1109 réponses à ce sujet

[Octarin]

Please, if there must be multiple heartbreaking romances in a given BioWare game, spread the heartbreak around.  Do not give these options only to female characters.

 

I appreciate tragedy and heartbreak... sometimes.  However, this has become a routine feature for BioWare games: if you happen to be playing a straight woman character, you have a very high chance of your character's love interest (if you pursue one) cheating, breaking up with you, leaving, or being deeply in love with

 

<SNIP SNIP>

 

If you agree or are in support of this request, please post.  I want BioWare to pay some attention to this and spread the heartbreak around!  (I'd say they should reduce it overall, if they can get over their fan tears addiction, but spreading it around works nicely--they get their fan tears, and female protagonists everywhere can have a reprieve.)

 

Totally with you there, even though I went for Kaidan in ME (main character, my alt for Thane) and Cullen in DA:I (my alt is gonna go for Solas, but at least I know he ups and buggers off), tried Blackwall but was immensely emo for me, couldn't stand him. In DA:O I ditched an ENTIRE gameplay to start over so I wouldn't become the royal concubine. So, I hear you through and through, and support this thread mightly!

 

However... statistically men are more prone to cheat, up and leave without an excuse and behave like an unempathic fraking retard, so I'm guessing, for basis of realism, the games are spot on there. However, this ain't real life. 

 

Another thing I noticed too was that you REALLY shouldn't romance a Bioware LI if he tells you "this isn't gonna end well, m'lady". Anders did so, "I'll hurt you in the end", Blackwall says the line above and Solas also says "we should stop this, it'd be better in the end for everyone". It's not a big hint, given the emo nature of them all (reason I went for Cullen, straightforward, knows what he wants, gets it, end of fuss), but it's there, for whatever shite it's worth. 

 

I don't know, they think we all love to be greased over and have tear-filled unrequited love affairs like we're some Wuthering Heights heroines or what. Go figure. I'm not like that even in real life, gods forbid I become that in a game... 

[zambixi]

Well there is drama in Dorian romance as well, actually it feels like i saw that scenario in one episode of Jerry Springer show but i guess it does end up in 'happy ending'.

Although i am completionist so i was ignoring most of my companions till later chapter and then just finishing their romance quest one by one, simply ending romance in end till last companion of choice (after getting achievement at least) so guess reason for which people play this game do differ.

But anyway if you really want happy ending romance then you should read some romance novels, game is kinda bad choice for those imo XD

Coz drama make things look more dramatic (=interesting?) XD

 

Oh and yeah, Cullen romance does end in generic happy ending so one reason could be that they wanted more variety.

 

Drama is great. Bring on the drama. The problem is more in the type of drama and where it leads in terms of LIs for straight women in BW games. It's quite easy to get a "happy" ending with every single female LI in BW games unless I'm forgetting something. Morrigan and Isabela are the two that stand out as being so-so, except Morrigan now plays a huge role in the series and even her/the Warden's child shows up (what could be more gratifying than that), and Isabela redeems herself within the context of DA:2 (and later her betrayal is overshadowed by Anders). Do any of these romances lack drama? No. Are any of them happy Disney endings? No. Zevran is the only character to date that is currently physically with their LI (aside from some Inquisition LIs). But I do consider the female LIs to be much less tragic on the whole than male LIs. And I think if you were to switch them, (i.e. give say, Blackwall's romance arc to Cassandra), you would hear just as much if not more anger about it.

 

So...more equitable distribution of the specific brand of drama that seems to be attached to male LIs would be nice.

[9TailsFox]

If Solas doesn't get a special DLC about him reuniting with Lavellan the way Morrigan romancers got Witch Hunt... >_>

I actually enjoy tragic romance quite a bit. I thought Solas's romance plot was AMAZING even though I am still hoping for closure via DLC.
Cullen's romance hit the sweet spot for me; just enough conflict with the lyrium addiction subplot to keep it from getting boring without going overboard. I haven't done Bull's romance yet but I hear good things about that one too.

