious design in a rpg coz it yields so many untapped possibilities like betrayal or separate endgame scheming. someone somewhere said it eventually can "burn the house down". hell, yeah, that would be amazing in certain contexts, for example:

 

i see romance in rpg as 2 things - the way of getting to know the npcs better and as a fun way to plot a surprise.

 

romance can be delivered in such a way where you actually get to know your companions much better - accept them for who they are or try and change them to ultimately, alienating them and add flavor to hours of hacking and slashing - no flirting, kissing, sex or ilovezyous included - just figuring out the characters that you're working with, getting them to trust or betray you, and at the end of the game if there is such a non compulsory option - isn't it a win/win for everyone? instead of 20 unappealing flirt cut scenes - make a few personal ones where you state general opinions about that character and vice versa and at the end make 2-3-4 versions of ending. cuts the costs, but needs deviant amount of planning and careful unfolding of the story.

 

so my point being, DA/ME does this really poorly. but since it's a reoccurring analogy i'll use it for illustration purposes.

what would be fun (hopefully without lame wheel conversation options) on DA:I example that after paying attention, meeting some predetermined requirements and being pals with npcs you get them to tell you their secret agendas. or the game has a system that rewards you for paying attention and confronting the npc in question with the discrepancies you noticed (system devised so that taking 61% or more of time questing with that npc enables the option). or better yet, overlook them completely and be utterly taken unawares. what epilogue one wants from there - it's cool. does not ruin a thing. gives you a feeling of accomplishment for paying attention to the story. is it so inconceivable to formulate it this way?

 

if you are actually trying to accomplish having the profound trust or ultimate manipulation of your companions however shady, virtuous or downright evil or mad they are and get them to rely/ be manipulated/ manipulate your character - or to change your complete perception of a given situation or give you an option of changing their opinion  - now that would be cool imho. sucker punch being dark souls plot resolution.

 

so back to point no. 2 - fun plot surprises. so when i'm thinking rpg romance i'm aiming for that unexpected moment that you don't instigate but deal with npc love interests and consequences (aribeth nwn) - if you refuse advances of a potential LI that npc due to different circumstances goes bersek and ends up going from a valiant knight to a psychotic maniac. or instead of joining the hoards of your arch nemesis you and selected npc actually devise a subterfuge destabilization plot for the future - applied to DA:I - i'd definitely love a character that goes for an endgame that destabilizes orlais, ferelden, chantry, inquisition itself, whomever while propagating the protection of those same things. so that specific potential but not obligatory LI character and your pc just disappear from the inquisition destabilizing it, since it's now a political institution and different ppl will undoubtedly vie for power - and ride into the sunset waiting for your plan of sabotaging a rising military force that will eventually only serve itself and a corrupt monarchic system of good-for-nothing aristocrats to unfold while strenghtening the peasant/elf rebellion. add options that surprise in a different, darker, more twisted and challenging way. so, there, romance in rpg could be a system for delivering the story via choosing one npc above all that you indisputably trust and instead opting for lame flirtations deliver the endgame sucker punch to the plot. if the two kiss or share a sack of mead or make friendship bracelets or turn on each other at the end of the game makes little difference but adds flavour? no?

Edited May 11, 2015 by .niamh.

[Namutree]

@.niamh.

 

You're new to the forums, and that post made a good early impression. I hope you stick around. Welcome to the forums!

Edited May 11, 2015 by Namutree

[Zwiebelchen]

 

 

 

Yeah, I've played it - I helped proof it even.  For length and sensitivity, it's not one of the worst out there (the guy worked really hard on it) but it's not the best either.. Sleeping with your half-sister is a hard sell.  I was thinking of the alt Nalia romance (JC's is excellent).  There are literally hundreds of mods out there and well over 20 romances... at least for the original game... don't know or care about EE.

 

 

Some trivia: the Imoen romance mod was actually made by a woman.

