32 réponses à ce sujet

[elessarz]

These past years I've made an observation about the way I (and others ostensibly) play Bioware RPGs:

The choices people make are predicated on obtaining new content. For instance, when you meet Conrad Verner the first time in Mass Effect you can brush him off, and he will never appear again. If you humor him you can start a pan-game quest chain featuring Conrad. If you tell him to go away you miss out on a minor but fine part of the game, and there is nothing to replace it. Therefore, you always talk to Conrad.

I've come to realize I choose my romances because of the same reason. Simply put a romance is a particular kind of interaction, one that leads to unique events and conversations, i.e. unique gameplay which expands on your character and his or her relationship with others and with the game. Because there is no benefit to refusing to romance a character, people will always choose to initiate this interaction.

So this is my proposal: create content for characters who choose to remain single.

You've refused everyone in your party, including the dog. Congratulations, you are a) a byronic hero immune to temptation c)  still searching for your true love! The possibilities are endless.

Let's face it, people, not everybody buys into the romance thing, but they do buy the game, and the game punishes you for not doing the awkward love thing every time.

[Fiacre]

...My canon DAO character actually romanced no one. He did get ninjamanced by Leliana, which ended up being a nice addition to his story, but I made the very conscious choice not to start any romances with him when I made his character because he loved someone not in the party (Anora). I plan to do the same thing with my Dalish because there's no one who'd fit his character. And I've another Cousland who's still at Ostagar and with hm I don't want to romance anyone.

I'm certainly not averse to more non-romance character interaction, but because more character interaction is always good. And I have to say, I never do all the side quests. If a side quest chain doesn't make sense for a certain character, I don't do it. If I don't like it or don't feel like doing it, I don't.

[PsychoBlonde]

I don't do the romances when I play Origins any more, they just kind of lost their appeal for me. I probably won't play it again after this run, anyway--the only reason I'm playing it now is because I decided I wanted to make my "canon" Warden a Mage. Then I'm going to make my "canon" Hawke a rogue.

[Plaintiff]

You're not being "punished" by the loss of content. If you told a character to get lost, you opted out of any further interaction with them of your own free will. That's on you, the player. If you tell party members to go away, then they go away. What else do you expect?

But if you keep them in your party, then neither DA:O nor DA2 requires you to romance a character in order to access their quests. The only content you miss out on is content that specifically pertains to romancing them (special dialogue, the sex scene, etc). Since you didn't want to do the romance anyway, you're not losing anything of value.

Why would you get a special quest for choosing to be forever alone? That doesn't make any sense. What would it even involve? Going home to visit your folks to have an awkward dinner where they badger you to find a nice boy/girl and settle down?

Modifié par Plaintiff, 28 septembre 2012 - 04:08 .

[Rinji the Bearded]

Romances are optional content. Why would there be a need to make optional content for not participating in optional content?

Modifié par RinjiRenee, 28 septembre 2012 - 04:08 .

[Wulfram]

Well, in DA2 if you don't have an LI then after [sad event] happens Aveline comes to talk to you. That sort of thing is good. Sometimes it makes sense that the PC should have a heart to heart, and if there's no LI then having someone else fill in is appropriate

But I don't think forcing equality is necessary.

[Hainkpe]

For those who are more interested in finding self fulfillment and/or enlightenment or just dont like chicks and/or dudes.

I like it. #thumbsup

[thats1evildude]

What possible content could there be?

Hawke: Sure is nice coming back to my mansion! This big, empty mansion ... So quiet since Mother died …

Modifié par thats1evildude, 28 septembre 2012 - 04:17 .

[Reznore57]

I could use a scene with our pc , drinking a bottle by the dock at night , a single tear in the eyes and
huming "All by myself " to him/herself.

[Arch1eviathan]

i couldn't agree more OP. Mass Effect 2 did have that little scene with Miranda and Jacob if you didn't have a romance but that was hardly satisfying.

[elessarz]

RinjiRenee wrote...

Romances are optional content. Why would there be a need to make optional content for not participating in optional content?

You can't treat romances as you would sidequests. A sidequest is a diversion; a romance is a choice in the development of your character. You pursue a relationship or you don't pursue a relationship. You go down one path or you go down another, but one of these has a reward and one of them doesn't.

[Plaintiff]

elessarz wrote...

RinjiRenee wrote...

Romances are optional content. Why would there be a need to make optional content for not participating in optional content?

You can't treat romances as you would sidequests. A sidequest is a diversion; a romance is a choice in the development of your character. You pursue a relationship or you don't pursue a relationship. You go down one path or you go down another, but one of these has a reward and one of them doesn't.

A "reward" in what sense? If you want to be single, then isn't being single a reward in itself?

What do you want? Extra cutscenes where you discuss your decision to be celibate? Help us out, here.

[TsaiMeLemoni]

elessarz wrote...

RinjiRenee wrote...

Romances are optional content. Why would there be a need to make optional content for not participating in optional content?

You can't treat romances as you would sidequests. A sidequest is a diversion; a romance is a choice in the development of your character. You pursue a relationship or you don't pursue a relationship. You go down one path or you go down another, but one of these has a reward and one of them doesn't.

I would argue that if you choose not to romance someone, not having to deal with sometimes ridiculous romance content is in itself the reward.