What bothered me the most about Alistair's romance was the fact that I had to let him sleep with Morrigan. I was playing as a mage. I didn't HAVE to put him on the throne, but I chose to do it (and remain his mistress). I was OK with that part, but I definitely understand why other women would not be. Having to convince him to have sex with Morrigan was awful. Yes, I'm bitter, and I want the straight male players to have to sit through something like that. If they did, perhaps the uproar would be enough to prevent such a storyline from ever happening again?

Making it possible for Cassandra to leave the player if she becomes Divine came pretty close to a tragic romance for straight guys, but it's possible to pick dialogue options that leave the fate of your relationship open-ended, where for female players' tragic romances, this has never been an option.

I can't think of a single romancer audience that is clamoring for tragic romances, so perhaps they should be avoided altogether? Straight women are unhappy, and straight men and LGBT players don't want the tragedy foisted on them instead. If there must be a tragic romance, make it between NPCs so that the player is not personally affected by it.

I don't have problem Isabella sleep with half of Thedas

She sleep with Zevran, my Hawke just joined. if he can't he still don't mind.

You probably would flip if Solas have sex with Flemeth. And say "oh you can join to if you want"

 

We will have DLC wolf hunt at the end we will be forced kill Solas. But he still return in DA4

[Elhanan]

In case it might have been missed, in DA2; Aveline broke my worn on a sleeve heart. And while some may not consider that a romance, few words can pierce armor like, "Just Friends"....

[Dakota Strider]

Finally, I have something to agree with Elhanan about.  Avelline was by far the best option for a LI in DA2.  But, she only had eyes for some lowlife guard.  Isabella and Merrill were consolation prizes.

[9TailsFox]

In case it might have been missed, in DA2; Aveline broke my worn on a sleeve heart. And while some may not consider that a romance, few words can pierce armor like, "Just Friends"....

[9TailsFox]

Finally, I have something to agree with Elhanan about.  Avelline was by far the best option for a LI in DA2.  But, she only had eyes for some lowlife guard.  Isabella and Merrill were consolation prizes.

Don't forget.

[Shari'El]

I also feel that way.

Tragedy is good to have, conflicts are good to have, they make things more memorable.

Tragic endings are sometimes good to have, but when it's fitting, and not all of the time. I feel that as a straight woman (who prefers to play straight women) I tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to romances.

 

I had to go through A LOT to get a good ending with Alistair (ughh), and it wasn't even that good (female dwarf, as Alistair's mistress, some part of me was really pissed off when she wasn't mentioned in Alistair's context in DAI), Anders annoyed the heck out of me (so much that my canon PT ended being with Fenris, he may have disappeared at some point but he came back oh so quickly), Blackwall pissed me off (I forgave him for the sake of romance continuation but jeez, I really dislike him as a character) and Solas broke my heart to tiny tiny pieces (worst thing of all - he breaks up with PC, which in turn locks his romance and denies your character from a happy ending with Cullen or whatever). This happens even in smaller scales - In DAO's Dalish origins story you can trigger Tamlen's romance flag as a female elf and then you have to kill him later on (after he tells her he always loved her). LIKE, WHY?!

 

And that's only DA series :|

 

Sure have your tragedy, it is nice when dealt well, but please, it would be nice if once in a while that tragedy turns to some brighter future.

 

The one that was hardest for me to handle was Solas, since is very well written and quite fascinating. I pray to the Gods of Gaming that we'll get a Wolf Hunt DLC, but I won't lie - I'm pessimistic. 

[CENIC]

Just chiming in to say I liked Bishop's "romance" in NWN2 way more than Casavir's - even in it's incomplete state!

I played a "good" aligned character, and as tempting as it was, I was glad that there wasn't an option to redeem him. The final conversation with him was heartbreaking in the best way.

