Preview Romance in KOTOR2

[Sol Invictus]

Tags: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords

Grandmeister Chris Avellone has posted <a href=http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?showtopic=25810>quite a bit</a> on the subject of romance in KOTOR2, and it looks like they're going to handle romance to be a lot more subtle, and realistic than it was in the original game.
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/Begin Romance Thread
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Romances are a little different in Kotor2, I just wanted to warn you guys. We provided more romance options in K2 (you can choose who you want to romance, and sometimes the romance problems don’t even involve you and your companions at all - this'll become clearer in the game).
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Not only that, but there will be instances where the influence you have with one romantic rival may cause unpleasant repercussions with another, and the jealousy wars will begin, because let’s face it, your character is the hottest, coolest, most badass ex-Jedi in the galaxy. What’s even better, is that because your character is a tortured soul with a tortured past, that just makes your character even more interesting to those of the opposite sex.
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Of course, you COULD be a shallow, manipulative, evil monster, but hey, nobody else needs to realize that until too late – Padme sure didn’t.
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Anyway, all that said, we’ve played the romances in K2 a little closer to the chest. This is not because I am not a romantic, but I feel that not only is the game darker than Feargus’ soul, but also because life is fundamentally unfair, unrequited, and that Cheers, Moonlighting and any other series where romance was brought into the picture was ultimately devastated by consummating that relationship. So expect a more Terry Pratchett approach to romances, and a lot more subtle innuendos and off-stage battling.
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Anyway, just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page and dash your “I’m going to have a 5 year relationship with X companion, marry that companion, and have children with him or her” hopes before they raised their heads.
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Besides, let’s face it, love stinks.
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/End Romance Thread
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Personally, I like the reference to Terry Pratchett. His Discworld books always had took right approach when it came to the subject of romance. Romance should never be 'in your face'.

 

[dojoteef]

With all this info that keeps getting put out on KOTOR2, I'm starting to be very skeptical. So many games offer the moon and give you a wedge of cheese instead (and a small one at that). I just hope there is more truth than hype in his statements. If not, I think I'm just going to stop reading all this hype because I'm bound to go bonkers and kill all the lying theiving developers :twisted:.

 

[littleboy]

With all this info that keeps getting put out on KOTOR2, I'm starting to be very skeptical. So many games offer the moon and give you a wedge of cheese instead (and a small one at that). I just hope there is more truth than hype in his statements. If not, I think I'm just going to stop reading all this hype because I'm bound to go bonkers and kill all the lying theiving developers .

The thing is that most of the hype (especially for fable) for games of this type come at the beginging of the dev. cycle when they haven't done feture lock or encouterd any problems, delays, or time crunches. The Fact that this comes out in 6 day's (for the xbox) should mean that nothing else is going in or out. (unless of course they are insane and have some increadable manufactures lined up ). Chris would have to be a blithering moron to hype stuff he knows is not in the game or not up to the hype. And from what i remember they didn't start off promosing the moon, just "similar game new stories and a couple new force powers/animations".

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Besides, let’s face it, love stinks.

And absolute love stinks absolutely.

 

[dojoteef]

What you're saying doesn't really matter when it comes to hype. Bloodlines was hyped like crazy just before the release and they had the stuff they were mentioning in the game, but that didn't keep the game from having some annoying bugs, linear gameplay, and fight sequences near the end of the game that most people disliked.

I'm sure Chris Avellone and Obsidian think they have the greatest game ever to come out, but just because they like how they've done things doesn't mean it is actually done well. I mean for all you know, the inter-party dialog could be just as predictable as what's in the original KOTOR. Thing is most developers think they made the game very well and I attribute that to cognitive dissonance theory. They've spent so much time and effort making the game that in order to believe the game isn't good, or didn't turn out the way they wanted would simply be too much to handle, so their brain "tricks" them into believing otherwise. Just like Leon Boyarsky actually enjoyed the combat in Bloodlines while it seems a majority of people/reviewers didn't.

So we'll find out just how well they made the game when it comes out (for PC in Februrary for me), but I do hope it's as fun as PS:T was for me, because it's one of my favorite RPGs. It was very moody and well thought out in my opinion. Time to wait and see.

 

[protobob]

Too bad Star Wars is a shallow, style-over-substance setting. Basic swords and sorcery disguised as sci-fi, planets limited to single, generic geographical features (ice planet, desert planet, forest planet, city planet, etc.)...I could go on but I won't.

I like the Planescape setting, for all it's craziness, it's a big rich stew of idea. Sadly I doubt Obsidian could ever get the go ahead on doing a game in that setting again. Maybe they could do a game set in Neil Gaimen's Sandman multiverse, or make a multiverse setting of their own.

Back to the subject at hand, I'm definetly going into KOTOR2 excpecting some good writing/story. Hope I'm not disappointed. I thought the KOTOR writing (atleast the darkside) was rather juvenille. If you are going to do good/evil atelast try and do something that reflects/says something about the human condition, rather than just give players an oppurtunity to act out their inner assholes. Hell, you could atleast work in Lucas's fear-anger-hate path to the darkside.

Shades of Grey morality is much more interesting...and always stand out to me as the best part of a game. Certian decisions you have to make in Geneforge and Bloodlines comes to mind. Things that actually make the player think and, dare I say it, have a lasting impact of some substance.

 

[Volourn]

WOW! Mr. Avellone musta been dumped by a girl while making KOTOR2. He seems to have an extremely anti long term love outlook on things. I guess he forgets about all those marriages that somehow last 20-30-40-50+ years. Ah well, as long as it's entertaining; I'm game.

 

[Jed]

WOW! Mr. Avellone musta been dumped by a girl while making KOTOR2. He seems to have an extremely anti long term love outlook on things. I guess he forgets about all those marriages that somehow last 20-30-40-50+ years. Ah well, as long as it's entertaining; I'm game.

