247 réponses à ce sujet

[Sable Rhapsody]

 I am a TVTropes fan.  I know that Tropes Are Not Bad.

That being said, this whole dead ex/deadbeat dad trope?  Let me list out the ways in which it exists in BioWare's games.

Jaheira: romanceable, dead ex
Coran: deadbeat dad
Cernd: dead ex, deadbeat dad
Kivan: dead ex
Sarevok: dead ex (the presumption is that Tamoko dies somehow even if the PC does not kill her)
Aribeth: romanceable, dead ex
Aarin Gend: romanceable, dead ex (one that he killed himself, no less ><)
Valen Shadowbreath: romanceable, dead ex
Carth Onasi: romanceable, dead ex, deadbeat dad
Sky: romanceable, dead ex, deadbeat dad
Kaidan Alenko: doesn't fit the trope strictly speaking, but he does compare the PC to his estranged ex
Zevran: romanceable, dead ex
Thane Krios: romanceable, dead ex, deadbeat dad

I understand that some tropes are used a lot in RPGs.  I'm fine with that.  But this particular trope (or trope pair) pops up in romanceable NPCs (especially the ones for females) with annoying regularity.  I know it's meant to elicit sympathy, and it did the first few times.  But honestly, I don't think I'm the only one who's just plain sick of this.  It doesn't elicit sympathy--it elicits facestabbery.  Thane died because of it.  Poor Thane 

I also understand that this is metagaming, but you can't tell me that seeing the same storytelling device over and over again doesn't affect the player.  So please, for DA2, can we have a bit of a break from this?  There are plenty of other tropes out there--give them some love 

[Sheryl Chee]

No dead ex? Gotcha.

LI: Hey, you remind me of this girl I once fell in love with.
PC: Oh, yeah? What happened to her? She's not dead, is she?
LI: Dead?! Of course not. It just didn't work out. She was kind of high maintainance. We still hook up once in a while. You don't mind, do you?

Modifié par Sheryl Chee, 04 octobre 2010 - 05:27 .

[Herr Uhl]

Sheryl Chee wrote...

No dead ex? Gotcha.

LI: Hey, you remind me of this girl I once fell in love with.
PC: Oh, yeah? What happened to her?
LI: Didn't work out. She was kind of high maintainance. We still hook up once in a while. You don't mind, do you?

This would be awesome.

With the obvious option to do a bro-fist.

[ViSeiRa]

Sheryl Chee wrote...

No dead ex? Gotcha.

LI: Hey, you remind me of this girl I once fell in love with.
PC: Oh, yeah? What happened to her? She's not dead, is she?
LI: Dead?! Of course not. It just didn't work out. She was kind of high maintainance. We still hook up once in a while. You don't mind, do you?

uh... if it's just post break-up then why not? :innocent:

[Ayanko]

Sable Rhapsody wrote...

 I am a TVTropes fan.  I know that Tropes Are Not Bad.

That being said, this whole dead ex/deadbeat dad trope?  Let me list out the ways in which it exists in BioWare's games.

Jaheira: romanceable, dead ex
Coran: deadbeat dad
Cernd: dead ex, deadbeat dad
Kivan: dead ex
Sarevok: dead ex (the presumption is that Tamoko dies somehow even if the PC does not kill her)
Aribeth: romanceable, dead ex
Aarin Gend: romanceable, dead ex (one that he killed himself, no less ><)
Valen Shadowbreath: romanceable, dead ex
Carth Onasi: romanceable, dead ex, deadbeat dad
Sky: romanceable, dead ex, deadbeat dad
Kaidan Alenko: doesn't fit the trope strictly speaking, but he does compare the PC to his estranged ex
Zevran: romanceable, dead ex
Thane Krios: romanceable, dead ex, deadbeat dad

I understand that some tropes are used a lot in RPGs.  I'm fine with that.  But this particular trope (or trope pair) pops up in romanceable NPCs (especially the ones for females) with annoying regularity.  I know it's meant to elicit sympathy, and it did the first few times.  But honestly, I don't think I'm the only one who's just plain sick of this.  It doesn't elicit sympathy--it elicits facestabbery.  Thane died because of it.  Poor Thane 

I also understand that this is metagaming, but you can't tell me that seeing the same storytelling device over and over again doesn't affect the player.  So please, for DA2, can we have a bit of a break from this?  There are plenty of other tropes out there--give them some love 

You forgot the Warden, silly
Cousland: Dead ex
City Elf Female: Dead ex
How depressing.

[Sable Rhapsody]

Sheryl Chee wrote...

No dead ex? Gotcha.

