Romance Systems in AAA games
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While I am super salty I can't have my P3P lady date Mitsuru (or have the P4 protagonist date Kanji because c'mon, they're made for each other), I think Persona is one of the few big(ger) series that handles romance in a way that doesn't feel forced. You can do it (or not) with (usually) whomever you fancy (by virtue of the protagonist normally being male and that's it, for shame though) and it's highly unlikely you won't find at least one person you care about in that way enough to pursue a deeper relationship.
Since relationships are part of the package anyway, it really feels a lot better and more thought-out than other games where there's only so much to a character and the big payoff isn't that you can/want to see or imagine your character and their partner be super cute together. No, the big payoff tends to be a....let's be generous, 20 second fade to black sex animation and that's it. Meh.
Since relationships are part of the package anyway, it really feels a lot better and more thought-out than other games where there's only so much to a character and the big payoff isn't that you can/want to see or imagine your character and their partner be super cute together. No, the big payoff tends to be a....let's be generous, 20 second fade to black sex animation and that's it. Meh.
Even though I only played 2/3 of the games, I never really liked any of the romances in the ME series with the slight exception of Liara and she wasn't available as a romantic interest in 2.
I've given them the benefit of the doubt since they were dealing with 'muh Reapers' but most of it was just fluff. You can't even say these were convenient flings to reduce war stress because most of the time Shep only does it once (most of the time).
I've given them the benefit of the doubt since they were dealing with 'muh Reapers' but most of it was just fluff. You can't even say these were convenient flings to reduce war stress because most of the time Shep only does it once (most of the time).
I get what you mean. You'd think they'd be more honest about what they want and why instead of just having one flimsy "reward" scene before the final chapter of each game >:c
I'd like to have just regular couples shit.
In ME I understand each game is a race to the finish there's no time for dates or chilling in shepard's cabin what with all the silver sun strip shopping you have to do and lets not forget that extra planet in me1 needs to be explored. inb4 someone takes me seriously the only game that felt like every mission was for the good of the endgame was ME2 and therefore the only game that felt like maybe we don't have time to dick around and be people was that one.
idk i just feel like romance should be actual romances where you actually do more than click flirt to win as a whole.
Even games like the witcher 3 have that same problem. Click flirt to win and don't stick yoru cock in another hole that she'll know about.
In ME I understand each game is a race to the finish there's no time for dates or chilling in shepard's cabin what with all the silver sun strip shopping you have to do and lets not forget that extra planet in me1 needs to be explored. inb4 someone takes me seriously the only game that felt like every mission was for the good of the endgame was ME2 and therefore the only game that felt like maybe we don't have time to dick around and be people was that one.
idk i just feel like romance should be actual romances where you actually do more than click flirt to win as a whole.
Even games like the witcher 3 have that same problem. Click flirt to win and don't stick yoru cock in another hole that she'll know about.
I feel like Witcher 3 is the only game where I can accept such a thing (mostly) without question because canon Geralt is a manslut. Didn't play him that way though when I got around to the game because it's not my cup of tea usually.
Unless we reach the age of sentient companion AI where it'd be weird if a game that has romance options doesn't employ something similar to make ingame relationships dynamic, it'll sadly always be a numbers game. What I'd like to see is a game going out of its way to hide the numbers well. Even something so dedicated to its characters like Persona (and non-romance stuff for ME companions as a whole) can't get by without giving you clearly labelled options that can try to not sound forced and still inform you what they do.
It's just vexing when you expect a talk option to do A but it somehow does C instead.
Unless we reach the age of sentient companion AI where it'd be weird if a game that has romance options doesn't employ something similar to make ingame relationships dynamic, it'll sadly always be a numbers game. What I'd like to see is a game going out of its way to hide the numbers well. Even something so dedicated to its characters like Persona (and non-romance stuff for ME companions as a whole) can't get by without giving you clearly labelled options that can try to not sound forced and still inform you what they do.
It's just vexing when you expect a talk option to do A but it somehow does C instead.
