Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Romance Options (toggle)

+1

I would much prefer that any/all assets/resources that went into making romance went into making more, non-romance content instead. It's an easy thing in P&P to have romance if you want it, or don't, but in a video game which is a finite, created world with limited resources and assets working on it...i'd rather just play a game based on romance if i really wanted romance.

Well, if you have ever seen the BioWare forums you will know LOTS of people really care about romance in their CRPGs, so I don’t think Larian is misguided in allocating resources into that.

If it is done well then I like romance subplots. Especially in BG2/ToB. My canon character’s romance with Jaheira actually ended up changing the ending I picked. I was all ready for him to ascend to godhood, but in that moment, after all that they had been through together, I felt it was more true to my Bhaalspawn’s nature and character arc for him to choose Jaheira over apotheosis. There was no explicit flag saying Jaheira or godhood, so it felt like a very organic choice, and I enjoyed that.

So if a romance subplot provides ample opportunities to develop the player character, that is great. If it is just some vehicle to be rewarded with awful, awkward sex scene, hard pass from me.

I for one love romance in my cRPGs and while it'll probably never be a make or break factor in my decision to buy a game, when I hear that a game won't include romance it's always a disappointment. I see romance as one more way to express your character and who they are; who a person chooses to love and how says a lot about them and opens an opportunity to shape their character even further. I think the main problem with romances in games is that too many include them out of a sense of obligation as opposed to feeling as though the romances would really add something. Romance in a cRPG should be given the same amount of thought and consideration as other aspects of NPC interaction, providing ways for you to shape and express your character rather than just being another sidequest.

+1

Sera was one of the best written characters I have seen in the series. (IM 'not so' HO) It was fun acting the part of an elven mage in my first play through, not knowing that I had doubled the difficulty. Her character seemed to develop in a fascinating way, particularly if she came along for the tour of the fade!

I have to say that I find the odd ball characters some of the most fun to include in parties.

I'm 100% with you on this.

Well the sex scenes are gonna be far more explicit than I imagined for sure, I was imagining DAO kind of romance but...

https://i.imgur.com/WV2QfPB.png

Seriously. If you want to stop objectifying bodies then stop emphasizing their objectification through sexual gratification.

All this is is masturbation. It is trashy pulp garbage.

Just reposting from the community update thread:

Larian, if you could have a PG toggle feature where during the sex scenes the narrator just describes the intimacy DOS2 style while characters just stand in front of the camera looking incredulous and embarrassed I’ll love you forever. I’ll buy two copies of the game.

Hmm MxF, FxF.. whats missing, oh yeah MinotaurXMummy

And what’s up with the multiplication anyway? That image is offensive for its maths illiteracy.

It should be M+F, F+F, etc.

Yeah, it's pretty much The Witcher 3 level of romance here. Didn't expect that. But I never shy away from stuffed unicorns. So it's all good.

Yup, sex on a unicorn is the bar to beat.

I don't shy away from it either, but if it has that feel to it then I don't think it really belongs in a BG game.

Yeah, but it's not very explicit. It's a very cute moment build up throughout the game, and a pay off, especially if one read the books.

One of the great reasons to play single player Baldur's Gate is to get away from females! Hopefully, it will be possible to have an entirely male stag party! That would certainly get rid of the "romance" posiibilities. And just in case the party have a little too much love-potion to drink, kill all the female monsters, just in case!

You assume too much. In this day and age, homosexuality is probably a thing in this game. Only lonewolf mode can save you now XD

Haha! Even alone there can be peril...

It seems the entire premise of the game is reproduction and romance. The mind flayer lovingly selects its chosen spawn and deposits it into The Chosen One.

I hope the game develops the whole birds-and-the-bees theme and we are able to see gelatinous cubes on the make, amarous Ankhegs, uxorious Umber Hulks and passionate Pixies. It would be enchanting, absorbing, scientific and in demand!

Reposting my comment from the "Community update #7" topic as it seems even more relevant here:

I just watched the Romance community update. It seems that Larian do take a lot of care to implement romance as a narrative and cinematic feature.
They want players to care about the characters and impact that such relations have on the story.

But I want to suggest something that could take that impact to the next level - gameplay.
What if characters who are in love could gain a treat that would enable them to react to things that happen in the fight? Perhaps even automatically?
For example, Shadowheart could have a chance to cover the player with a shield from an attack, or the player character could immediately counterattack the monster who hurt their love interest. Rule-wise it could work based on the reaction rules similar to some spells to stay true to the DND source.

The closest I have seen to this was either the new unique skills in Tyranny, permanent buff to the stats in NWN:Mask of the Betrayer, or the friendship system in the XCOM series.
Of course, it may be seen as an imbalance, but imagine the impact such system could have on the player. We would spend 60 to 80% of our time in combat, and having romance change something about how characters behave in combat and not just in dialogue would be precious and previously unseen in RPGs.

What do you think?

There was something similar to what you suggest in XCom 2. Squad members who went on missions together, and had compatible personalities, gradually increased their bonding, until a threshold was met and they "Bonded". This enabled additional perks, like an extra move through teamwork. Over time, the level of the bond could be increased, to unlock further, enhanced perks. If a bondmate was injured severly or died, it had a chance to trigger a reaction in the other member, including "going berserk"! It was an enjoyable part of the game.

It could be worked in opposition too, in Baldur's Gate III, where in addition to bonding, characters could grow apart in antipathy. For example, perhaps there is a smoking hot female elf in the party, and two male party members find themselves in rivalry for her affection. You could bond the she-elf with one of the males, to advantage, but that would come at the cost of a malus with the other character.

There ought to be something like you suggest, I think. A Paladin does not like Evil, or even Neutrality. A "Fracture" could become established over the passage of time, as characters stray from one another in their chosen path.