Who the hell are you? Where is the Volourn style of poor spelling, misplaced semicolons & extra spaces, and stupid words like "wowsers" and "roofles"?

Could The Volourn possibly be two people? It would explain a lot...

 

[Volourn]

Fuckin' moron you piece of shit jerk off. Go troll someone else you big fat LOSER!

 

[Jed]

 

[kumquatq3]

planets limited to single, generic geographical features (ice planet, desert planet, forest planet, city planet, etc.)...I could go on but I won't.

Actually, that is something Obsidian set out not to do in K2. They tried to vary the enviroments a planet has or at least the areas you visit on a planet. IE caves, turndra, sewers, etc. At least, thats what they have said.

Shades of Grey morality is much more interesting...and always stand out to me as the best part of a game.

If there is one thing that K2 seems to have had as it's main goal, it is to have "Shades of Grey" and uncertain decisions. Hence the, from what we're told, much darker story.

That aspect is the main reason I am excited about this game.

 

[Roqua]

I'm excited about the gay ass phase-combat that is so easy that I close my eyes and slap my penis on the mouse over and over during combat until an area is cleared. My penis is Kotor master. I also do that during the level up screen. Character development is gimp-by-penis-slapping-on-mouse-while-eyes-closed retardent. My penis beat the game easily and is looking for some slap happy action in kotor 2.

Ah well, at least phase is better than RT even though it is still gay. I guess they realized that a challenge is just not what today's gamers are looking for. We want party romance and talking, and we want an overabundance of combat so easy that males thinking and playing with their little head can easily prosper.

 

[dojoteef]

You don't understand why they made the combat the way they did, do you. It's so you can practice your cock slap in order to be able to get the perfect mushroom print on your significant other's head. Duh!

 

[DemonKing]

*Sigh*

I really wish people would leave romance out of CRPGS, except as a means to an end (eg Marrying the rich merchant's daughter to get your hands on his filthy lucre, or letching onto the hot Goth chick in the bar so you can suck her blood ala Bloodlines).

Personally I am happy if a CRPG has a decent storyline, NPC interaction, combat and a little bit of PHAT loot.

I still refuse to believe that any discerning female gamer could get any sort of enjoyment being forced to romance dweebs like Amomen and Carth, who Bioware specifically designed "for the chicks".

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Carth was straight? So that's why I didn't see any response to him stating, Behold the power of the Dark Side, fag!

Hell, even if he is straight, that line would have made the game better.

 

[Volourn]

Romance in game sis good because it almost always adds to the role-playing in games. That's always a good thing.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Yeah. Romance is a part of life and always adds depth to any RPG. I will agree however that the freeform romance model has yet to be done well and am looking forward to seeing just exactly if KOTOR 2 can pull it off. I am also hoping that we will see something similar in the new Elder Scrolls game. That would be pretty kickin'.

 

[ichpokhudezh]

I'm looking forward to romance the begears out of T3 in KoTOR2. And ruin its quartz forevar.

 

[Mendoza]

I'm not sure romance will be the same without jiggletech though. Not to mention that I (presumably) won't be able to collect posters of romantic interests in the buff.

 

[AlanC9]

I still refuse to believe that any discerning female gamer could get any sort of enjoyment being forced to romance dweebs like Amomen and Carth, who Bioware specifically designed "for the chicks".

From the BioBoards, it's pretty clear that Carth was popular with the ladies, though not quite as popular as Valen.

Most of the Carth-hating came from adolescent boys, particularly ones who aren't very secure in their own masculinity.

But yeah, Anomen's a jerk.

 

[errorcode]

Romance in game sis good because it almost always adds to the role-playing in games. That's always a good thing.

Fuck, Volourn is completely right on this one and i agree 100% with him. Now i'm going to go slam my testicles in a drawer.

seriously though, as long as romance isn't ham fistedly done and not "in your face" it can add alot to the roleplaying of the game. I think one of the most enjoyable romances in an RPG so far was the completely optional one with the werewolf girl in the tales of the sword coast expansion. it was flirty, subdued, it gave a couple little side missions, and all in all felt fun because it allowed me to let my character be something more than just a killing machine.

 

[dipdipdip]

I suppose I didn't mind having one with Anna in Planescape Torment, but that's probably because she's just about the only female character I've ever liked in an RPG featuring romances.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Now i'm going to go slam my testicles in a drawer.

Oh, can I watch?! >_>

 

[errorcode]

Now i'm going to go slam my testicles in a drawer.

Oh, can I watch?! >_>

no...all testicular self torture is done alone in shame.

 

[suibhne]

Annah was awesome. Her music was awesome, Sheena Easton's voice-acting was awesome, the tiefling model was awesome - hell, if I'd been a bit younger when I first played the game, I'd probably still have a crush on her.

The great thing about Annah in PS:T was that the romance was so totally optional that you wouldn't even run into it if you didn't try. And, though it could have used more detail, I liked the fact that it was never consummated in any way, which made Annah's death scene genuinely affecting.

I actually got a kick out of flirting with Bastila; her buttons were just too easy to push. The biggest problem with that romance was how it was handled near the end of the game. Aside from the leaden resolution, did the romance increase my attachment to my own character? Sure, I guess.

What's funny about all this talk of romances, though, is how few other types of interpersonal relationships are ever portrayed in RPGs. I don't mind playing a game where my character might conceivably start a relationship with an NPC, but it's pretty damn weird when my character doesn't seem to be able to sustain a close friendship with anyone else. PS:T is remarkable not just for its sensitive handling of Annah, but also for the wide range of relationships you can build with many of the other NPCs - Dak'kon, Morte, Fall-From-Grace, even Vhailor.