Sappy69 wrote...
el-pinko-grande wrote...
One of the things that I’ve noticed about the LI’s in DA:O is that, while they are all quite distinctly drawn characters, they also felt quite similar in one particular way- they were all seemed well-educated, worldly, sophisticated, etc. Even Morrigan, the Witch of the Wilds, raised in an absolute backwater by an ancient witch, seemed quite cosmopolitan to me. And that’s fine- they’re all awesome characters. But I think it would be interesting to see the writers venture a bit outside that model for some of the LI’s in DA2. They can clearly write those sorts of characters quite well- Sten and Oghren are prime examples.
So here’s what I’d like to see- some LI’s with strong cultural or ideological viewpoints that clash with Hawke’s own. Perhaps a handsome Templar that’s scarcely been outside their cloister and regards the world as a deeply sinful place, who still eventually succumbs to his attraction to the PC and has to reconcile his faith with life in the larger world. Or maybe like a barbarian warrior girl who has some legitimate reasons to hate and fear civilization as a destructive, corrupting force. Or whatever. Point is, I like the idea that Hawke and the LI have to reconcile sharply conflicting worldviews as you progress through the romance. Come to think of it, Sten is pretty much exactly what I’m looking for in that respect. Just, you know, make the character a cute girl instead of a grey-skinned giant
EDIT: Fixed formatting
This. Can Bioware hire this guy as a writer? Because he pretty much expressed everything I'd like to see about characters in Bioware's games.
To further the point, the reason why NPC's with divergent worldviews from the PC are interesting is because it provides an opportunity for either the PC to change or the NPC to change, thus creating character "growth" or "evolution". The most compelling and 3-dimensional characters are always those who go through a story and undergo a character arc; they are a different person at the end of the story than they were at the beginning.
A few examples: I always thought Viconia was the most interesting love interest out of the possible romances from BG2, even though it's clear the most effort was put into Jaheira's story. Why? Because once the romance subplot concludes in ToB, she can be a completely changed character (in a good way) than when you first meet her (especially if you're playing a good-aligned character). It offers a satisfying redemption, bad-girl-turned-good storyline that works far better than similar ones in other Bioware games (Morrigan in DA, Jack in ME2). Or to go outside Bioware games, anyone ever watch Babylon 5? Ever wonder why Londo and G'Kar are generally considered the most interesting characters on that show? It's because over the course of 5 seasons, we had the privilege of watching them use their experiences over that timespan to learn, evolve, grow, and most importantly, change.
I definitely agree that evolution makes for a good character arc in and out of romances. However, I think Origins had growth in some of its NPCs, even love interest. Look at Zevran. When the Warden meets him, he's working as a killer for hire, squashes all of his deeper feelings, and has lost everything that ever held meaning for him. If the Warden romances him, he can be coaxed out of his shell, reminded of his feelings, and give up the business he used to be in. His attitudes towards love and emotions definitely change over the course of the game. This was easily my favorite romance since there was such a difference in Zev from the beginning to the end of the game.
Alistair too can grow and change, particularly if he's hardened. Now, I'm the first one to admit that his hardening process is far too simple. But I like the idea that the Warden's actions can lead Al into self-reflection, enough to shape him into a good leader. Admittedly, this is a possibility for both romances and friends.
One thing I'd definitely like to see is a romance option who has the ability to change a PC. I suppose you can do this anyway by picking different dialogue approaches later in the game, but I'd love for the shift in stance to be acknowledged by other characters. Alpha Protocol, buggy as it was, had a great system in which you picked just the intent of your dialogues (Aggressive, Suave, Professional). If you started to shift to a different stance while around a certain character, it was remarked upon. I'd love to see something like this incorporated in DA2. If the Warden starts out gruff and stoic as a result of losing his/her home, then softens because of his/her interaction with his LI, it would be interesting to have NPCs comment on it.
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Some great teasing went on between us. Didn't even get a black screen kiss at the end. very disappointing that. 
