Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Get rid of the sex

Nice one OP!
Honestly, with the way the cutscenes and animations are, I am not entirely sure I really want to see them. I don't want another Dragon Age Origins experience, or I'll need another brain bleach.
Of all the examples I've seen of sexy times in video games, I think I mostly prefer a sort of a prelude scene and then fade to black.



I think this is more due to the fact that its an EA and the romance paths are not complete.

That's what I am hoping at least.
I think that Morrigan was an awesome character in DA:O and the sex and how it played into her character was really well done imo.
But yeah it doesn't work when it's every character.

I actually think that it kinda does with Lae'Zel, because she's all no bs.
It also kinda makes sense that she'd throw it in your face how she's sleeping with other people even if it's just because of her own superiority complex.
But I mean take Wyll for example, I never even brought him along on my first playthrough or anything and yet he tried to get inside my pants too.
Lae'Zel was a bit more believable because yeah I could believe that there was some angry sexual tension there lol it just flows with her character.
I'd say Astarion too but I never really did any flirting with him either.
It sorta felt like the game just threw all of them at me without any boxes checked except for with Shadowheart where I actually did try.




You answered your own question.

Also I have literally not seen a single person say that having sex is the point of the game or what you should do to win it.
The closest is my suggestion to add seduction as a part of persuasion, but it'd be an option like every other persuasion option.


Believe it or not but sex can exist in the game and you can still play your Vault Dweller Knight who just want to smash dragons with a sword ( not like that ).
Other people having different options and activities won't change that.

I also just find it amusing how people can sit around glorifying extreme violence like in MK11 and mindless murder of civilians for fun but if someone even mentions or talks about sex and sexuality you always get people who are all like '' no, now you're going too far '' or people who just want to shame others.

Lae'zel rubs me wrong, personally, but I at least respect her honesty. She's a terrible liar. But also just terrible lol. It seems Lae'zel always bangs someone at the party. In the run where I romanced Shadowheart she banged Astarion who she described as something like "skilled and enthusiastic." Which I found amusing. She still seems to hate him though and takes great glee in betraying him to the hunter. Regarding Wyll, Astarion mentions that, of the party members, he's most interested in Wyll's blood. Something exciting about a dangerous conquest I think.

I have very similar hopes for him. Maybe we can dream that Larian will see these types of posts and be kind to us. :') Unlikely, but one can dream. The thing about Astarion is that he's very adept at persuasion and deceit. I think these qualities are really well written into his dialogue and your responses work as if he's passed his own persuasion checks on us. It's a really interesting concept. So his nature is duplicitous, but we get these brief flashes of something genuine when he speaks of Cazador and his trauma. He's got these insane barriers he's erected to protect himself and you can see moments where he reinforces these barriers between himself and the player. If done right, this is one of my *favorite* types of romances--if he can eventually let the right one in. (Let the right one in? Get it..? Vampire film...? I'll see myself out.) I could easily see him being an option for a poli romance and I'm fine with it if that's an option but unless there's also an option for something exclusive... It won't be for me. *fingers crossed*




I'll need to select that option again. I only picked it once and didn't notice a particular change from him but that's interesting.

I feel like all the romances happen too quickly--even the casual hookups. I'd like some more specific flirt options before the party. Really, none of the companions flirt enough with the pc but they flirt a lot which each other. This bothers me--I love flirting! Hell, I flirt constantly with my friends with no romantic intent. It's just fun. Astarion gives the most flirty options which may be part of why I prefer him so far. But there just isn't enough relationship building overall--romantic and otherwise. Gale flirts with Shadowheart right off the bat but not the pc, who he treats the same no matter what. PC needs more love, Larian.

+1

Is it too much to ask that the best ending be everyone in the party smeshing one another?

Since anytime anyone mentions sex and sexuality some of y'all accuse people of just wanting porn and say that they should just go and play a porn game instead.

So imma say.
Some of you should go and play Church Simulator 2020 and appear on Fox News as Guests to talk about the evils of sex scenes in video games ( yes that happened ).

The rest of us...

Lmaooo haven't seen that one before. Ofc, OP is fine with these scenes, just wants more romance with the sex. Which I agree with. That said, it drives me crazy every time I see someone make comments like romance doesn't belong in these games when... it does? Romance has been a part of this genre of RPG since BG2. It's one of the major claims to fame for the Bioware games which, until Bioware's EAization, were the best, most immersive RPGs. Given that Larian is trying to fill the void left behind by Bioware I think it only makes sense that they would focus on the romance. I just hope that Larian improves what they already have--it's a good start but feels bare bones.

Also, there's plenty of RTS type games that focus only on the gameplay and strategy and have no romance or character interaction. I play those too and don't go on tirades about how they need romance. They don't--they aren't those types of games. These character driven crpgs ARE that type of game. And romance is one of the primary draws for me.

And personally, I am not asking anyone else to play a sexless game, I would just prefer to opt out, with a setting, with a line of dialogue, I don't really care. It isn't the presence of these things which offends me, it simply doesn't interest me, though as a dude with a teenage daughter I have to admit I am a little bothered by the way relationships are handled in games.. There is a lot of fulfillment to be found in another person, sex is sort of the least of what relationships have to offer but I don't expect teenagers to get that and this isn't a dating sim anyway so these are all things I wouldn't normally bring up these forums.

I agree that romances should all be opt-in. Especially since there are sexual assault survivors who may struggle with characters being direct. Flirt dialogue options should trigger potential romance options. I think it would just lead to a better experience for everyone.

