Romance Packs DLC

[Fardragon]

Aragorn (book version) is a good example of a character who had their priorities right, setting aside all thought of romance until after the evil was defeated.

 

And Han Solo? He's a married man.

Edited July 6, 2015 by Fardragon

[srlapo]

 

 

 

There is nothing wrong with romance. If you like it, fine. There is certainly room in the market for more romantic games. But I don't like it personally so I don't want it rammed into EVERY SINGLE GODDAMNED GAME!!!!!

 

 

Well, really, it's not that big a deal if it's in there. Those who have no wish to explore that path with a companion need not click on anything remotely marked as a [flirt] and they will never see the content. There's room for both choices in these games, and that makes them more enjoyable to a wider market. Which isn't to say that only sad and lonely people play games for the romance. Some do like the roleplay aspect and do not self-insert, so it does add to the story and helps indiviuals to possibly relate better to the companions. I only have an issue when that's the only way to do so; friendship content should be available to anyone that earns it, and not just those that are sharing a bedroll.

 

But in a game like this, I still hold with it being better for there to be only minor flirting and a promise to consider more when the bulk of the save-the-world adventure is over. Keep anything else to an epilogue slide. We don't need a fade-to-black sexy cutscenes in every game, I do agree.

 

And it's not a big deal to include a space combat minigame. If you don't wish to explore that path you can simply avoid any option marked as [buy spaceship].

 

 

One is genre-appropriate and one isn't.

 

Your syllogism is faulty, yo.

 

Hah, you never played the first Ultima game, right? It had a space combat minigame and it wasn't optional, so while unusual it has been done before in a fantasy RPG mainstream series.

[Fardragon]

Spaceships aren't actually that unusual at all. Remember the classic AD&D module "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks"? There is a Kilrathi spaceship in Ultima 7. The Draenei ship in WoW. Spelljammers in Baldur's Gate 2. And it goes the other way, with magic creeping into many SF settings.

[Varana]

Wizardry 7/8 - spacefaring rhinos with muskets!

Might&Magic 6 - shooting djinnies with blasters inside an Egyptian pyramid that is also a spaceship!

:D

 

A combination of classical fantasy with space opera still needs a special kind of setting, though. Romance, on the other hand, is one of the most basic preoccupations of living things.

[Fardragon]

That's the thing: some of us AREN'T preoccupied with romance. Some humans are obsessed, and assume everyone else must be too. Sports fans are pretty much the same.

[Sedrefilos]

I don't understand people who ask for things that are not meant to be in the game. Ther are no romances - period. Maybe they'll do it in the sequel? Who knows? But romances are not in this game. Let's start asking other stuff that are not supposed to be in the game, like durability for items or mounts or 360 rotating view or whatever.

[magritte]

I don't understand people who ask for things that are not meant to be in the game. Ther are no romances - period. Maybe they'll do it in the sequel? Who knows? But romances are not in this game. Let's start asking other stuff that are not supposed to be in the game, like durability for items or mounts or 360 rotating view or whatever.

 

It's kind of the point of DLC to add things to the game that weren't "meant to be" in the orginal game.  If it was meant to be in the game, it should have been there from the start, and if it wasn't, it should be provided free with a patch.  Now, you may not feel a romance is a worthwhile addition, but that's a totally different thing.  Some people think romances would add to their enjoyment of the game.  

[Fardragon]

No, the economic approach to expansion packs it to provide more content: "You liked this, so we are going to give you more of the same". Taking the approach "You liked this, so we are going to give you something different" is, at best, reckless.

[gkathellar]

No, the economic approach to expansion packs it to provide more content: "You liked this, so we are going to give you more of the same". Taking the approach "You liked this, so we are going to give you something different" is, at best, reckless.

 

There is a difference between an expansion pack and DLC. Often the point of DLC is to monetize a niche group of customers who want something in particular that isn't supplied in the main game.

 

If it was meant to be in the game, it should have been there from the start, and if it wasn't, it should be provided free with a patch.

 

Sometimes developers can only convince their publisher to let them keep working on a thing by saying they'll recoup the extra days of work with DLC costs.

[Sedrefilos]

 

I don't understand people who ask for things that are not meant to be in the game. Ther are no romances - period. Maybe they'll do it in the sequel? Who knows? But romances are not in this game. Let's start asking other stuff that are not supposed to be in the game, like durability for items or mounts or 360 rotating view or whatever.

 

It's kind of the point of DLC to add things to the game that weren't "meant to be" in the orginal game.  If it was meant to be in the game, it should have been there from the start, and if it wasn't, it should be provided free with a patch.  Now, you may not feel a romance is a worthwhile addition, but that's a totally different thing.  Some people think romances would add to their enjoyment of the game.  

