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What's the benefit of romances

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  • jsavingjsaving Member Posts: 1,083
    Totally within canon, if you count the novel ;)
    The novel makes Neera's questline seem like Shakespeare by comparison so I am glad you said that tongue-in-cheek!
  • megamike15megamike15 Member Posts: 2,666
    Aerie wrote: »
    Jaheira's romance is soo overrated and broken.

    and yours has a good chunk of it's middle cut due to time.
    ThacoBell
  • IseweinIsewein Member Posts: 521
    edited January 2020
    @Skitia Since you are asking for feedback, I would suggest thinking about how to address the insane increase of stakes from around mid-BG2 to the end of ToB if you are orienting your mods along the lines of Isra and Sirene. While I very much enjoy Isra's down-to-earth, drama-free romance style in principle, something about it seems slightly out of place in ToB especially. Same goes for Kelsey and a couple of others. It just seems odd that after you have witnessed your LI literally turn to a Cthulhoid monstrosity before your very eyes and are marching towards their possible ascension as a divinity, you keep going back to discussing mundane relationship issues. Maybe that's the point these mods are trying to make, and in general I appreciate such slice-of-life writing (in BG1 for sure!), but in ToB it creates a huge dissonance for me, which is why I prefer the more operatic Bioware romances there (and mods with strong story integration such as Imoen, Sarevok or Xan).
    Post edited by Isewein on
    megamike15ithildurnew
  • Lord_TansheronLord_Tansheron Member Posts: 4,211
    jsaving wrote: »
    The novel makes Neera's questline seem like Shakespeare by comparison so I am glad you said that tongue-in-cheek!
    Did you just badmouth my pink-haired goddess?!

    Anyway, on a more serious note, I think that some of the romance content should really have been a more general quest - specifically the whole Jaheira Harper thing. Missing out on that because your'e not romancing her seems like a lost opportunity.
    megamike15Zaxares
  • megamike15megamike15 Member Posts: 2,666
    jsaving wrote: »
    Totally within canon, if you count the novel ;)
    The novel makes Neera's questline seem like Shakespeare by comparison so I am glad you said that tongue-in-cheek!

    you leave my fire starting elf alone.
  • AerieAerie Member Posts: 226
    megamike15 wrote: »
    Aerie wrote: »
    Jaheira's romance is soo overrated and broken.

    and yours has a good chunk of it's middle cut due to time.

    Yeah but... out of all the NPC'S, I AM THE BEST OF THEM ALL!!!
    monico
  • ithildurnewithildurnew Member Posts: 273
    edited January 2020
    jsaving wrote: »
    The novel makes Neera's questline seem like Shakespeare by comparison so I am glad you said that tongue-in-cheek!
    Did you just badmouth my pink-haired goddess?!

    Anyway, on a more serious note, I think that some of the romance content should really have been a more general quest - specifically the whole Jaheira Harper thing. Missing out on that because your'e not romancing her seems like a lost opportunity.

    You actually see most of Jaheira's harper quest even if you don't romance her, missing one, possibly 2 encounters.
    OTOH you miss out on the entire past catches up content with Viconia if you don't romance her.
    ThacoBell
  • IseweinIsewein Member Posts: 521
    edited January 2020
    @ithildurnew Fixed by IEP Viconia Friendship :)

    @Zaxares Funny thing about that particular syndrome - its eponymous Paladin's sole defining trait remained that even when romanced. :p
    megamike15Zaxaresithildurnew
  • SkitiaSkitia Member Posts: 1,054
    @Isewein That is actually really helpful, thanks!
  • megamike15megamike15 Member Posts: 2,666
    anomen could really use a friendship mod. people hate on him but his romance does give him some character development.
  • ithildurnewithildurnew Member Posts: 273
    edited January 2020
    @Isewein Good to know; will have to give IEP a look in future runs (installed it once or twice years ago but I think I had a buggy release back then).

    @megamike15 Indeed, he goes from 'stow your advice old man' at Keldorn to 'sorry Teacher, for acting like a brash young jerk'. That's a significant milestone for an insecure young man who had an abusive father.
    At the very least Anomen's banters need improved triggers so that the 'obnoxious Anomen' comments stop firing after he becomes Sir Anomen; it's jarring to hear him express changed attitude towards Keldorn along with a significant alignment AND wisdom shift, then suddenly revert to the superjerk comments. A post-knighthood voiceset tweak would be gravy.
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    Zaxares wrote: »
    jsaving wrote: »
    The novel makes Neera's questline seem like Shakespeare by comparison so I am glad you said that tongue-in-cheek!
    Did you just badmouth my pink-haired goddess?!

    Anyway, on a more serious note, I think that some of the romance content should really have been a more general quest - specifically the whole Jaheira Harper thing. Missing out on that because your'e not romancing her seems like a lost opportunity.

    It's not just Jaheira either. Nearly all of the romanceable companions feel a lot more one-dimensional if you don't do their romances. You never get to learn about the moment of compassion that cost Viconia her favour with Lolth, or the trials that she endured trying to live on the surface. It's hard to see Anomen as anything but a holier-than-thou knight if you never learnt about the childhood that shaped him and why he started viewing himself as better than other people (it's actually a psychological defense mechanism to stop himself from falling into depression). Without his romance, Rasaad feels very much like somebody whose sole defining trait is his obsession about his brother (aka the "Old Owl Well" syndrome, after a certain paladin in NWN2. :P) And without the extra insights that comes with his dialogue, Dorn feels like a cardboard cutout blackguard whose sole reason for existing is just to kill anything and anyone that gets in his way, without any long-term goals or deeper motivations.

