154 réponses à ce sujet

[Cheech 2.0]

First this isn't a slight on romances. I don't mind them, but I'm not as passionate as a lot of other people on the forums. My question is do you think that the main story is becoming less important than all the romance/companion content? It always seems the most talked in threads are the romance, or why do my casual clothes suck in Skyhold? ( Special shout out to shiny hair thread too )

 

Again I'm not bashing the romances or anyone who likes them. To me it's icing on the cake just wish the cake got as much love as the icing. Happy new year and good health to all, peace.

[Eivuwan]

I think a lot of the story is discussed along with the romance esp in the Solas thread. Honestly, I think the issue is that while the core story is good, it's just not flushed out enough. Perhaps with a few more core missions, people would be talking about the story more.

[LightningPoodle]

Well, with this game, I'm no longer playing for the story because I have a disdain for how lacking it is. I'm now just playing for the romances because they all of them are great in comparison.

[alwaysquestions]

First this isn't a slight on romances. I don't mind them, but I'm not as passionate as a lot of other people on the forums. My question is do you think that the main story is becoming less important than all the romance/companion content? It always seems the most talked in threads are the romance, or why do my casual clothes suck in Skyhold? ( Special shout out to shiny hair thread too )

 

Again I'm not bashing the romances or anyone who likes them. To me it's icing on the cake just wish the cake got as much love as the icing. Happy new year and good health to all, peace.

 

I feel like all dragon ages are more about the frosting than the cake. I don't think the cake is like as unique or epic as the baldur's gate cake, for example, but the frosting is delicious.

[HTTP 404]

I have a similar view as you but I think we are in the minority on this forum.  When info is released based on who is romance-able, I reflexibly think about those characters as having plot armor.  I know that isn't really true but I can't help thinking that since fans would like all their LIs to have equal treatment.

 

I think DAI is more character-driven instead of story-driven.  That isn't a bad thing since I think all the characters in this game are pretty awesome.  But that doesn't mean both are mutually exclusive from each other.

[TheJediSaint]

Romances are over represented in BSN's discussion forums.  But they in now way actually overshadow the main story.  

[crimzontearz]

Not at all

There are plenty if games with a great story...Bioware games have great stories

But not many games have a great story AND many customizable romance sub plots

It is only natural since people LOVE them that they become a legacy feature AND talked about.

[Jeremiah12LGeek]

I think there's a difference between the impact of them in the game and the manner in which they are discussed in the forums.

[AtreiyaN7]

I don't think they do. I would agree with the earlier post saying that a bit more main quest content probably would've evened things out a bit, but I like that the character writing is good on the whole and that the companions are interesting people (and yes, I enjoy the romances - or rather, the romance, since I've been sticking with one LI, heh).

[errantknight]

First this isn't a slight on romances. I don't mind them, but I'm not as passionate as a lot of other people on the forums. My question is do you think that the main story is becoming less important than all the romance/companion content? It always seems the most talked in threads are the romance, or why do my casual clothes suck in Skyhold? ( Special shout out to shiny hair thread too )

 

Again I'm not bashing the romances or anyone who likes them. To me it's icing on the cake just wish the cake got as much love as the icing. Happy new year and good health to all, peace.

One thing the writers are quite clear on is that they write characters first and romances second, so I don't think you have to worry that the main plot isn't a priority. Thing is, Bioware makes it easy to care about your PC beyond whether they kill the big bad. There's a whole world out there for them to be involved in. If anything, the attention people pay to the romances, their Stronghold and their clothing is a tribute to the vividness of Thedas. Also...those boots with that outfit are a crime, lol.

[jellobell]

They don't overshadow the main story, but Bioware's best writing is always their character writing. They know this, and have acknowledged it on multiple occasions. Romances are a way of getting to know the characters in a different way, so they're often discussed very heavily.

 

I'd say that the characters do overshadow the main story. Or, well, "overshadow" is a bad term. They enhance it. For example, the main story would not have been nearly as meaningful to me if I hadn't romanced Solas on my first playthrough. And then going through the game a second time, I was way more invested in the lore of the world and figuring out all of the mysteries that are hinted at but not explained because of my affection for Solas as a character. Additionally, I would not have cared about the Inquisition nearly as much if I hadn't spent most of the game getting attached to my allies. Bioware knows that people get invested in the story if they get invested in the characters. That's what made the climax of ME2 the best they've ever done.

 

I think other games and other stories are very narrative-driven and plot-driven. But Bioware's always hung their hat on their characters, and that's ultimately what a good number of the players care about.

[Colonelkillabee]

The companions have always overshadowed what was going on in the story, for me. I care less about the plot and more about how the events in the story will effect them, and honestly, I think that's as it should be in a party based rpg. Or any story, really. The characters are always what drives the story.

[Battlebloodmage]

I find that to be the case with a lot of the games. People are more excited about finding who the bachelors and bachelorettes are in Harvest Moon than about the game, asking if various RPG on steams have romance. 

 

This game is a peculiar case since straight males for the first time in forever don't have more romance than everyone else, so there's a thread everyday talking about how LIs look like guys or LGBT have so many options despite the fact that they have the same numbers as they are and only straight females have more. Of course it's easier to blame it on the LGBT than straight females since they're the norm. 

[SofaJockey]

No.

 

The romances are a few brief cutscenes and a few banter comments.

 

They are sweet, or edgy, or lusty, but all are limited.

 

Of course BSN loves to talk about them, so do the gaming press,

but BioWare have included a romance quest, not DAmatch.com or a banging simulator.