[WildOrchid]

I'd vote for less drama in all romances tbh (though i acknowledge straight women have it bad in romances).

 

 

Thankfully for me Sera's romance ended on good terms so i can't complain. But i support this thread.

[Dakota Strider]

Actually, in DAI, I do not recall any great LI stories for a male hero.  Very true, there was no heartbreak.  But, really nothing memorable about the LI story.  I think the best romance story lines I have played over the years (and its been a lot of those), have been where there was a challenge, things did not always go right, and you needed work to make it happen.  Even if it ended in tragedy, those LI's were by far the ones you remember.  Just did not see that in Cassandra's, and doubt that was the case with Josephine's either.  I

 

Now, I have not followed the LI stories for the female hero in DAI.  But, some of them seem to be generating a lot of conversation.  Even if the ending was not what you wanted...was the story leading up to the ending at least above average?  If that is the case, you may have had a better experience.   Or, were the LI stories you played through as flat as the Cassandra/Josephine storylines?

[Gileadan]

I sympathize and support this.  I romanced Cassandra and made her Divine, and knowing BioWare, I still felt that I got off lightly! I mean, she doesn't actually break up with the Inquisitor, there's nothing that contradicts a "not always together but never truly apart" headcanon. Very Jaheira-like, actually.

 

And as I just learned on YouTube, her romance ending when she isn't Divine isn't actually that different after all. Now I actually feel better about making her Divine. 

I would probably have some sympathy for tragic romances that come with a clear warning like Thane's, but a sucker punch like Jacob's... no thank you.

[Aron Dalentor]

Just walking by. Bioware, if you are seeing this, please do consider making this girl a LI in the future DLC. Thanks, bye.

Spoiler

[Bliss]

Just chiming in to say I liked Bishop's "romance" in NWN2 way more than Casavir's - even in it's incomplete state!

I played a "good" aligned character, and as tempting as it was, I was glad that there wasn't an option to redeem him. The final conversation with him was heartbreaking in the best way.

 

I was more for Casavir..not that it stopped me from flirting with boooooth....I almost set my computer on fire at the end of MotB. I couldn't understand why I couldn't spend forever in the domain of the god he worshiped with him. He was dead. Land of the dead. Why can't I spend forever with his spirit? Where was my happy ending? I raged on and on and on....and even now if I were to try to replay it I just know I'd toss another hissy fit.

[9TailsFox]

Tragic endings are sometimes good to have, but when it's fitting, and not all of the time. I feel that as a straight woman (who prefers to play straight women) I tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to romances.

Pleas tell me you joking.

You get

Cullen

Iron Bull 

Blakwall

Solas

 

Ok Solas tragic as you say. I don't know about Blackwall. DA:I romances panders to straight women. You have Qunari, elf. 

[Aravasia]

I tend to like angst and tragic romances. Actually, it's pretty much necessary for any romance I do to have angst in it for it to be fulfilling to me (except for the dead spouse trope, I could do without ever encountering that.) For this, Morrigan, Anders, and Solas were all my favorite romances of the games. Though, the difference is that Morrigan and Anders can have a happy conclusion in the end. If you are just eluding to having a choice for a happy ending, then yes, so long as it doesn't cheapen the story, I could definitely agree. But, if you are talking about removing angst from the female romances entirely, then no way. All of these romances, at least in the DA series, give out plenty of warning signs ("we shouldn't do this", "this is a bad idea") etc. I would be extremely disappointed if they took them out entirely when they are already easy to avoid. Cullen, Iron Bull, Josephine, and Sera all have very light-hearted romances. I see nothing wrong with two of the six options for females being more 'angsty', for those who enjoy that type of romance. 

[Thiefy]

But this isn't limited to just the female protagonist either. With a male protag, either he has to do it, or kill Alistair...not happy either.

 

I guess I've played through it so many times it doesn't really bother me anymore. Alistair is clearly disgusted by the act - it's not like he's going to fantasize about Morrigan later. Also, there is a wonderful mod that someone made that removes the Morrigan scene and focuses on Alistair and the Warden while she waits for him. Much better from that perspective. 

