Personally, I dislike "Oh, but I am already with someone else" options and don't use them, even when they are offered, because I think they are cruel. They create a weird sense of competition between the suitors, and devalue the friendship with that person by putting them in a romantic hierarchy. Depending on the suitor, such a reply might also paint a target on your partner's back (I wouldn't put it past Minthara to kill someone to get what or whom she wants, for example.) The one time I really like the "I met someone new" answer though, is when Mystra asks Origin-Gale why he defied her command. Here it's not just about the romance, but about the romance as a meaningful plot device - and it vexes me endlessly that I can't also tell (in my game) Astarion, that he saved my character's life by simply being himself.
Cruel? Interesting, I, on the contrary, thought this kind of rejection was more honest and human. When a person is simply rejected for no reason, they might start thinking what's wrong with them, why they were rejected, etc. Say, if I liked a person and he noticed it and said something like, "You know, I already have a girlfriend," it wouldn't be offensive, it's understandable, and there's no competition, it's just that the person already has a couple, so that means we should forget about this option, and that's it. What does romantic hierarchy mean? In my understanding there is a couple and then there are the rest - friends and companions, they are not suitors, they are just acquaintances. Hierarchy in my understanding is a kind of structure in which someone is a step above, someone below. And here it's as if the romantic partner is separate, friends are separate, there can be some kind of friendship hierarchy in the head, when some of the friends are closer and liked more, some less. Romantic hierarchy only occurs, in my opinion, when a person is flirting or dating more than one person at a time. I'm sure Minthara wouldn't do that for no reason, she might get angry in response to betrayal or cheating, but if Tav, who wasn't flirting with her but just helping her and socializing as a friend, say, in response to her attempt to start flirting says: "I'm sorry Minthara, I really appreciate you as a friend, but I genuinely love the other person," then that kind of vindictive behavior to those who didn't betray, didn't promise anything, just for liking them and their heart is already taken. .. This is the behavior of a psychopath, Minthara is not one. Besides, she's smart enough to imagine how she herself would take revenge on her lover's murderer if she were Tav, she wouldn't do that.
Originally Posted by Anska
I also wish there were more casual conversation moments. With Astarion-Origin I could chat with Wyll about what it feels like to return home to Baldur's Gate; and during the Tiefling party there was a cute moment when Shart told my character that Gale was sneaking glances my way and we talked a bit about that. Nothing big, but I feel moments like this help to create a sense of camaraderie.
Yes, in my case Shart was the only one who noticed our relationship with Astarion at the Tiefling party, and said her line about it too, offered a drink for courage like a real friend, it's a really cute moment. I'm sorry that many of the lines that further reveal the characters' personalities are "hidden" very deep in the game's romance, and are only available if Tav flirts with multiple companions at the same time. For example, I recently read that Shadowheart, if you find yourself in a love triangle between her and Astarion, responds to the suggestion of "sharing" by saying that "you overestimate his ability to share. He may seem like a carefree hedonist, but he's actually fragile if you can give him the comfort he needs." This line gives important information about Astarion's character, and reveals Shadowheart herself as well, showing her attentiveness and observation. But it is only available to those who try to make a relationship with both of them. It doesn't seem right to me that a player who, for example, wants to go through the game single player, without the romances, is deprived of a lot of content, less to reveal the character of the companions. And even a player who has a romance, and supposedly, as, should due to this maximize the character of at least the favorite companion, still will not be able to do it as fully, if he will be the whole game faithful to the chosen one, as someone who tries to "try everything". These lines could also appear in the story as a friendly outside opinion, to make the story content more accessible to all players.
Originally Posted by Anska
Other than that, I think it's nice that now Wyll and supposedly Halsin (I couldn't really check this yet) only proposition you in Act 2/3 when you have flirted with them during the party in act 1. No need to make poor Wyll sad because you have to reject his dance proposal any longer.
I would like to clarify - only when flirting at a party? And if not flirting, they won't propose?
