Do you enjoy romances in CRPGs?
Cloutier
Member Posts: 228
I don't like romances in CRPGs.
Romances tend to favor "real-life" attractiveness at the expense of fantasy flavor. Romanceable characters tend to be human, half-elf, demonic, or something "attractive". Shorties get the short end of the stick. While it may correspond to a gamer's real life "tastes", it leaves a hole. After all, shorty and monster races *do* reproduce and *do* have a sexuality. Do I feel like dating a halfling woman with coarse foot hair? Ugh, no. Designers are stuck with a dilemma: make the fantasy world consistent, and include romances you'd rather not "see"; make romances "attractive", at the expense of consistency.
Romances also tend to cannibalize non-romantic NPC interaction. This is especially true in the context of diversity. While it is perfectly okay to depict diversity in a game, giving every aspect of diversity a fair chance at being represented consumes a great deal of design time. The solution might be not to have any romance at all. Problem solved. Give us more Dak'kons, Yoshimos, Mortes, Jan Jansens, Nordoms, and less Dorns and Neeras.
In summary, romances open political can-o-worms, at the expense of consistency and interesting interactions void of romantic interest. I say let's do away with them, so that we may enjoy more consistency, more NPCs, and spare ourselves the inevitable forum drama.
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Romances tend to favor "real-life" attractiveness at the expense of fantasy flavor. Romanceable characters tend to be human, half-elf, demonic, or something "attractive". Shorties get the short end of the stick. While it may correspond to a gamer's real life "tastes", it leaves a hole. After all, shorty and monster races *do* reproduce and *do* have a sexuality. Do I feel like dating a halfling woman with coarse foot hair? Ugh, no. Designers are stuck with a dilemma: make the fantasy world consistent, and include romances you'd rather not "see"; make romances "attractive", at the expense of consistency.
Romances also tend to cannibalize non-romantic NPC interaction. This is especially true in the context of diversity. While it is perfectly okay to depict diversity in a game, giving every aspect of diversity a fair chance at being represented consumes a great deal of design time. The solution might be not to have any romance at all. Problem solved. Give us more Dak'kons, Yoshimos, Mortes, Jan Jansens, Nordoms, and less Dorns and Neeras.
In summary, romances open political can-o-worms, at the expense of consistency and interesting interactions void of romantic interest. I say let's do away with them, so that we may enjoy more consistency, more NPCs, and spare ourselves the inevitable forum drama.
0,02 $
- Do you enjoy romances in CRPGs?81 votes
- No27.16%
- Yes49.38%
- Perhaps, but...23.46%
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Comments
I now find having party members constantly interjecting with romance dialogues to be a distraction from the things I want to enjoy in the game. As soon as the violins and harps start playing and the corny "Do you like me? - check yes or no" dialogue pops up, I just sigh and roll my eyes, and click through it as quickly as possible.
It's not that difficult to explain, for me. Video games simplify things, and that's okay, but simplifying interpersonal stuff which is subtle, ephemeral and impossible to rationalise in most cases just *can't* turn out very well.
Personaly, I can enjoy romances in crpgs if characters are interesting and if their romances are implemented well. I do think that in some cases, it is a mixed bag of things. It is good to have a lot of possibilities regarding different tastes and so on, but I would like developers and writers to never forget of real-life proportions. People of homosexual orientation tends to be about ~10% of the population. Not 1/3, not 1/2 or anything along these lines.
I also enjoy romances, as long as I am not being "ninjamanced". Corwin, I am looking at you, you sly woman.
If Beamdog gets enough budget to warrant investing into 70 NPCs, then it might be a different story.
While I romance a NPC when given the option most of the time, it's more about seeing different content than about the romance per se. I'll probably never romance Dorn or Aerie because I've already seen the content about those two. Otherwise, if romances wouldn't be there, I wouldn't care much.
I prefer romances that can happen with an antagonist, where tragedy and angst is involved, usually leaving people heartbroken.
The idea of joining the battle to save whatever, hand in hand with your cutiepie leaves me indifferent.
This ain't Jim Beam ._.
There are also some combination of racial love that seem weird to me, perhaps the reason I react to certain interracial romances is because they are so uncommon in fantasy..But I do think you can take it too far. Like having a gnome romance an ogre and then take him into the barn for some naughty xxx for example. Because true love knows no bounds...