 

 

It's also pretty terrible. It completely fails to emulate Imoen's personality and some of it's flashback dream sequences ruin role-playing by having your character act a specific way that contradicts the way you've been role-playing.

 

Hmm... not sure I agree with that. At least not completely. You have a point with the dream sequences. The fact that they play regardless of how you deal with Imoen is weird and contradicts role-playing (that's why, pretty much, you have to turn the mod off if you play a character that doesn't care about Imoen).

 

However, I don't agree with the personality thing. The problem is: Imoen didn't really sport any personality in BG1 or SoA to begin with, because she hardly has any dialogue (most BG2 dialogue happens when she is pretty-much mind-controlled). Imoen was an afterthought in BG2, as Black Isle decided that the party needs a replacement thief companion for Yoshimo. During the production of BG2, the developers initially intended for Imoen to die in Spellhold.

 

So I wouldn't say the mod doesn't quite catch her personality, because her canon personality was actually established after the mod's initial release (Throne of Bhaal).

Also, I don't think - even with the ToB content - that her canon character is so far off the mod character. It's a matter of oppinion, really, so I understand if you disagree with me here - but to me, Imoen could be characterized as a smart, naive, cheerful teen. And that's pretty much it. There's nothing sinister or mysterious about her to explore, aside from the quirky humor. The mod catches that pretty good, if we just for a moment forget about that terrible Mary-Sue content later on.

I liked one twist about the Imoen romance mod that I haven't had in any other mod I played:

Imoen is actually the first character ever in the whole BG series that initiates a dialogue to your PC about the PC, acknowledging the PC as a real character, not just a walking problem solver and therapist. She literally asks you how you feel for a change.

 

You know that there's something wrong with the writing in games in general if that is ever regarded as a highlight in writing. Seriously, did we ever have a companion in any of the Bioware or Black Isle games that wasn't constantly talking about his/her own problems, with complete disregard of the PC?

Edited May 11, 2015 by Zwiebelchen

[.niamh.]

@Namutree

 

thnx so much! i'm supershy when it comes to forum posting but i actually think this aspect of rpg can go a long way (with proper incentive and patience) toward less fanservice half-baked teen romance and more compelling complex and intriguing mind blowing twists. coz when a character betrays you out of nowhere it gets personal. or it gets really messed up if it turns out that everything you did had the complete opposite effect of what you wanted to achieve. my personal favourite twist is the faustian way of making the devil seem "part of the force that yearns for eternal evil, but ends up doing good instead" (free translation) and vice versa.

[Namutree]

 

 

 

 

Yeah, I've played it - I helped proof it even.  For length and sensitivity, it's not one of the worst out there (the guy worked really hard on it) but it's not the best either.. Sleeping with your half-sister is a hard sell.  I was thinking of the alt Nalia romance (JC's is excellent).  There are literally hundreds of mods out there and well over 20 romances... at least for the original game... don't know or care about EE.

 

 

Some trivia: the Imoen romance mod was actually made by a woman.

 

 

It's also pretty terrible. It completely fails to emulate Imoen's personality and some of it's flashback dream sequences ruin role-playing by having your character act a specific way that contradicts the way you've been role-playing.

 

Hmm... not sure I agree with that. At least not completely. You have a point with the dream sequences. The fact that they play regardless of how you deal with Imoen is weird and contradicts role-playing (that's why, pretty much, you have to turn the mod off if you play a character that doesn't care about Imoen).

 

However, I don't agree with the personality thing. The problem is: Imoen didn't really sport any personality in BG1 or SoA to begin with, because she hardly has any dialogue (most BG2 dialogue happens when she is pretty-much mind-controlled). Imoen was an afterthought in BG2, as Black Isle decided that the party needs a replacement thief companion for Yoshimo. During the production of BG2, the developers initially intended for Imoen to die in Spellhold.