 

I still don't consider the Alistair romance to be a gut-punch in any way. Anders? Yes, definitely...especially the part where I gritted my teeth and betrayed my ideals to side with the mages just so I could keep Anders alive...only to find later that Hawke seems utterly miserable with the relationship in DA:I. IMO, the best relationship to bring into DA:I is Sebastian...

The action itself isn't limited to female wardens but the background behind it colors the experience. Male wardens in a relationship with Morrigan vs female wardens in a relationship to Alistair vs any warden not a romance with the other two LIs will have different perspective.

 

Between those three situations, it's only the warden/Alistiar that has to do the (questionable)ritual if you want both partners to survive.

 

It's not "happy". You can get over it/move on, but it's far from "happy".

[Shari'El]

Pleas tell me you joking.

You get

Cullen

Iron Bull 

Blakwall

Solas

 

Ok Solas tragic as you say. I don't know about Blackwall. DA:I romances panders to straight women. You have Qunari, elf. 

 

I'm not sure why you are attacking me >_<

I'm not the only woman who feels this way.

 

Solas' romance is tragic, Blackwall made me furious (he left my Inquisitor naked in a barn and disappeared, he outright lied through the entire first part of their relationship and he did things I couldn't forgive. It would've been tons better if the sex scene would've occurred after the Inquisitor finds out about Blackwall's past), Iron Bull & Cullen didn't interest me personally (Cullen's too fluff, Iron Bull has fetishes I'm uncomfortable with).

It's not only DAI, it's DAO, DA2 & Mass Effect series. Male LI tend to cheat/lie/betray you more than female LIs, that's fact, not my imagination :/

 

Bother to read the thread, you can disagree but please, try to be more respectful.

[CuriousArtemis]

So, I'm thinking about this thread and I have to admit I'm confused about the overall complaint. Maybe you guys want the heartbreak spread around? I could agree with that. Give some straight female, gay male, or lesbian love interests a heartbreaking storyline. I'm sure those other players would enjoy those types of romances, too.

 

But straight female characters have had the opportunity to romance Zevran, Fenris, Sebastian, Cullen, and Iron Bull in the Dragon Age series. And I don't know if ME is ever brought up, but if so, they then have Kaidan and Garrus. 

 

That said I understand feeling dissatisfied about the romances... I can't even play the game a second time because my two choices are just so awful (for me). It does breed a little bitterness when the one group who got four options is complaining though (and two of those four options are exactly what the thread is asking for: non-heartbreak romances).

[Elhanan]

@ Shari'Hel - A fair bit of confusion on this matter may lie with the notion to some that sex is romance. For a portion of these individuals, as long as that end goal is achieved even with pixelated avatars, they are content. With others, romance may have a deeper meaning; has more to do with the bonds of friendship, partners, and relationships than just the sex. While the sexual aspect may be present, it is not considered to be the goal. When someone simply keeps score as to the total numbers of bed partners that are possible, this may present an insight to their definition of romance.

And as others have noted, Scout Harding was also my choice for my male Dwarven Archer Inq.

[Thiefy]

So, I'm thinking about this thread and I have to admit I'm confused about the overall complaint. Maybe you guys want the heartbreak spread around? I could agree with that. Give some straight female, gay male, or lesbian love interests a heartbreaking storyline. I'm sure those other players would enjoy those types of romances, too.

 

But straight female characters have had the opportunity to romance Zevran, Fenris, Sebastian, Cullen, and Iron Bull in the Dragon Age series. And I don't know if ME is ever brought up, but if so, they then have Kaidan and Garrus. 

 

That said I understand feeling dissatisfied about the romances... I can't even play the game a second time because my two choices are just so awful (for me). It does breed a little bitterness when the one group who got four options is complaining though (and two of those four options are exactly what the thread is asking for: non-heartbreak romances).