LI: Hey, you remind me of this girl I once fell in love with.
PC: Oh, yeah? What happened to her? She's not dead, is she?
LI: Dead?! Of course not. It just didn't work out. She was kind of high maintainance. We still hook up once in a while. You don't mind, do you?

To be 100% honest, it'd be a nice change of pace from the usual fare   Honestly, the graveyards in the Forgotten Realms are probably full of dead exes at the rate they pop up.

I don't have a problem with the dead ex/deadbeat dad thing in and of itself.  It's a literary device like any other.  I'd just like to see something different.  And a living, high maintanance ex is certainly different.  

[Sable Rhapsody]

Ayanko wrote...

You forgot the Warden, silly
Cousland: Dead ex
City Elf Female: Dead ex
How depressing.

True, though that's only in Dragon Age.  I was talking more broadly about BioWare games, specifically romanceable NPCs.

[Khayness]

Sable Rhapsody wrote...
There are plenty of other tropes out there--give them some love 

Girlfriend Healer!

[Tinxa]

I'd like to see an evil backstabbing ex for a change, so the LI can say the PC is nothing like her instead of "You know you remind me of my dear deceased wife".

[ErichHartmann]

I'd like to kill a potential love interests boyfriend or husband to clear the way for me.

[Sable Rhapsody]

Khayness wrote...

Sable Rhapsody wrote...
There are plenty of other tropes out there--give them some love 

Girlfriend Healer!

Bad boy searching for redemption, Woobie Destroyer of Worlds, self-esteem issues, anger issues, revenge issues...all I'm saying is that there's a boatload of issues other than dead ex/deadbeat dad to inflict upon these poor NPCs   Variety is the spice of life and all that.

[Sheryl Chee]

Tinxa wrote...

I'd like to see an evil backstabbing ex for a change.

Marjolaine?

[Ayanko]

I can actually see Hawke killing Bethanys love interest, if she does have one. Causing some sort of argument between the two.

[Calla S]

Eh, I've never had a problem with it. Sure, it pops up frequently, but it's never stopped me from enjoying the romance. Which is what's important, no?

[marshalleck]

How about a game with no romances, that would be different.

[Herr Uhl]

ErichHartmann wrote...

I'd like to kill a potential love interests boyfriend or husband to clear the way for me.

No, don't sink to Haer'Dalis's level!

[nightcobra]

i'd like to see as a party member/LI a woman warrior general respected by all her peers, a powerful soldier and yet feminine as well. the one i remember most of that type in a videogame is selan from lufia2 (though she was a mage/soldier mix but you get my point)

[upsettingshorts]

Wasn't there this big thread on the ME2 boards dissecting precisely what Jacob meant when Miranda said she "required a better man" than him?

Miranda's an ex. Not dead.

And that line definitely wasn't a favorite among the majority of the female gamers posting in that thread. But it was different, at least.

...

...
...

....the prize.

Modifié par Upsettingshorts, 04 octobre 2010 - 05:41 .

[Ayanko]

Or we could have a Maric and Katriel thing going on. But to be honest didn't this happen -spoiler- in Witch hunt aswell?

[Tinxa]

Sheryl Chee wrote...

Tinxa wrote...

I'd like to see an evil backstabbing ex for a change.

Marjolaine?

Something like that, but I see Marjolaine more as Leliana's ex boss than the former love of her life.

[Ayanko]

Also suprised we haven't seen a scenario where the players ex isn't dead but comes back to kick up a fuss with the PC's current romance. Oh that would be delicious...

[Sable Rhapsody]

marshalleck wrote...

How about a game with no romances, that would be different.

Sure, why not?  I enjoyed Awakening, and it had no romances.  My favorite interactions with recent BioWare characters have been the non-romanceable ones: Sten, Legion, EDI, Mordin, Samara, Justice, Shale.  I want interesting, meaningful character interactions.  They don't have to be romances.

[GodWood]

Ayanko wrote...
I can actually see Hawke killing Bethanys love interest, if she does have one. Causing some sort of argument between the two.

Why would Hawke kill Beth's LI?
And if you kill your sisters partner I'm sure you'll have more than "some sort of an argument".

[AlexXIV]

Well there is also Liara. You even get to be her first (and hopefully only).

[Ayanko]

GodWood wrote...

Ayanko wrote...
I can actually see Hawke killing Bethanys love interest, if she does have one. Causing some sort of argument between the two.

Why would Hawke kill Beth's LI?
And if you kill your sisters partner I'm sure you'll have more than "some sort of an argument".

Could be plotting something, could be cheating on Beth. Heck maybe PC just doesn't like the guy. Since when did we need a reason to kill people in DA?