One game where I kind of liked where it was going was Xenogears. Not to be confused with Xenosaga or Xenoblade.
The fated lovers tropes is one of my guilty pleasures so the relationship between Fei and Elhaym was going pretty gud for me until you hit disc 2 and I realized Squaresoft pulled their budget near the end and you got railroaded to end game.
Fuck.
The fated lovers tropes is one of my guilty pleasures so the relationship between Fei and Elhaym was going pretty gud for me until you hit disc 2 and I realized Squaresoft pulled their budget near the end and you got railroaded to end game.
Fuck.
Is that in general or only if you like both halves of the fated couple?
Personally, I like the idea of it in general but I often either find the protagonist themselves or the fated love interest to be incredibly dull or worse, annoying.
Noctis should've gotten with Iris, dammit! And Haseo and Alkaid make a far better couple than Haseo and Atoli. Speaking of Atoli - she's the type that grows on you over time but ughh, she can be a pain until then, even if you can relate to her or at least understand where she comes from.
On the other hand, I enjoy the struggles between two characters I like equally (or being allowed to properly conquer a secret softie, like I did with Shinjiro in Persona 3.)
It's all about the delivery. The concept is ruined if one of them is a piece of shit or the couple is too perfect.
In the case of Xenogears Fei and Elhaym had their own personal angst, not just from their current incarnations but also from their past lives. But in the end, they were just a young couple in love that met under totally fucked up circumstances. By video game story standards now Xenogears probably wouldn't stand up well but at the time to me it was great and thus has a place in my heart and memories.
Witcher 3 is a GREAT STEP from witcher 1, which basically sometimes you didnt even need to do a thing, one of 1st bang sections of witcher 1 is like 10 min in the game, you just need to find the girl by morning or evening by the river
Romancing is games for me is just a bonus.
ME series did a good job, Dragon Age did a good job, persona does a good job
But none of them are perfect, which is fine as it's not the major part of the game nor the game focus
same here, i simply nowadays hate that fated trope. Because it's a lame and over used storytelling aspect, just like the "it was all a dream" story aspect.
There's good examples of those aspects? sure won't deny that, but most of time those feel like a dumb excuse in the whole story.
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DAO was one of the few RPGs I played where you could have an active prejudice against the race of a love interest and could reject them based on that prejudice. Rolled a female city elf rogue and got confesses to by Allistair. Though It doesn't help that starting as a city elf you the player are exposed to shitbag humans and thus have a chance to dislike humans for the rest of the game.
As far as it being a numbers game tho I think my gripe is that it's a dull numbers game.
Cause there are good parts to each of the current systems.
Bethesda's shitty follow me till you like me system has its merits since your actions actually matter. You can't just bs flirt your way through that you gotta pay attention. Also they reward you for romancing someone and that rocks.
Bioware has made great strides in the right direction imo. Their system more story and choice focused but with just a little more work. The idea of loyalty missions on top of romance is good, give me specific instances of interaction within the confines of the established game play that get flavored different if i'm tryna fuck this person. And banter omg no one does squad banter like bioware. it is masterful and unlocking additional dialogue by romancing someone has you wanting to romance people you may not have otherwise simply to see how it changes the overall experience.
Stardew Valley had an annoying give me gifts mechanic which wouldn't bad if that wasn't the sum total of the game. Yet it had these heart events and those were worth the grind to get to cause they were pure unadulterated characterization and story. You could also build a family which is something I understand the other games not doing but its still a nice option.
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I don't think a combination of the good parts of each system would be too hard to do. Use Bioware's system as a starting point. Add in heart events like stardew valley and make certain parts of the affection system passive like in Bethesda's system. Lastly I want more than one sex scene but i can do without any of all the other stuff is good tbh.
Cause there are good parts to each of the current systems.
Bethesda's shitty follow me till you like me system has its merits since your actions actually matter. You can't just bs flirt your way through that you gotta pay attention. Also they reward you for romancing someone and that rocks.