[EricHVela]

It almost sounds like "I'm choosing not to participate in optional content so they need to compensate me with other content."

I must have that incorrect. That's not what that's saying. Right?

[R2s Muse]

RinjiRenee wrote...

Romances are optional content. Why would there be a need to make optional content for not participating in optional content?

[Rinji the Bearded]

elessarz wrote...

RinjiRenee wrote...

Romances are optional content. Why would there be a need to make optional content for not participating in optional content?

You can't treat romances as you would sidequests. A sidequest is a diversion; a romance is a choice in the development of your character. You pursue a relationship or you don't pursue a relationship. You go down one path or you go down another, but one of these has a reward and one of them doesn't.

... Romance content is development for your character if you so choose it.  If you don't choose it... you remain single and do not experience content that you wouldn't have minded missing out on anyway.

I can't see how a player who remains single needs to have some weird content to themselves like... a whole monologue like "Boy I sure do love being single.    Here I am.  Alone.  Being single and stuff.  Gonna remind the player that I chose not to be in a relationship with anyone.  ... Character development, yes..."

Modifié par RinjiRenee, 28 septembre 2012 - 06:29 .

[Maclimes]

A while back, I proposed "best buds" as an alternative to romance. You could form close bonds with a companion, have cut scenes of the two of you drinking at the bar, practicing your swordsmanship, or whatever. Develop an intensely close bond without it being romantic or sexual.

I actually felt Alistair did this fairly well in DA:O. Hm. He's the only one I can think of that achieved that.

[Rinji the Bearded]

Maclimes wrote...

A while back, I proposed "best buds" as an alternative to romance. You could form close bonds with a companion, have cut scenes of the two of you drinking at the bar, practicing your swordsmanship, or whatever. Develop an intensely close bond without it being romantic or sexual.

I actually felt Alistair did this fairly well in DA:O. Hm. He's the only one I can think of that achieved that.

I feel like if they're gonna make content for "best buds," it should be available to everyone, not just people don't who play the romance content...

Modifié par RinjiRenee, 28 septembre 2012 - 06:45 .

[Plaintiff]

RinjiRenee wrote...

Maclimes wrote...

A while back, I proposed "best buds" as an alternative to romance. You could form close bonds with a companion, have cut scenes of the two of you drinking at the bar, practicing your swordsmanship, or whatever. Develop an intensely close bond without it being romantic or sexual.

I actually felt Alistair did this fairly well in DA:O. Hm. He's the only one I can think of that achieved that.

I feel like if they're gonna make content for "best buds," it should be available to everyone, not just people don't who play the romance content...

Kinda seems like that option already exists, regardless of whether or not you romance the characters. In DA2, they even label it the "Friendship" bar, and you can have those friendly interactions if you choose to.

One of my favourite parts of DA:O was Morrigan telling me that she had never considered the idea that a man could simply be a friend until that point. My shrivelled heart grew two sizes that day.

[RedWulfi]

None companion romances maybe?

[Dintonta]

Maclimes wrote...

A while back, I proposed "best buds" as an alternative to romance. You could form close bonds with a companion, have cut scenes of the two of you drinking at the bar, practicing your swordsmanship, or whatever. Develop an intensely close bond without it being romantic or sexual.

I actually felt Alistair did this fairly well in DA:O. Hm. He's the only one I can think of that achieved that.

I felt that with Morrigan.
When she answered Wynne (who was aggressively trying to lecture her with no reason at all) something along the line : "...I'm not like Alistair in search of a surrogate mother or one of your student looking for guidance..." I thought "Well said, sister!"

[Kidd]

ME2 has a short scene for those who do not romance anybody. Think that's pretty nice =)

[elessarz]

RinjiRenee wrote...

... Romance content is development for your character if you so choose it.  If you don't choose it... you remain single and do not experience content that you wouldn't have minded missing out on anyway.

The game is larger for people who romance and it is smaller for those who don't romance. Surely you can see the difference.

A sidequest is when you gather the farmer's chickens and he pays you and you never see the farmer again. A romance is when you marry the farmer and then everybody talks about it and sometimes the farmer takes you behind the barn.

And I have to tell you I do mind missing out on a piece of the game. My point is that there is no choice between the two. Something has to exist in place of that.

RinjiRenee wrote...

I can't see how a player who remains single needs to have some weird content to themselves like... a whole monologue like "Boy I sure do love being single.    Here I am.  Alone.  Being single and stuff.  Gonna remind the player that I chose not to be in a relationship with anyone.  ... Character development, yes..."

 

You know, that is character development. When somebody stops and thinks about the choices he's made. Jee, I turned down all the people who were interested in me. That must mean something in my life, and in the lives of those I turned down. That kind of scene doesn't have the repetition of what happened but a more subtle and therefore richer meditation.

Let me give you two examples of how a non-romance has played in the past:

1) Neverwinter Nights 2's Bishop falls in love with the female player character, but actual romance is impossible. Despite this, at a certain point in the game he offers to run away with you, and during the reckoning just before the final boss he hints at the fact that your love may have been able to save him. That is one significant way to impact a character who is not interested in romancing.

2) Alistair's sacrifice in DA:O.

You can do all sorts of cool stuff with this, but not if you're going to limit yourself to the "uh, i guess i'll have a monologue" mentality.