    If I had some simple modding skills I would definitely turn Jaheira and Aerie's romance talk into possible friendship talks because most of their conflicts and dillemas don't really depend on romantic interest to be developed.
    Isewein
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    Still waiting for a Wilson romance mod with a character development that puts Deionarra's relationship with the Nameless One to shame.
    megamike15
  • IseweinIsewein Member Posts: 521
    edited January 2020
    @DJKajuru It's very easy to do that for your own game - it's just a matter of removing the gender restrictions for the RomanceMatch variable and instead place them at the few specifically "Romantic" lovetalks with NI, but actually it's not such a simple matter to publish it as a mod, because you effectively have to extract the whole set of events and recode it under a new variable (as the Viconia friendhsip does). Seems scarcely worth the trouble when you can just remove gender restrictions and skip past one, two awkward talks (ok, Aerie might have more than one or two).
  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,669
    edited January 2020
    I prefer the more operatic Bioware romances there (and mods with strong story integration such as Imoen, Sarevok or Xan).
    @Isewein Out ot curiosity, are you aware of my Ajantis BGII romance because it has very strong story integration in ToB where Ajantis as a paladin tries to deal with the "my love is not only a Bhaal spawn but also the one from Aloundo's prophecies in a private hell enclave with a Solar from the gods as a teacher" situation as best he can. If the romance is not for you that's another thing, but if mod romances with strong ToB story integration are listed Ajantis BGII definitely fits the description. [/promotion]
    megamike15ZaxaresIseweingorgonzola
  • IseweinIsewein Member Posts: 521
    I am of course aware but haven't played it, Jastey. (Save for the fun jealousy portion where Xan and he dream of fighting a dragon or somesuch in BG1? My memory of this is hazy at best...) I haven't really taken a Lawful-Good-type Bhaalspawn through the games, but if I ever do I will definitely give it a try. :)
    jastey
  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,669
    Isewein wrote: »
    I am of course aware but haven't played it, Jastey. (Save for the fun jealousy portion where Xan and he dream of fighting a dragon or somesuch in BG1? My memory of this is hazy at best...) I haven't really taken a Lawful-Good-type Bhaalspawn through the games, but if I ever do I will definitely give it a try. :)

    @Isewein Thanks! @Arvia made a quite good summary of what you have to expect from the Ajantis BG1 romance here ... :D
    Arvia
  • ArviaArvia Member Posts: 2,101
    jastey wrote: »
    Isewein wrote: »
    I am of course aware but haven't played it, Jastey. (Save for the fun jealousy portion where Xan and he dream of fighting a dragon or somesuch in BG1? My memory of this is hazy at best...) I haven't really taken a Lawful-Good-type Bhaalspawn through the games, but if I ever do I will definitely give it a try. :)

    @Isewein Thanks! @Arvia made a quite good summary of what you have to expect from the Ajantis BG1 romance here ... :D

    Hey, if you like to be a noble damsel in distress who is rescued and protected by a young man in shining armor, he'll make you very happy! :smile:
    Zaxares
  • ithildurnewithildurnew Member Posts: 273
    edited January 2020
    DJKajuru wrote: »
    Zaxares wrote: »
    jsaving wrote: »
    The novel makes Neera's questline seem like Shakespeare by comparison so I am glad you said that tongue-in-cheek!
    Did you just badmouth my pink-haired goddess?!

    Anyway, on a more serious note, I think that some of the romance content should really have been a more general quest - specifically the whole Jaheira Harper thing. Missing out on that because your'e not romancing her seems like a lost opportunity.

    It's not just Jaheira either. Nearly all of the romanceable companions feel a lot more one-dimensional if you don't do their romances. You never get to learn about the moment of compassion that cost Viconia her favour with Lolth, or the trials that she endured trying to live on the surface. It's hard to see Anomen as anything but a holier-than-thou knight if you never learnt about the childhood that shaped him and why he started viewing himself as better than other people (it's actually a psychological defense mechanism to stop himself from falling into depression). Without his romance, Rasaad feels very much like somebody whose sole defining trait is his obsession about his brother (aka the "Old Owl Well" syndrome, after a certain paladin in NWN2. :P) And without the extra insights that comes with his dialogue, Dorn feels like a cardboard cutout blackguard whose sole reason for existing is just to kill anything and anyone that gets in his way, without any long-term goals or deeper motivations.

    If I had some simple modding skills I would definitely turn Jaheira and Aerie's romance talk into possible friendship talks because most of their conflicts and dillemas don't really depend on romantic interest to be developed.

    Again, most of Jaheira romance content (the Harper plot) is available even if you don't romance her; no need for a mod to access the plot.
    For more content with Aerie, I highly recommend this gem by @Coutelier : https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/26945/wings-version-0-91b/p1 Some very well written and amusing bits (especially if you keep Aerie and Imoen together in the party; also go back to the circus after Aerie gains some levels), as well as a nice little benefit for Aerie
    she gets her own familiar
    gorgonzolaThacoBell
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    @ithildurnew regarding Jaheira I meant the dialogues that only occur if she's romancing you, most of them involve memories from the past and jaheira's interest in charname as a friend.
    Thank you for the mod suggestion , I'll have a look!
  • MaurvirMaurvir Member Posts: 1,090
    Aerie wrote: »
    megamike15 wrote: »
    Aerie wrote: »
    Jaheira's romance is soo overrated and broken.

    and yours has a good chunk of it's middle cut due to time.

    Yeah but... out of all the NPC'S, I AM THE BEST OF THEM ALL!!!

    ... at whining... ;)
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