Bioware has made great strides in the right direction imo. Their system more story and choice focused but with just a little more work. The idea of loyalty missions on top of romance is good, give me specific instances of interaction within the confines of the established game play that get flavored different if i'm tryna fuck this person. And banter omg no one does squad banter like bioware. it is masterful and unlocking additional dialogue by romancing someone has you wanting to romance people you may not have otherwise simply to see how it changes the overall experience.
Stardew Valley had an annoying give me gifts mechanic which wouldn't bad if that wasn't the sum total of the game. Yet it had these heart events and those were worth the grind to get to cause they were pure unadulterated characterization and story. You could also build a family which is something I understand the other games not doing but its still a nice option.
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I don't think a combination of the good parts of each system would be too hard to do. Use Bioware's system as a starting point. Add in heart events like stardew valley and make certain parts of the affection system passive like in Bethesda's system. Lastly I want more than one sex scene but i can do without any of all the other stuff is good tbh.
While it can leave a bad taste in your mouth, it's a great vector to encourage roleplaying. Heck, you can even work such an angle as a Dalish (because childhood prejudices are hard to shake) and interpret it differently (raised on a belief vs. living an experience that leads you to a belief).
In my experience, Harvest Moon-like games are usually pretty good about the romance. My favorite has to be Rune Factory, since the game actively encourages you to take time out of your day to socialize with everyone, learn their quirks and schedules (even more important if you want to interact with the person that makes your heart flutter) and generally spend time with people. Then there's festivals and special events of course! And I don't know if games outside of Rune Factory do this, but if you don't talk to specific people for a long while and then approach them again, they comment on it (where've you been, we've been worried, something along those lines).
Of course, not every game needs such mechanics, but especially in RPGs where you spend a lot of time with certain people, it's great to be able to build lasting relationships beyond the superficial. Not just between the player and their avatar (in a sense of identification) but also between the PC and their NPCs. And I love DAO all the more for the strides it made to get romance from the fringes of dating sims and visual novels (and more niche JRPGs) into the open.
Another thing that may also decide how people enjoy those thing is based on how they play.
Some play thinking what that character(not the player) would do in that situation
Some play, like you said, using a sense of identification, but still not acting as if it's them
And lastly some play roleplaying as if it was them there doing that
omg yeeesss
I live for little characterization moments like that. Instead of poeople standing around waiting for you to make up your mind they move tf on. I also liked that Garus and Tali get together in the Mass Effect Series.
ik this is a thread about romance systems but seeing npc's romance eachother is nice too. Joker and EDI are a match made in heaven.
Oh gods….. I forgot Joker and EDI, kill me now! That was my favorite romance in ME, those 2 made the whole ship pilot thing become so much better.
And I usually went for Tali so i forgot she would end up with Garus.
But yeah having npc's stand around like they are waiting the PC to do stuff kinda kills me in RPG's but i get that its alot of work to make it otherwise.
From what I saw, it seemed like the non-romance banter between Garus and Tali gave you better dialogue and a more interesting character dynamic. Though I haven't played through Mass Effect 3, so all I've seen of that was videos.
I will admit though that I kinda ignore most AAA RPG games if they don't have a romance mechanic/plot in them.
I will admit though that I kinda ignore most AAA RPG games if they don't have a romance mechanic/plot in them.
Well see the non-romantic dialogue, with a few exceptions, was included with the romantic banter so it was really just an addition to their friendship.
I can't say I ignore them but I have noticed that the first thing I think of when I get interested in a AAA RPG is can I be gay tho?
I don't know if its weird(being a guy playing female characters) but i love a lesbian option in any AAA RPG, well i like freedom of choice most of all for all sexual orientations.
That is why i love this games diversity on that its like there are porn games and then there is CoC/TiTS.
That is why i love this games diversity on that its like there are porn games and then there is CoC/TiTS.
Very true
Like I complain a lot about how lacking the amount of m/m content is and I ALWAYS complain about how that sexy ass hellhound won't let me paint his guts but in truth, FenCo is really open to any great content (notice I didn't say good).
ofc they have their personal biases and I do know there are issues with things being forgotten and especially since Gedan started having issues (gedan always seemed to be the one working diligently on the backlog while everyone else took turns on it imo) it is hard to get content in but FenCo is usually very good at making sure all the kinks, sexual orientations and different types of approved smut have plenty of content. Plus they're really respectful of writer's works which is always, always a huge plus in any capacity.