 

DLCs put stuff that are part of the game design. Like new abilities, monsters, loot etc. They won't put stuff that the game is not designed around. And it is not designed around romance. They should put dialogues, paths, plot outcomes and many more stuff thus changing the whole game and redisgning it! Maybe in a sequel that is made having romancec in mind.

When you get a DLC for, say, Civilization, you mostly get a new Civ or some balance twitches here and there. You don't get a zoom-in RTS combat map for instance.

Edited July 9, 2015 by Sedrefilos

[tinysalamander]

DLC is simply downloadable content. Whatever stuff can be put into your game through that depends completely on the devs' will. And all romance needs is to add more dialogs/quests to characters, dialog/quest “engine” is already in the game either way.

[Amentep]

 

 

Last time I was in a bookshop "Romance" was a separate genre, but "Science Fiction and Fantasy" was all together on one shelf.

 

 

Man, both Aragorn and Han Solo are going to be really disappointed to hear that romance had no place in their story... 

 

(I'd still like the space ships.)

 

 

First thought was "someone has probably written some slash fiction on that".

[Porcelyn]

...plus.

 

YOU GUYS DENIED ME MY SAND ROMANCE DAMMIT D8 

(cough)

RESUME.

 

So reply if you'd be up for it!

 

I adored Sand! He was my head canon, forget Casavir!

 

I really love Eder and Altoh, they are always in my party.

[magritte]

DLC is simply downloadable content. Whatever stuff can be put into your game through that depends completely on the devs' will. And all romance needs is to add more dialogs/quests to characters, dialog/quest “engine” is already in the game either way.

Yes, if you used existing companions, it would be pretty cheap to develop.  It's mostly going to be a matter of writing additional dialogue trees.  I guess there would be some expense associated with bringing in the voice actors for a little more work, but I'd guess Obsidian could do it pretty cheaply compared to the cost of adding new maps, new spells with spell animations, new  character models.

 

And since it is a DLC, those who aren't interested in romances don't have to buy it.  Personally, I'd rather pay money for something that adds something new to the game than something that's just more filler content that's not substantively different from what we already have.  I think that's why I very often buy DLC's for strategy games but hardly ever for RPG's.

[Agemaki]

I understand why romance was not implemented in poe since they already had a lot of work to do and didn't want to make something sub-par. I am a little concerned at the assertion that it was in part because they don't like writing romance, thereby suggesting that we should not expect to see it in sequels. Perhaps the creators are rebelling against and distinguishing themselves from the current trend of romance in games? That seems plausible though I hope that at some point obsidian decides to approach romance on their own terms rather than avoiding the topic altogether. To me it seems unrealistic that in a group of adults who spend a lot of time together and who rely on each other for survival there would be only platonic feelings. It feels artificial for sexuality to play no role in their lives. I get that "maturity" means more than sex but I also think that at some point it involves taking a mature approach to sexuality which--like it or not--is a fundamental aspect of life. It seems odd for a series that aims for a realistic approach to fantasy to paint its characters with the brush of celibacy.   

 

Oh and I also thought Aloth was super hot. And I'm married and can have sex whenever I want.   

[globalCooldown]

Here's to throwing my two cents in here!

 

I'm pro-romance, so long as it's optional. It has happened where I play a game, and none of my character's potential love interests, well, interest me. *looks pointedly at Carth from KOTOR*

My other requirement for romance is that you would have to work for it. Gain that character's trust! Make them want to be around you! If you're too much of a **** to a character, you'll always get shot down when you go for the flirt options.

Basically, romance that feels good, feels natural, feels earned. I don't want Obsidian to write me a smutfic, or jam pixels together, or draw me any Witcher-style sex cards. If I want wish-fulfillment romance, I'll write a goddamn fanfic.

 

As for those who'd like to see some sort of mechanical benefit from having a love interest: what if, every couple of rests, you and your LI could slip off for a few minutes to spend time (which may or may not be sexual in nature, probably best left vague) and you both come back with a minor buff, similar to what you get from the courtesans at the Salty Mast? (You'd probably have to pass a skill check to convince them in certain situations, though. I don't think anyone wants to bang in the Very Definitely Final Dungeon.)

 

All this being said, if Obsidian has to make a choice between writing romances and writing more actual plot or character development, I think I could sacrifice romance in exchange for a better all-around game.

 

 

Finally, a recommendation for OP: if you're looking for a good place to gush about Aloth, consider making the pilgrimage to Tumblr. The majority of the Pillars of Eternity tag simply cannot hold their feels for the NPC companions.