Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback WOW so Baldur's Gate has gone from fun GAMe to borderline cartoon porn?

Ok one last time.
Intimacy and romance are a part of BG3 with your companions. We are talking about what crosses over to porn.

Sexual positions are largely irrelevant when the story you are telling is about two people getting close, romance. When you start showing the act in greater detail i.e. which positions were used, you cross over to porn, and comedy in the case of BG3. These scenes are not moving, they're amusing or embarrassing. Sex for the sake of sex, doesn't really add anything to the story.

Chatting a companion up just to have sex and get a sex scene? Porn.

US Supreme Court famously discussed this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_know_it_when_I_see_it

I agree with this part of the sentiment. I'm generally of the mind of "Let the Larian team do what their hearts and minds tell them to do, not a bunch of gamers™ on the Internet (except in relevant qualitative feedback that makes the game more FUN)," but I am sympathetic to this idea.

Funnily enough ... as various sex scenes in this game allready showed us, this is not true.

For myself personally, if Lae'Zel had a romance scene, which
- consists of you sparing
- she eventually slams you against the tree
- heavy letting and make out ensues
- the clothes stay on
- she's clearly giving Tav a handjob, as is narrated, but...

we don't actually see any genitals, since the camera was focused on your upper half or her back all the time...

Is this scene pornographic? It's not explicit, yet it kind of is. Makes me interested in the topic.

Sex positions can add a lot to show a dynamic (top/bottom, or dom/sub). I believe there were complains about us being unable to choose.

It's narratively meaningful to some people. It's not to others. Whether a sex position changes how pornographic it is is another matter. I hope we can all agree that it /can/ be a tool to tell a narrative. Successfully or unsuccessfully. In some mediums, but not others. What would Fifty Shades Of Gray be about if not misguided BDSM

It depends how much the narrator describes. This reminds me of a scene or two in Mad Men that I'm sure people thought were outrageous, but weren't made into a federal case, as it were. I guess AMC is similar to how countries that have the watershed hour for showing 'adult' material on T.V.
What makes it pornography isn't going to be totally on the material, but the viewer as well. I think that's what Justice was getting at. What constituted pornography for everyone on the court might not be the same, but there are things that can't not be considered porn.
Just thinking of seeing a girl's knees! Oh my!

Exactly!

Indeed? Must have missed that ... i didnt read this topic much often.
Great idea tho!

Interesting. I don't particularly care about what they'll do with sex scenes in the end, but...

That's a bit but... If Larian wants their game to be remembered for its sex scenes, it's more important that they be as unique as possible. Their lead up, too. Like my tree example, it does not have the most impressive animation requirements... it just fits the companion. That will always be 10x better to me than the most realistic, lackluster scene.

The sex can certainly be a flop, but I wouldn't blame it on only what's shown. Sometimes it was critically uninspired, nat 1. First you talk, then you pick the dialogue option, and in three seconds you see full blown penetrative sex? Meh. Incurably meh. Critical failure to understanding eroticism

Just like with special effects in a movie, I grade on a curve, If I understand what is trying to be communicated I'll give it a pass. It's all theater of the mind at the end of the day.

I'd highly like to recommend that folks interested in discussing this take a glance over the intimate choreography thread, and/or the Minthara Intimacy thread, if you haven't done so already; between them, they talk in detail about the different tools and choices that must be made when setting up, designing and executing an intimate scene, and how it presents itself. They discuss, as well, pitching your scenes correctly for the type of scene - romantic, intimate, erotic or pornographic - you are trying to make, and it might help folks grapple with the topic and discuss it with a firmer footing.

Because we were talking about Final Fantasy VII, I actually decided to finally play the PC version of Remake, and the 'hand massage' scene reminded me of your notes on choreography and perspective.
I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to scan the Minthara scene; being male, or being Drow, or neither, should theoretically change the dynamics at play, which makes the scene now a little disconcerting. I think the scene with Lae'zel might have something similar going on.

Lawful Evil, am I right?

If Larian were smart they would send Niara an early access version of the Lae'zel sex scene because she's willing to write honors thesis level responses and she understands the dynamics of D/s . . . If Larian is going to do this it should do it well.

This ^

"Community approved sex scenes" is the kind of insane concept only 28 pages of discussion can birth.

Oh sure we agree on the method of community-approval now, but wait until we start splitting into different schools of thought.
Begun, the Moan War has.







(or Bone War)

Next step: ChatGPT-written sex scenes with AI-generated 3d animation!

Thanks you, the internet does.


Oh? And what can you do with your 27 fingers?





I'll show myself out, just let me grab my coat.

Community Approved: We Demand More Sexy Sex!

(Page 22)
"Scene A-5, timestamp 1:23.4 Can we see what it looks like if he puts his hand on her shoulder there? Hmm, what do you guys think?"

"Wow, just shooting in the dark, but what if...This scene took place on a boat, I know you'd have to start over, but I'm really feeling that."

"I think they should have clear verbal confirmation that more clothes are about to be removed"

"Actually about that, I'm a nevernude and my Tav will be fully clothed for these scenes"

"Can I see scene C-3 again, can you put that on a loop. Does that look off to anyone else?"

"Can we show the different stages of arousal? I think Gale's expression should darken during the desire stage, while Shadowheart should be trembling more during the plateau of arousal."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but what about Lae'zel? She's from the planes... completely different physiology. Change the angle of the pelvic floor during early stimulation?"

"Guys, I really think we're ignoring the foreplay aspect here. You can hardly call it intimacy if they're jumping from romantic discussion straight into the act."

"Astarion's a Rogue. His fingers need to be more sneaky. Also why is he on top in this scene?"

"Can you play that scene again with noises? Now with noises and music? Now with just the music? Now without noises or music? Yeah, yeah, play that part back. Looks a little awkward without the sounds, no? Also can we cut the slapping wet meat noise in the sound files? Increase the volume on the voice files."

"This is a very tender moment, and these characters are in a very vulnerable state. Can we see a bit of gentle caressing of the left side of the lower back and some emotionally charged whispering before the spitroasting? Oh? We're not calling it that? Sorry, my bad."