I have to totally agree with the OP on this one. I've found myself numerous times changing my decisions based on companion approvals - or just feeling frustrated that someone disapproved of what I chose. It's kinda like I'm some "omnipresent authority figure" or something, and not very immersive. We didn't even have this kind of thing in BG1 or 2. I get that you have to have the relationship score for things like romance options, or whatever, but I would prefer not knowing when they approve or not. Note: I don't mind the overall scale on their character sheet that tells me roughly how they feel about my MC, but it's the approval/disapproval during dialogues and stuff that I don't like.
And I also have to say, some of the approvals/disapprovals don't make sense to me. I get that I don't know these characters super well and all, so maybe they make sense after completing the game as them or something, but JandK is right. Lae'zel doesn't like me as a companion because I chose to help a tiefling child or something, but I don't score any points with her when my MC rushes up to save her life from the three gith patrol members trying to kill her. I can have her in the party from start to finish, enduring many hardships together, but at the celebration she tells me she thinks I'm not worth her time just because I helped tieflings or Mayrina or whatever.
And one thing I never liked about many romance systems. Opposites attract 99% of the time. So, if I create a good cleric of Tyr who wants to help people, and I'm fighting with Lae'zel who wants to kill people all the time, shouldn't there at least be a potential for romance because of opposites attract? I mean, sure, she might just hate my guts, and that's cool. But I'm saying that maybe there should be another way to determine romancibility and such - something besides just dialogue interactions and whether or not she approves of me helping tieflings, Mayrina, or whatever.
Oh! For example: For Lae'zel, approval depends on just how many enemies you kill with her in the party to see it. During the celebration, she even makes a comment about how you thrilled her by slaughtering so many enemies (if you choose the killing goblins path). So why not make that at least one of the primary ways to gain approval from her. Like, you gain 1 point of approval for every grunt enemy you kill with her in the party, 5 points for every big enemy, while losing maybe 1 point of approval for every dialogue choice you make that she doesn't like. So, you'll surely gain WAY more approval from her than disapproval because you'll be killing lots of enemies.
Last edited by GM4Him; 12/07/22 06:08 PM.
