Character Romance Discussion

[dymond]

Character Romance Discussion

So. BioWare made this whole thing pretty popular and people are being so ... intensely passionate about it that a whole section on Bioware Social Network had to be locked down. Mass Effect in particular has been a huge step forward in in-game character relationships (not necessarily in a romantic way), where everyone - regardless of preference can find a perfect match for character they play with.

Since romance does exist in Cyberpunk 2020 (and the section in the rulebook is accompanied by rather lovely drawing too) I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter. Should romance be an option, should it be major part of the experience, how many options should be available to us, how should the romance options react to our moral choices throughout the game? Should we be allowed to engage in some casual activities between the sheets because - why not? How does braindancing fit in? Gender roles?Witcher games tend to get viewed as misogynistic by many people, where women are reduced to collectible card games. Is 2077 time to blur those boundaries of gender roles in existing society?

Post away, I'd really like to hear your thoughts.

 

[dmaple]

I'd certainly like some solid relationship tracking, not just romantic relationships. After playing Telltale Games Walking Dead RPG, my expectations on voice acting, scripting and character relationships has gone way up.

 

[Garrison72]

No, it should not be a major part of the experience. If it's anything like the insipid, juvenile shit that Bioware does, with NPC's worshiping the ground the player walks on, constantly rubbing their ego, I will hang myself.

The world is ugly, ruthless and unforgiving. Any romance - I hate that word - any relationships, should reflect that.

 

[kofeiiniturpa]

Please, please keep that inane Bioware bullshit out of this game.

 

[uptonogood]

But what about art?

EDIT: Slimgrin, your on the BSN right? I seen you before on it.

 

[Sunder]

I'd rather avoid having romance in the game. That's just me, though. I'd rather the focus be on the game itself than on some NPC whose sole purpose is to fulfil the self-masturbatory fantasies of the player.

IMO, the modern-day players seem a tad too obsessed about these things.

It's gonna probably happen in some way, but doesn't mean I have to like it. I just hope they make it optional and they probably will.

 

[netweaver]

It really depends on the way it's done. While I personally don't have an opinion either way, if they can pull it off in such a way that it adds to the game instead of detracts, why not?

 

[Aver]

I'm ok with romance as long as it add something to the story. After all love is very strong emotion and it opens a lot of interesting plot options. LI can abuse/use PC, she/him can be used to threaten him, etc. Also in Cyberpunk 2020 it's mentioned that love is what often lead cyberpunks to do all sort of crazy stuff.

But I don't want to see it as we saw it in BioWare games - pick one LI from 10 romance-able characters, talk to him/her nicely 5 times and you will see sex scene.

 

[lostkauz]

Personal connections regardless of whether romantic or not need to be present in a RPG. With the lack of any, it's called a "shooter".

 

[Cyber_Death]

After being on BSN for some time & seeing how certain people react to the idea of romance, I must say, keep it at a minimum or completely out of this game. Some people (if not most) are too obsess with the romance feature, giving the impression they'd rather have a sims game with rpg elements.

 

[Chewin3]

Wouldn't personally mind if there weren't any romances at all.

Romances (particularly in BioWare games recently) tends to work more like a sub-plot that exists solely to please the fans, which makes it almost an obligation for the developers to have them implemented into the game. It's more of a nice "add-on", rather than having it serve a more meaningful impact. Of course, this generally depends on how said romances are implemented into the world and the plot; whether it enhances the character and gives a more broader rance of personality and emotions, and how it affects the story.

But one shouldn't forget that there's always the risk that the inclusion of romance can also become the focal point of the work, or at least one of the main lines of choices, rather than a potential supplement. Anyone including a romance option must be careful to allow the player to choose their level of involvement, i.e. whether it dominates their decision making or is just an added detail for realism, and must take great care to let the player decide their own feelings instead of dictating them, allowing them to state whether the romance is sincere or superficial for reasons such as status, manipulation, etc.

Anyhow, since this is Cyberpunk--and from what I have gathered--sex plays quite a large role in the world, I do admit it would be interested to explore the concept of love in a futuristic world like Cyberpunk, or twisted versions of what love would look like in 2077 generally. It can offer an intriguing concept between human and cyborg, and the level of 'Psychosis' involved.

 

[Sirnaq]

Less romance the better. No romance at all would be perfection.

 

[blarty]

It should be optional, and if followed by the player should naturally fall in line with the ethos of the game, but shouldn't be restricted to some set of major PC players.

 

[dalmacija1]

Something like Case - Molly kind of relationship from Neuromancer?
I don't wanna see something like Mass Effect relationships were 2 goods answers gives you sex scene in this game.
Ofc. player should chose if he wants to have any kind of romace relationship in the game.

 

[Aver]

Romance should be a tool of storytelling. Not one of main features of the game.

 

[username_3641919]

I think relationships need to be included. But I also agree that the Bioware portrayal of them has been pretty juvenile and irritating. Those types of scenarios can be written much better.

There are two reasons I want relationships in the game. One is simply a matter of immersion. There needs to be a human element to the game to offset the metal. Relationships are an ideal vehicle for this. The seconds reason, which is really an extension of the first, is that relationships are an excellent way of preserving a character's sanity. Or helping to preserve it, at least. In our CP games, having a spouse, GF/BF or even just a f*** buddy, was a way that a character can somewhat reduce their psychosis level by keeping them grounded in their humanity. Anyone who's ever played Call of Cthulhu might have seen a similar mechanic used to recover or reduce SAN loss.

Just because relationships have been fumbled in the past, doesn't mean that they can't be made to work well by a developer with a bit more creativity and a better sense of realism.

 

[testsubject013]

No. the characters(NPC) should be their own person have their own goal, likes, dislikes, their own motives for doing something not just because the player tells them to do it. The characters should be there because it makes sense for them to be there. Their existences should be separate from the player’s and should not be add just to stroke the player’s ego.

 

[Aver]

According to original rulebook romance is quite important part of Living on the Edge:

http://i50.tinypic.com/54d56x.png

 

[testsubject013]

But ...but i hate meatbags. I like killing them

 

[Aver]

But ...but i hate meatbags. I like killing them

You always can date heavy augmented girl. Like this one from the trailer.