while shipping wars was a kind of fun part of w2 i dont think it should play major real in CP. If your main concern is survival you wouldnt bother with some deep romances. However it's great way to explain some characters behaviours as long as they're not some cliches like: he killed my woman so i want my revange duh.
I'm down for romantic relationships if it weaves its way into the narrative in order to produce a deeper connection with the overall cast. Would make it more "personal" if, let's say, your romantic interest gets kidnapped, or even killed. It could be a plot device that would add replayability (what happens if you go with romantic partner B instead of A, or if you go with none at all, etc).
So just as a random side thing, not important to me. But if it helps to creating stronger character development, such as showing weaknesses we didn't know our character could have, and potentially drive the narrative forward, I'm down.
So just as a random side thing, not important to me. But if it helps to creating stronger character development, such as showing weaknesses we didn't know our character could have, and potentially drive the narrative forward, I'm down.
If you have to do it, do it like the Triss' arc in W2. The player didn't have to go through some elaborate stalking minigame, figuring out complex dialogue trees to receive the "reward". Instead, the relationship was organically there from the beginning and thus the gamifaction of the whole thing was vastly reduced. It became part of the plot, rather than another achievement peg.
You know, every couple has to quarrel sometimes about something...
rather not quarrel with them waste of energy that could be focus on killing meatbags, but you do have a point. I just don't want some half arse attempt at it that makes a rather interesting character boring or one dimensional
Lucky yo, then. Grab yourself a Mr. Studd implant, find a 'borg chick with a Midnite Lady to match, and have a party.
Granted, two metalheads going at it bedroom-style often ends up sounding a lot like someone rattling trashcans together and tends to piss off the neighbors... but who cares?
My toughts exactly. If romances are like ME, then I won't bother. The last romance BW did great was Morrigan, and large part why I liked her was b/c of her importance in the story. I would love to have Alt Cunningham as a romance option, since she could bring a lot to the table.
If they are done simply b/c they must be, expect something lousy and forced. Of course, this is CDPR we are talking about, but still, maturity isn't just about sex.
Right. I do not mind having romance in the game, but I am curious on how it would even play out. BioWare games are based on controlling parties, whereas, so far with the Witcher series, we are only with 1 character for the vast majority of the time. A lot of character development adds to the experience of things like relationships, but how all of this would even play out would depend on how frequently you get to see and interact with NPCs.
Basically, I am down for it if it adds an intriguing story and character development to the game, though like the BioWare games, make it optional. If it is not in there and at most we just get like quick "yes, let's go screw over here" scenes then that's fine too. But whatever they do, don't do it half-assed. Don't try to have a romantic subplot when we don't know anything about the character and never grow to care for about them because of it. That's the problem I had with the recent BioWare games. These infrequent, short talks and all of a sudden we love each other and want to be with each other always. Ew, no, I don't know you lady, back off.
I enjoyed the Wotcher romance options. Mature ( no, not the tits), adult, occasionally frictious, fraught with complication. I think CDPR can be trusted to handle this right.
As much as I hate to type it, I think TestSubjectMetalForBrain is correct - the character should to a certain point have interests of their own. Design your own character all the way, but at a certain point if the writing is any good, your character should get away from you a certain amount, in order to really live.
You should, hopefully, at some point be clicking or typing something thinking "I would NEVER say this!" in the game, but doing it because your character would
That, keeeds, is role-playing.
As much as I hate to type it, I think TestSubjectMetalForBrain is correct - the character should to a certain point have interests of their own. Design your own character all the way, but at a certain point if the writing is any good, your character should get away from you a certain amount, in order to really live.
You should, hopefully, at some point be clicking or typing something thinking "I would NEVER say this!" in the game, but doing it because your character would
That, keeeds, is role-playing.
Hum although I agree with the stalking mini game I do not think Triss is the best example, I really do not want to be force do sleep with anyone, it should be a choice of the player.
I think romance is important, as important as any other part of the game, of course it should not be the centre of the game just part of it. Also I would like to friendships to occur even in your supposedly LIs. I hate when they cut content and dialogues just because I am not interested in that character on a sexual way. Although you could do that to some of the characters if it makes sense but all? comeee on.
I don't really think it was stalking. Talking to characters and getting to know them doesn't mean you're stalking them. I didn't even think the options were complex at all, it is fairly obvious what choices are good if you want to pursue a romance (especially so in Dragon Age 2) and which ones don't lead down that path. If it is going to be similar with Triss, where there is already a familiarity, then that is fine, but I would like to know how they got there. How did they get to know each other? What drew them together? Are the feelings mutual? (Because really, Geralt is a horrible boyfriend, and I get the impression the feelings are not mutual). Really, the Witcher is not a good example of romance or even storytelling about the romance. Geralt can easily have sex with other women with no consequences, he never really admits to anyone, Triss included, that he actually has feelings for her, meanwhile, we have everyone TELLING instead of showing, that Triss is head over heels for Geralt. And then they have sex. It all left me feeling that the romance was all for Triss, whereas for Geralt he just really likes this mage friend and enjoys that he gets to have sex with her.