There will always be more of X than Y but they're never completely against Y, or Z for that matter lol
I hear you there. I always play women if I can, but I don't want to romance a guy, so games with lesbian options are a plus for me. I've been playing Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and there are two bisexual companions you can pick up. The woman started talking to my character soon as we got to the place where the party rests, and there were flirting options right away.
Also, I found this a while ago: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/25144145-Gay-Gotta-Game/?appid=212200 Big listing of Steam games with a full range of LGBT+ options.
I hear you there. I always play women if I can, but I don't want to romance a guy, so games with lesbian options are a plus for me. I've been playing Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and there are two bisexual companions you can pick up. The woman started talking to my character soon as we got to the place where the party rests, and there were flirting options right away.
Also, I found this a while ago: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/25144145-Gay-Gotta-Game/?appid=212200 Big listing of Steam games with a full range of LGBT+ options.
Been playing Kingmaker but i'm super sad Amiri is not romantic option. I love me some stronk girls. Tho the bugs made me stop and picked up TiTS again because of it and ended on this forum cuz of it so all's well that end's well.
There is sometimes some hilarious bonuses you get to see from these romances, such as all those people barging in on the PC and Bull in Inquisition.
"Oh for fucks sake!"
"Do you see this?"
"No."
"Oh for fucks sake!"
"Do you see this?"
"No."
Personal opinnion... I would like romances that have a greater meaning than what we usually have in RPG's.
I want to be the good guy, romance a villainess and have to choose between love and the right thing.
I want more interactions based on romances and more sex scenes on normal games (really, one scene as a completion reward?, at least let me sleep together everyday!).
Romance in RPG's it's so simple... it should have more weight, if I could romance that cute elf perhaps some days I wouldn't be able to get up from bed, and if I enter a fight against elves I want to feel the internal conflict of the character.
Perhaps what I seek the most is that romances affect the plot of an RPG, not just an accessory thing that you may or may not have.
I want to be the good guy, romance a villainess and have to choose between love and the right thing.
I want more interactions based on romances and more sex scenes on normal games (really, one scene as a completion reward?, at least let me sleep together everyday!).
Romance in RPG's it's so simple... it should have more weight, if I could romance that cute elf perhaps some days I wouldn't be able to get up from bed, and if I enter a fight against elves I want to feel the internal conflict of the character.
Perhaps what I seek the most is that romances affect the plot of an RPG, not just an accessory thing that you may or may not have.
I've played a few choicescript games like that with mixed results. Most of the time it's a half-hearted attempt at providing choice but the impact often winds up not having that much impact at all. Most likely due to the complexity of branching choices in design. If you're talking true impact, the only thing I can think of are visual novels with multiple love interests. It's a shame but more modern AAA games that are complex as the elder scrolls or fallout often have devs that admit they often don't add real romance options because they're bad at writing for them.
Which is to say these nerds are usually single virgins who think flirting and relationships are some mystical force they can't grasp... lol jk. Seriously though writing realistic relationships are hard to write in the first place, especially in this medium where player's can choose to ignore a good char based on personal preference.
Like Liara in ME is a great char to have at your side as a friend or lover, that being said if someone does the bare minimum of her content and doesn't interact with her much then some of her involuntary scenes can feel out of place.
And tying a relationship into the plot is, imo, a great idea but it would result in one, maybe two, romance options and I'm pretty sure both of them would be hetero-focused for a male or female protag which is no-kay for me.
Like Liara in ME is a great char to have at your side as a friend or lover, that being said if someone does the bare minimum of her content and doesn't interact with her much then some of her involuntary scenes can feel out of place.
And tying a relationship into the plot is, imo, a great idea but it would result in one, maybe two, romance options and I'm pretty sure both of them would be hetero-focused for a male or female protag which is no-kay for me.