 

And for some those flirt options can be avoided entirely.

[CuriousArtemis]

I would say both the story and the romances were overshadowed by the open world concept that didn't quite work this first go around. 

[Korva]

Yeah, I don't like it either. Maybe it's just me, but the ever-increasing romance-focus seems to come at the cost of both main story and platonic relationships, which does bother me. And some fans seem to pretty much only care for characters in terms of bedding them. It's not enough for a character to be well-written and funny or deep, s/he must be a "love interest", deserves to be a "love interest", or else the devs clearly and spitefully deprive people of their Twoo Wuv. Hyperbole? Maybe. But not much, in some cases.

 

*shrug* Not saying I'm not as biased as everyone else. I'm asexual, and I want platonic bonds just as sexuals want sex. Many gay and bi people are starved for any positive depiction of people like them, and I very much empathize with that. I just wish there was more of an appreciation for the characters themselves and less of a myopic romance-obsession and fewer demands for ever more dating sim content. Sometimes I skim over a thread for one of the "love interest" characters because I like many of them and wouldn't mind discussing them, but I'd feel out of place among all the gushing.

[Seraphim24]

First this isn't a slight on romances. I don't mind them, but I'm not as passionate as a lot of other people on the forums. My question is do you think that the main story is becoming less important than all the romance/companion content?

 

Yes.

[Nyctyris]

Well there's like what, 10 hours of story? WIthout companion input, it'd be an awfully short game!

 

I'm not complaining *exactly*... Just an observation that the story is fairly short. I'd rather a good story that was short, to be clear, instead of a crap story that was loooooong (looking at you, NWN2!). And I do think the main story of DAI is engaging, but it certainly features a good chunk of companion time.

 

I do actually think romance adds a lot - more like the sugar in your cake, rather than the icing. In the same way that adventure adds a lot. It's all part of the package: fun stories have lovers, villains, heroes, and danger. 

 

It's slightly different with games, particularly bioware, because the companions ARE a central draw. And that's okay, imo. It makes the story content modular, as in you can skip bits or become involved as much as you like to a certain extent. (For example, I cba with Sera, so I skipped her this pt). From a design perspective I am sure that must be useful, and solve all sorts of problems - namely, how to please everyone. Otherwise if you want a really involved story, you need something like Planescape Torment, which has limited mass appeal and can be a tad overwhelming. 

 

It also adds a unique selling point. The interesting characters become little sections of story to explore all on their own, and open up opportunities to learn more about the world. The classic example would probably be ME2, which felt entirely character focused to me, in a good way. 

 

Naturally, people become pretty obsessed with your characters. Being able to tie a romance into those companions makes them more "meaningful" to your protagonist and even more interesting to your players. 

 

I don't think romance alone is selling the game, though. If it were, those Japanese style chat up games would be a heck of a lot more popular than they are. Too much sugar just makes you sick. But there is certainly a strong *awareness* from devs that romance sells... possibly too many resources are devoted to it? It must be a difficult balance to strike. 

[Nyctyris]

I'm relieved that Varric was never made a LI, though. Long may that continue, it'd ruin his character.

 

And I quite like it when you're not the only special snowflake on display, ie the companions are interested in each other (Fenris/Isobella, Blackwall/Josie).

[Colonelkillabee]

I'm relieved that Varric was never made a LI, though. Long may that continue, it'd ruin his character.

 

And I quite like it when you're not the only special snowflake on display, ie the companions are interested in each other (Fenris/Isobella, Blackwall/Josie).

Agreed. I know it doesn't have to go down in my game... but somehow... I think seeing a bunch of people cooing over him and his chesthair in fanthreads and so on would just kill my Varric buzz, lol. It's just.... I dunno, doesn't seem right with him.

 

I mean, they do that somewhat now, but it'd be even funnier with romance scenes and such.

[DarkKnightHolmes]

I'd sacrifice half the romance if it meant we got a decent final mission.

[Hanako Ikezawa]

And I quite like it when you're not the only special snowflake on display, ie the companions are interested in each other (Fenris/Isobella, Blackwall/Josie).

Meanwhile I hate this. Makes me unable to romance the love interests involved since it feels like I'm breaking them up. The only exception is Josephine and Rainier both because nothing happens between them and Rainier is...well, Rainier. 

[KaiserShep]

Meanwhile I hate this. Makes me unable to romance the love interests involved since it feels like I'm breaking them up. The only exception is Josephine and Rainier both because nothing happens between them and Rainier is...well, Rainier. 

 

All's fair in love and killing everything in sight. It's not breaking anyone up unless you actually dissolve a relationship that's already developed. Ain't nothin' preordained up in here.

[nightscrawl]

It's an interesting question. In terms of amount of content, the actual main story seems to have less content than all of the other aspects of the game. It seems to me that the rest of the game supports the story, rather than the story supporting the rest of the game. When I say "rest of the game" I am referring to ALL of the other content: exploration, questing, lore, NPC character development, and yes, romances. This is either a good or bad thing, depending on your perspective. To me, this method lends itself to more replays than the reverse, but that won't be the case for everyone.

 

Regarding your actual question: I think there is plenty of discussion about topics other than the romances on this forum. That said, the personal relationships, non- and romance alike, have a major appeal to many players and help them have a connection to the world, which then bleeds over into the other aspects of the game, including the main story.

[Colonelkillabee]

I'd sacrifice half the romance if it meant we got a decent final mission.

Bah, **** that. I'd sacrifice the entire lame ass conclusion for more interaction with Cassandra. I'll take "Yay, we did it!" May as well be that now anyway.