I wouldn't worry too much about your daughter. (I know, easier said than done.) For one thing, this is a mature rated game so the content isn't intended for children. But, even if she plays it or any of the other games with romance, the majority of people are able to distinguish reality from fantasy. I read the most absolute trash romance when I was a teen and I knew they were not accurate representations of reality. Also, games are not the most common media form where teens will get bad information on what romance is. Tv and movies are more widely accessible and have some of the worst examples of relationships I've seen. (I grew up on FRIENDS and... yikes.) An honest conversation can clear up a lot of confusion there.

I hope you don't let her play this game if she did not come of age
Sex in the game is the last thing that can hurt the psyche. The scene at the very beginning of the game, when we need to split a man's skull to pull the Us out, or when a tadpole crawls into Laezel's brain .. and you are talking about sex, ehh

You shouldn't be having sex with bottles of wine. It's terribly dangerous and a waste of wine.

...

On topic: I'm happy for sex and relationships and all that to be part of the game. I don't, however, really care for animated sex scenes because they are never going to deliver what they seek to. Have some sort of veil to draw over proceedings and leave the rest to the imagination.

I also have some issue with romance in CRPGs (as opposed to tabletop) because you only have limited choices in potential partners. The developers decide who you should be attracted to and that's that. It's like having an arranged marriage, although it is true that you can refuse all the options in the game. My tastes in a potential partner are not met by any of the Companions so far presented, and I doubt that any CRPG can feature all the possible combinations of characteristics that a selection of real people might go for. At best, the BG3 Companions offer a 'best of what's on offer', and I do have the uncomfortable feeling of them being lined up like the choices at some sleazy (but highly unusual) brothel.

So yes, sex is fine, but let's not see computer-animated figures writhing around together in an embarrassingly unrealistic bedroom scene.

Why? It sounds rather simple.

On a more general note, I always find it really strange that people care more about sex (natural thing that the majority of human beings do) in sex than extreme violence

Appreciated Pinklily. I am not worried about her except in the abstract, its simply that she is rarely far from my thoughts and over the years I have come to naturally gauge most things I come across with some consideration for her in mind. To be purely personal for a moment, she's always been a little boy crazy having a string of constant crushes since she was around five. Every school year it has been a different classmate and while it is cute and never amounts to much, one still worries about what she may do in a year or two once she starts really dating. But if I am being completely honest, the truth is I spent most of the teens and all of my twenties not really caring anything about the women I pursued and damaged some pretty great girls on my way to becoming a half way decent guy. So some of what I see in these games can uncomfortably remind me of regretful behavior I have since outgrown. All of this is my own baggage, which is I why I would never insist any one else carry it or make a big deal out of it, but as you say there are poor examples of relationships everywhere and I am a bit sensitive to that. I wouldn't make a big deal of it, but I would prefer some better example be set, or at least the poor examples further explored.

As for what she consumes herself, OneManArmy, my philosophy on child rearing is that it is a parent's responsibility to prepare a kid for adulthood not keep them from it. I've never tried to shield her from anything, just equip her with enough information to make sense of what she is facing and hopefully enough self awareness to deal with it if she must. Don't worry though, she only got into video games within the last couple years and isn't too interested in them. She is mostly into cartoons like Miraculous Lady Bug and Heroes of Academia, when she isn't obsessively texting her friends. I wouldn't keep her from playing a game like this but I certainly wouldn't recommend it to her either.

Since sex can be avoided I don't think there needs to be a 'disable' option. But what would be nice is if we had a choice . . . if we successfully romance a companion, give us the choice to choose to make it sexual or platonic.

I'm not sure it's true. I mean if you want to do romance, you will get sex. Your only option if you don't want sex is to give up romance altogether

I respect that. Honestly it sounds like you're doing a great job. And when she makes the mistakes we've all made it sounds like you'll be there to support her, which is all we can really do.

As for the romances portrayed in the game so far, they are all ridiculously flawed. That's partly why I'm really hoping for some good redemption arcs with player influence-able alignment. Ofc, experiencing a flawed relationship in a game can be a good outlet for cathartic release. (not sexual release but emotional) I don't mind the sting of jealousy and melodrama in a game or other media but I certainly wouldn't tolerate it in my own marriage. I think there will be other, perhaps more traditional relationships when they reveal more characters. At least, I would hope so. I don't know how it is for male players, but I found a few of the relationships for female players in the Bioware games to actually be decent examples of healthy relationships. I only romanced Morrigan (who I think actually has a really nice romance arc. She goes from using the player and balking at love to potentially having a happy nuclear family. She learns how to have a real relationship and I really enjoyed it.) And Cassandra in DA:I was also just sweet all the way through. She's tough but has a thing for trashy romance stories and poetry and a relationship with her is built on mutual respect. Of course, these are games in a fantasy setting so they will never reflect true realism but, that's kind of the point, right?

That's what I'm asking Larian to provide for us. Right now if we start a romance then sex is the only option. Larian should add the platonic option . . . I suspect there a lot of players who would appreciate the option and I think its not overly difficult to include.

For lovers of platonic options, Shadow Heart is ideal. Is not it so? Her romantic scene is very platonic and romantic. Have a full immersion in the date atmosphere with a cute goth teen.
The rest of the characters cannot be like this by their nature.

Actually I'm not all the bothered about romances of any kind in the game. What I would really like are some options to develop strong friendships. This isn't done enough in games.

The friendship with Morrigan in Dragon Age Origins if you are playing a female character. Its touching, Morrigan opens up that you are the first friend she has ever had, etc.

Can't think of any other examples at the moment but something where you become friends and perhaps influence the NPC in some way (bringing Shadowheart to the light side? I hope that doesn't require a romance).

Snippet of BG3 treads on this forum the last 24 hours:
Kink: I want more dirty sex.
Prude: I don't want any sex.

All made in the US of A lol

Chalk me down to wanting more mature themes.