Whatever, that's just the feeling that I got with it. I think CDPR will have to step up their game if they want to actually tell a convincing romance between a character or characters. If they are going to include it at all.
I definitely like the idea of romances if it feeds into interesting character development.
Bioware's characters are generally interesting to get to know and relationships (romantic or not) feel organic in the way they develop. If you look at them narratively. Some of my best memories of the first Mass Effect were talking to Ashley. Getting to know this thorny, sometimes frustrating but realistic person, was a new level of immersion for me in video game stories. I think the big problem a lot of people have with the romance angle is definitely the binary 'gaminess' of it. I felt this very strongly when I replayed and followed through the romance with Liara, who I liked a lot less than Ash. I stuck closely to my gruff character in chats with her and the artificial x-number-of-neutral/positive-responses pattern became pretty obvious.
I think a big hurdle for developers, apart from good writing, is story integration. The most compelling and realistic love stories are going to be those that help drive the main plot. Romances that feed into big story moments -- betrayals, last stands, rescues etc. But that also means writing a much more scripted and linear plot and railroading players. Making romances a completely optional side-quest on the other hand robs them of any real weight or significance. Why bother if it's not to watch clumsy, cartoon fumblings? So you get your optional romances which are ultimately shallow affairs, or you have epic love (or hate) stories which players are forced into to serve the plot.
I think Bioware genuinely tried to find a middle ground, where romance has significance but is non-essential to the main story. Mostly because the characters were for the most part worth getting to know. However they didn't quite get there with it. I haven't the faintest clue how to do it better but I'll be very happy when someone figures it out.
Bioware's characters are generally interesting to get to know and relationships (romantic or not) feel organic in the way they develop. If you look at them narratively. Some of my best memories of the first Mass Effect were talking to Ashley. Getting to know this thorny, sometimes frustrating but realistic person, was a new level of immersion for me in video game stories. I think the big problem a lot of people have with the romance angle is definitely the binary 'gaminess' of it. I felt this very strongly when I replayed and followed through the romance with Liara, who I liked a lot less than Ash. I stuck closely to my gruff character in chats with her and the artificial x-number-of-neutral/positive-responses pattern became pretty obvious.
I think a big hurdle for developers, apart from good writing, is story integration. The most compelling and realistic love stories are going to be those that help drive the main plot. Romances that feed into big story moments -- betrayals, last stands, rescues etc. But that also means writing a much more scripted and linear plot and railroading players. Making romances a completely optional side-quest on the other hand robs them of any real weight or significance. Why bother if it's not to watch clumsy, cartoon fumblings? So you get your optional romances which are ultimately shallow affairs, or you have epic love (or hate) stories which players are forced into to serve the plot.
I think Bioware genuinely tried to find a middle ground, where romance has significance but is non-essential to the main story. Mostly because the characters were for the most part worth getting to know. However they didn't quite get there with it. I haven't the faintest clue how to do it better but I'll be very happy when someone figures it out.
A convincing romance can be pretty messy. It's not just mutual and enduring love, a white picket fence and marriage. That's what gamers seem to want out of The Witcher but they aren't going to get it. It helps to read the books to understand the role romance and specifically Triss plays in the games. Triss has an unhealthy obsession with Geralt, and Geralt in the books is reluctant to oblige, to commit with feelings. He kinda is a bad boyfriend. This irks people who think the romance should be a player choice like in Bioware's games, but really it's part of the lore and is non-negotiable..to a point. You have plenty of chances to commit or to back away from Triss. The key is, their relationship is tied to the plot and not tacked on for its own sake.
Good points. Yes, Geralt is a bad boyfriend. When you have sex with other women and never really admit you have feelings for the girl you are supposedly with, you are being a bad boyfriend and should not be in a relationship anyway.
The problem with Geralt is that he is not the player's character. He is not even CDPR's character. As such, your responses and the range you want to get out of him will be limited. Really, what I want for Geralt to do is to tell Triss he ain't interested in her in that way, but he's down to remaining as ****-buddies and see how Triss reacts. If she storms off, awesome, if not ... well, I hope she reassess what she thinks her place with him really is.
But I digress, what I would like to see in an actual romance story (not this one-sided affair) is variety. I would like to see an old friend who you never hooked up with but you totally want to now, or meeting someone completely new and hooking up or even something like a Viconia from Baldur's Gate 2 romance. Something completely tragic. Whatever, anything, but what I don't want is the romance in the Witcher 2 in CP2077, because it wasn't a romance. It was Geralt dragging Triss along by his **** as she confessed her undying love for him. And then Geralt going "yeah, that's great, we should totally stick together, now do that magic trick with your clothes again ..."
Sounds nice and if it does in the previews games, I don't see why not, I hope it wont be like GTA4 that you have a relationship with one of the story characters, I want this game brings that to a whole new level, meaning. A random person in the streets. why not that can happen. After all is easy to program it.
All they would really have to do is follow what they did with The Witcher 2, and they could have it.