Nah, it's not that all the romances are bad or always end up bad, but romances tend to be a russian roulette for straight ladies.

 

The easy way fix to that is make lady LI give sucker punches in kind. Tragic romances shouldn't be loaded into mostly male LIs.

[Ryzaki]

So, I'm thinking about this thread and I have to admit I'm confused about the overall complaint. Maybe you guys want the heartbreak spread around? I could agree with that. Give some straight female, gay male, or lesbian love interests a heartbreaking storyline. I'm sure those other players would enjoy those types of romances, too.

 

But straight female characters have had the opportunity to romance Zevran, Fenris, Sebastian, Cullen, and Iron Bull in the Dragon Age series. And I don't know if ME is ever brought up, but if so, they then have Kaidan and Garrus. 

 

That said I understand feeling dissatisfied about the romances... I can't even play the game a second time because my two choices are just so awful (for me). It does breed a little bitterness when the one group who got four options is complaining though (and two of those four options are exactly what the thread is asking for: non-heartbreak romances).

 

That's...kind of exactly what it says in the Op.

[CuriousArtemis]

That's...kind of exactly what it says in the Op.

 

Okay lol Then I definitely agree I would love a deep and tragic romance.

[Shari'El]

@ Shari'Hel - A fair bit of confusion on this matter may lie with the notion to some that sex is romance. For a portion of these individuals, as long as that end goal is achieved even with pixelated avatars, they are content. With others, romance may have a deeper meaning; has more to do with the bonds of friendship, partners, and relationships than just the sex. While the sexual aspect may be present, it is not considered to be the goal. When someone simply keeps score as to the total numbers of bed partners that are possible, this may present an insight to their definition of romance.

And as others have noted, Scout Harding was also my choice for my male Dwarven Archer Inq.

 

Heh, yes, that's true.

On another note - scout Harding is adorable.

[9TailsFox]

I'm not sure why you are attacking me >_<

I'm not the only woman who feels this way.

 

Solas' romance is tragic, Blackwall made me furious (he left my Inquisitor naked in a barn and disappeared, he outright lied through the entire first part of their relationship and he did things I couldn't forgive. It would've been tons better if the sex scene would've occurred after the Inquisitor finds out about Blackwall's past), Iron Bull & Cullen didn't interest me personally (Cullen's too fluff, Iron Bull has fetishes I'm uncomfortable with).

It's not only DAI, it's DAO, DA2 & Mass Effect series. Male LI tend to cheat/lie/betray you more than female LIs, that's fact, not my imagination :/

 

Bother to read the thread, you can disagree but please, try to be more respectful.

I am sorry if it looked like attacked. For straight female LI in DAI never been better. I wish we had female Qunari (Iron Bull has fetishes I'm comfortable with)

Solas romance similar to Morrigan. He leaves at the end same as Morrigan because plot. Solas romance not even finish and you declaring it tragic.

Leliana is crazy in DA:O in DA:I she is, Maker save us all. She past crazy.

 

In DA2 

Merrill again why crazy one.

Isabela she lie to Hawke she could just give dame book to Hawke and Hawke give it to Arishok so many people would been saved.(she left my Hawke in a room and disappeared, she outright lied through the entire first part of their relationship and she did things I couldn't forgive. It would've been tons better if the sex scene would've occurred after the Hawke finds out about Isabela past)

No happy ending Hawke and LI separated because plot. And Hawke can die. Thank the Maker Alistair is king if I have pick Alistair or Hawke I would throw my monitor trough the window.

 

Josephine just boring and compared to other romances so short and lacking.

Cassandra I see nothing to complain. We can make Cass less chantry. I not romanced her yet but what I her it is good.

 

So you saying you have 4 romances witch two of them is exactly as you ask but you don't like them. I have only 2 and I wanted not human female romance. This is why I "attack" you have 2 to 3 perfect romances you ask.