It actually made me recall a datamined tidbit from EA about how Halsin was supposed to have a spouse and child originally. From what could have been a wholesome sage mentor with a feral side to him (albeit with a lore-breaking physique for an elf, but that's another story) he was literally reduced to bad fanfic-tier horny bait, and they're gloating about it. Though, to be fair, with how the romance is handled, it more or less applies to every romanceable character, but Halsin is particularly egregious.
Given what other traits Halsin was given in the full game by his actual writer, it seems like deliberate character assassination? Viconia and Sarevok and Minsc and Jaheira may have been knackered by "virtue" of incompetence/overconfidence rather than malice, but with Halsin it seems like he was purposefully sent on a downward spiral once the pre-release rewrites and stitchings began. Makes once imagine how tired the team was with the game around a 2 year EA mark given its release state. The lack of a definitive edition / expansions might be partially attributed to that as well, I guess, and not only to the Hasbro/WotC dumbbuggery which would have also hampered the game alongside its development path, depending on their level of involvement.
Shame. Halsin, it turns out, could have been a much more enjoyable and interesting character. Actually, what repulses me about him is just that - “bad fanfic-tier horny bait”. When I first meet him, he does not cause any rejection, he seems curious and cheerful. And in the third act, “Thank you, dear Orin!”. Before this, I thought Halsin was an unnecessary companion who was written specifically for “it,” and it turns out it could have been different. A companion who has a family would have been a much more interesting idea in my opinion - it gives the character their own story. Sometimes this story also affects the player's attitude towards the character, for example in Pathfinder there was the need to make a choice about where to go and what to save. I chose the option to save Queen Galfrey, and disregarded Areelu's advice, missing a very significant artifact, but I didn't do it for the queen, I did it not to destroy the beautiful couple of Irabeth and Anevia, Irabeth was more important than the artifact, I just wouldn't have been able to tell Anevia of her death. If only Galfrey had been there, I would have chosen the artifact. It's sad that BG3 took a different route of “emotional impact” on the player.
Originally Posted by Sereda2
Well, that rather shocked me to be honest. I had argued earlier in this thread that I didn't see the game so much as over-sexualised but more that the relationship aspect of the romances had been neglected. Leading to most NPCs wanting to have sex with Tav so quickly it was a bit surprising (and then very disappointing when interaction with NPCs fell off a cliff in Act 3).
I had assumed it was a pacing issue, now I'm beginning to see that maybe there was a drive to turn BG3 into 'Horny Gate' from some of the romance writers. I feel that is a shame, personally. Sure I hang out on Discord and joke around, but when I am paying this much for a game, I'm not looking for shallow smut.
And here it's all together. “Horny” is stuffed to the point of nausea, and the aspect of the relationship itself, in a deep sense, is ignored. Much is built on the charm of the beloved companion, his facial expressions, his looks, his voice, his intonations, his lines, and the player's headcanon. And the player's lines in a romance are fine when they're only simple and shallow, and sometimes they're downright ugly. When I, for example, think of the same Witcher and the romance with Triss, I realize that I was not deeply affected by it, simply because I am a woman of heterosexual orientation, and if I compare exactly what the writing, there is only a sigh. Or BG2 and the romance with Viconia, a complex and deep romance. It's frustrating.
Originally Posted by Sereda2
I want to see a solid story, consistent and logical character development for the NPCs and more of a romance in the traditional sense. i.e. a relationship that develops between characters over time and which may include sex.