 

Imoen's personality is established even with minimal dialog. Here's two of the area's where the mod contradict her character off the top of my head:

 

1: In the mod she will leave your party if you do anything that pisses her off. <--- Imoen is not like this. The real Imoen hides in your shadow and follows you like a lost puppy. You have to be very evil for her to leave; not just a jerk. The mod makes Imoen more emotionally independent and outspoken.

 

2: Imoen in TOB thinks the idea of "relations" between your pc and her are gross. <--- In the mod she fantasizes about it. She is only reluctant in the mod because she thinks it's wrong, not gross. This is a contradiction.

 

 

The mod catches that pretty good, if we just for a moment forget about that terrible Mary-Sue content later on.

 

I can't forget the terrible Mary-Sue content for a moment.

[Zwiebelchen]

 

Imoen's personality is established even with minimal dialog. Here's two of the area's where the mod contradict her character off the top of my head:

 

1: In the mod she will leave your party if you do anything that pisses her off. <--- Imoen is not like this. The real Imoen hides in your shadow and follows you like a lost puppy. You have to be very evil for her to leave; not just a jerk. The mod makes Imoen more emotionally independent and outspoken.

 

2: Imoen in TOB thinks the idea of "relations" between your pc and her are gross. <--- In the mod she fantasizes about it. She is only reluctant in the mod because she thinks it's wrong, not gross. This is a contradiction.

 

 

The mod catches that pretty good, if we just for a moment forget about that terrible Mary-Sue content later on.

 

I can't forget the terrible Mary-Sue content for a moment.

 

 

1. Good point. Then again, who wouldn't leave if you treat them like an a-hole? In unmodded BG2, when you have her in your party and your reputation drops below 6, she's saying something along the lines of "You know, I will follow you no matter what, but I still wished we could do better than this.". So yeah, you have to be incredibly cruel to others to drive her away, but nowhere does that mean that you can't scare her away by being cruel to her.

I'd say she's more like "maybe I can convince charname to overthink this" out of sisterly affection, than "I'm charname's obedient puppy.".

 

2. As I said already: ToB came out after most of the mod's content was written. That's why the mod is concluded in SoA and not continued for ToB.

 

3. I can respect that.

[scrotiemcb]

 

 

I'd just like to add that if POE 2 adds romance, please make sure the female is perpetually clad in a head covering and full-length robe, conservative Islam style, such that she could look either beatiful or mannish but folks like luzarius would never know for sure and would have to actually listen to her words to determine if she was a loveable character to them.

 

But do give her beautiful eyes, thank you.

 

(Not saying Islam is a good or a bad thing. Or that its clothing practices are good. Just referencing the type of garb, let's not derail, thx.)

Is it weird if I'd actually want to see this?

No. My favorite thing about this post was that I was able to combine something I sincerely felt with bitter irony. Edited May 11, 2015 by scrotiemcb

[Zwiebelchen]

 

 

I'd just like to add that if POE 2 adds romance, please make sure the female is perpetually clad in a head covering and full-length robe, conservative Islam style, such that she could look either beatiful or mannish but folks like luzarius would never know for sure and would have to actually listen to her words to determine if she was a loveable character to them.

 

But do give her beautiful eyes, thank you.

 

(Not saying Islam is a good or a bad thing. Or that its clothing practices are good. Just referencing the type of garb, let's not derail, thx.)

Is it weird if I'd actually want to see this?

No. My favorite thing about this post was that I was able to combine something I sincerely felt with bitter irony.

 

 

Blasto confirmed for companion in PoE2?

http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Blasto

[FlintlockJazz]

 

 

 

I'd just like to add that if POE 2 adds romance, please make sure the female is perpetually clad in a head covering and full-length robe, conservative Islam style, such that she could look either beatiful or mannish but folks like luzarius would never know for sure and would have to actually listen to her words to determine if she was a loveable character to them.

 

But do give her beautiful eyes, thank you.

 

(Not saying Islam is a good or a bad thing. Or that its clothing practices are good. Just referencing the type of garb, let's not derail, thx.)

Is it weird if I'd actually want to see this?

