Romance in cRPGs - is it ever good?

[Iznaliu]

you'll leave players with the impression that something is missing

That is probably since they've missing the same thing outside the game.

 

[gaussgunner]

you'll leave players with the impression that something is missing

That is probably since they've missing the same thing outside the game.

True, but I know what he means. If there's a cast of characters with no hint of any romance among them, that's not very believable. Just as I expect to see friendship among characters, I expect to see married couples, dating couples, flirtation, crushes, cockteasing, adultery, etc.

That's fine with me if it's not spelled out in detail like softporn VN, just barebones C&C. No 20 questions to get laid. If an NPC is attracted to the PC a simple Y/N, wham bam thank you ma'am will do. Make it about the consequences not the act itself. But that's just sex. Romance C&C would be a long-running arc in which you make difficult gameplay decisions to maintain a relationship with a pivotal NPC. Basically an alliance based on sex not (just) strategic considerations.

 

[Krivol]

Romances are good only in Rance series.

Well, TBH, I loved Jaheira romance in BG2... when I was 15 yo. Now romances just annoys me (and I hate social interactions with party members that gives new content - you just have to speak with them to get exp/good stuff/party member improvement).

 

[Nerevar]

Hmmm. Replaying HoTU it does seem a bit silly the romances in that game.

 

[Iznaliu]

If there's a cast of characters with no hint of any romance among them, that's not very believable

There are many other things that aren't very believable, but for some reason, romance is the only one they care about.

 

[Nalenth]

Romance was well done in PS:T and MotB.

FTFY

(Seriously, that moment when Safiya declares her undying love for you in MotB? Like a record needle skipping.)

At least part of her feelings towards the PC are fake/artificial, so it's not exactly out of the blue...

 

[Apostle Hand]

I couldn't succeed to romance anyone even in video games.

 

[Life of the Party]

 

[laclongquan]

The thing with romance is that you have to have writers who can write good romance, and such things are hard to come by.

The second thing with RPG romance is that you just cant have too out-of-mainstream type of romance. PST romances are all very mainstream. Even Ravel, though possible to do an obscure take on her, the devs had avoid it by having her Hag form too ugly to entertain it. But if they ever leave maze Ravel as Ei-Vene, her fragment, or older, mature, form of Kesai-Serris (her daughter)... there would be changes in gamers' mentality.

A counter example is Neverwinter Night2 Original Campaign. Elanee is the very model of mature (older) woman, who get called around here as stalker elf. Well, if you label her as "mature gal", reversed Genji project, raise-your-mate type of romance candidate you probabbly wont have that much trouble to understand her role. But gamers, in general and Codexers in particular, are not that well versed, so they get scared off from her setting.

You simply cant set your romance themes too obscure. Mainstream, mainstream~