Originally Posted by Stabbey
Originally Posted by Neonivek

There is a difference between "Not all encompassing" and "Crappy low-quality origin"


Okay seriously, WHAT YOU WANT IS 100% UNCLEAR. NO ONE UNDERSTANDS WHAT YOU HAVE IN MIND. NOBODY.

I'm pretty sure I get it. The Red Prince isn't just an origin -- it's a pre-defined character with limited customisation. Let's not conflate characters and origins. I'm pretty sure he's just asking for some origin tags that can be applied to the custom character.

If we look at a game like Dragon Age: Origins, you get a range of different origins to choose from, but this is distinctly different from what Larian is doing with its playable characters.

There are different degrees to which you can commit to the origin concept. Dragon Age: Origins had six unique origins which should have had a mostly linear development cost. They built an origin quest for each of these which you experienced at the beginning of the game, and sprinkled some references and content into the rest of the game. I don't think anyone is suggesting competitive questing or DA:O-style origin quests for the custom background in Divinity: Original Sin 2 (aside from the normal level of content they'd normally provide for the other tags). But it'd be nice to feel like you've got a foot in the world. "Hey dad! How's the merchant business treating you?"

In Dragon Age: Origins gender was easily the most important thing, content-wise, as it limited romance options and affected the ending of the game (particularly as it relates to Morrigan). In this game, when you romance a heterosexual woman, she usually doesn't care that you are male and human; it's enough that you're male. In these common situations, there's also nothing exponential about adding a new, unrelated tag for "son of a merchant". Does this woman really have a reason to care that your dad is a merchant?

There were some characters who did care what race and gender you were, but these were the exceptions. Usually they'd only be checking against one "tag" at a time.

If you're worried about the more complex racial implications of having family members, then don't use family members. Maybe one of the origin tags is "ex-military" and you meet your former drill-sergeant or something. Basically anyone who might remember you.