No. My favorite thing about this post was that I was able to combine something I sincerely felt with bitter irony.

 

 

Blasto confirmed for companion in PoE2?

http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Blasto

 

Romanceable companion at that!  Tentacle porn!

[nipsen]

If romances existed in PoE, they would be like this:

 

-The sky bursts above, fraying rifts at the edges until the world disappears to nothing, leaving only her naked spirit facing you in the void. You reach for the back of her neck with an ethereal hand and draw her close. She cannot escape: and as she cowers from your soul's touch, you sense her entire being as fully as she senses yours. For a moment she is only puzzled by your soul's touch, before she stares into you with horror, silently screaming her throat asunder as she vainly tries to escape. You laugh, an unstoppable laughter aside you that slowly takes force from within. Is that all there is? You stare through her soul as it withers from the void, forcing one last thought to stay with her as long as her soul is bound to the planes: "I know you".

 

 

1: In the mod she will leave your party if you do anything that pisses her off. <--- Imoen is not like this. The real Imoen hides in your shadow and follows you like a lost puppy. You have to be very evil for her to leave; not just a jerk. The mod makes Imoen more emotionally independent and outspoken.

 

2: Imoen in TOB thinks the idea of "relations" between your pc and her are gross. <--- In the mod she fantasizes about it. She is only reluctant in the mod because she thinks it's wrong, not gross. This is a contradiction.

 

^...ah, yes, that's what makes her so annoying. And making her at least have one thought in her head that isn't directly shaped by or clenched around the main character is a huge improvement, imo. ..anyway - isn't she your sister in the game? And don't you sort of know that from the beginning..? Or did I just miss something essential about this entire thing.. that also unfortunately says something about the bioware writers and BG fans that I didn't want to know...?

[luzarius]

-The sky bursts above, fraying rifts at the edges until the world disappears to nothing, leaving only her naked spirit facing you in the void. You reach for the back of her neck with an ethereal hand and draw her close. She cannot escape: and as she cowers from your soul's touch, you sense her entire being as fully as she senses yours. For a moment she is only puzzled by your soul's touch, before she stares into you with horror, silently screaming her throat asunder as she vainly tries to escape. You laugh, an unstoppable laughter aside you that slowly takes force from within. Is that all there is? You stare through her soul as it withers from the void, forcing one last thought to stay with her as long as her soul is bound to the planes: "I know you".

 

That is good writing, see if the game was moddable we could get that into POE right now, make a new companion and even get someone to voice act it.  Very nice.

[Namutree]

 

 

 

1: In the mod she will leave your party if you do anything that pisses her off. <--- Imoen is not like this. The real Imoen hides in your shadow and follows you like a lost puppy. You have to be very evil for her to leave; not just a jerk. The mod makes Imoen more emotionally independent and outspoken.

 

2: Imoen in TOB thinks the idea of "relations" between your pc and her are gross. <--- In the mod she fantasizes about it. She is only reluctant in the mod because she thinks it's wrong, not gross. This is a contradiction.

 

..anyway - isn't she your sister in the game? And don't you sort of know that from the beginning..? Or did I just miss something essential about this entire thing.

Your pc doesn't find out she's your half-sister (same father, Bhaal; different mother) until halfway through the game. This is where the obstacle to your being able to romance Imoen come from.

 

 

that also unfortunately says something about the bioware writers and BG fans that I didn't want to know...?

Not really. Many of them just like Imoen, the fact she's your half sister is just an unfortunate detail they have to deal with. At least, that's the impression I got from talking to people about it. As for me, I've replayed BG2 like 20 times and I just need new content. I've download lots of mods. Some were good, and some were like this one; crap.

 

 

 

^...ah, yes, that's what makes her so annoying. And making her at least have one thought in her head that isn't directly shaped by or clenched around the main character is a huge improvement, imo. 

Probably, but such an improvement should be for new npcs; not ones from the vanilla game with already established personalities.