Just asking if the mechanics would change.
I don't know anything about programming, just wondering if what allowed Charname to romance Anomen for example, then allows Charname to play a mod romancing Haer Dalis?
But without the original built in program, it couldn't be made.
Seems a bit OTT to suggest that romances should be outlawed when the option is always there to completely ignore them.
And as for messing up non romance interaction, well in RL that happens doesn't it?
You have different conversations with different people depending on how you relate to them. You are hardly going to tell your bank manager about your inner insecurities and hopes and dreams.
What about your Mum?
Do people really go around telling their Mums the same things they might tell somebody they were looking to get romantically involved with?
And it also depends on if I know I'm getting into it or not. I'd rather not suddenly have one forced upon me because I was playing a good guy and ended up making someone thing I wanted them for kinky fun time.
But aside of that - what is not realistic about it? Do you in real life prefer someone un-attractive? Asking about romance with someone un-attractive is like asking for heroic fantasy with a weak boring villain. What is the point? Never did. If anything, they expand the character. They are always - always! - an addition. And not a single time developers confessed that they decided to add romance on a spare time.
My bad. It was an obvious trolling and I fell for it.
You are trying to talk about your SJW fears and did not even bother to hide the intentions other then throwing word "romance" here and there.
I have a bad news for you - "inclusion" is here, romance or not. The freshest example: Mizhena is not romansable but is here. Or take Tyranny - it's Obsidian, they do not do romances, yet, there are gey couples there.
If you so worry about inclusions and SJW - say so. At least it will be honest.
As far as romances goes, overall I prefer JRPGs hands down. Star Ocean for instance did them extraordinary well. Same for Ar Nosurge. But that opinion is my own and very likely differ from others.
As far as the attractiveness thing goes, I think Skyrim sort of did that well by having a diverse number of body types available for marriage. You have the option to marry older people, a drunk, low class labourers like a miner, and conventionally unattractive people. You also have the option of marrying pretty people, a few lizard people, and everything in between. Personally, I ended up marrying a muscular guy who's blind in one eye, has half his face deeply scarred, and the other half tattooed because it fit with the story in my head. Yeah, there were pretty boys available but I chose to go with the story that fit my character better.
Romances can add depth to my character even if they don't always add depth to the character I'm romancing.
And what does it have to do with the fact that you are using word "romances" to talk about completely different matter?
@Mirandel @Cloutier: It would probably be best if you continued this conversation via PM.
Edit: Okay, you know what, I don't think I should leave it at that. Let me elaborate - I don't necessarily push for romances in every RPG out there. What I want most are bonds. I want companions that I feel truly become close to my character. I hate characters that serve little purpose but to be a personality. It's the reason I've never liked evil characters like Edwin or Korgan because I feel as though, despite the experiences they've been through, their relationship with the PC hasn't changed one bit because they're, well, selfish evil bastards. That's also why Minsc has always gotten a pass for me because even if his humor's worn off over the times he's still a very heartwarming character and a true friend of my many PCs which is why I still enjoy him. There are many ways for companions to develop a bond with the PC and romance is one of them. I'd hate to see it gone.
Some spoilers maybe...
I did Anomen's romance again recently. I did everything perfectly. I put up with his stupid stories, his random angry outbursts, and his cheesy affections. And then at the end of his quest I decided to do something different, I decided to help him kill a certain bad guy instead of relying on the law again... And afterwards he pretty much said "I love you. Bye." and walks off, never to be seen again! I didn't think that it was deep or tragic, I just thought it was annoying how I've just lost my best cleric and tank because I made one wrong(?!) choice. And by wrong choice I mean helping Anomen kill an evil murderer...
Aerie's romance I've never been able to finish. She spends half the game whining, and then eventually turns nasty and starts mocking Khalid. I like Khalid, so I always tell her to shut her cake hole which ends the romance. How does she even know about Khalid? there's no way in hell that Jaheira told her anything.
Jaheira's always seems to end for me around the Underdark. Not that I miss it, all her chats are pretty much like this: "I enjoy these chats, they give me comfort... Right. That's enough maudlin chatter for one week."
Never finished Viconia's either. She just treats you like a pathetic worm, and you have to either take it or fail the "romance".
Hexxat's romance just felt dead and cold. I haven't tried any of the other romances yet.