dgaider: dragonageconfessions: CONFESSIONS: I was really annoyed when I found out Aveline wasnt romanceable. In my second playthrough I had spent the entire thing flirting with her and was actually surprised and upset when she rebuffed me for Donnic Totally okay with this, actually. The issue with the “all-bisexual” romances, as I see it (or the issue for which I can see at least some merit, anyhow), is one of perception—that the followers in Dragon Age are simply vehicles for romances as opposed to characters in their own right with their own motivations. A player simply selects a follower— “I want you!”— and that follower immediately surrenders all agency to the player’s will. It’s not really true, but I think it’s a perception fueled by an overreaction to the fact that there are fans who do like the romances a great deal (and talk about it extensively, whereas there are fans who vehemently oppose the romances being the most important element in the game… not that they are or ever have been, but clearly if they do not actively oppose the idea we BioWare developers will succumb to the notion that it’s so). I imagine there are also fans who don’t mind the idea of the romances working that way—just pick whoever you want and they will reciprocate. Why? Because the player wants it, and isn’t this game about fantasy fulfillment? It’s not, though there’s nothing wrong with somebody wanting that—and it’s completely excusable that there are those who think that’s what the game is or should be. We’ve always been more interested in establishing a believable world and believable characters, and the romances—to us—are an extension of that rather than the purpose for it. Having equal opportunities for romance plots is a point of fairness and not indicative of a shift in the purpose of those plots, and I’d be fine with having more restrictions rather than less—of having some romances simply not working out, or less romances in total (even if they’re equally distributed in number). Note that this isn’t really indicative of our plans for DAI, but you can take it as indicative of my (and the Design department’s) view on the place that romance plots have in the overall game. Which is to say “substantially tertiary, if great fun”. YMMV, naturally, and you are (as always) free to hope for otherwise.

dgaider: dragonageconfessions: CONFESSIONS: I was really annoyed when I found out Aveline wasnt romanceable. In my second playthrough I had spent the entire thing flirting with her and was actually surprised and upset when she rebuffed me for Donnic Totally okay with this, actually. The issue with the “all-bisexual” romances, as I see it (or the issue for which I can see at least some merit, anyhow), is one of perception—that the followers in Dragon Age are simply vehicles for romances as opposed to characters in their own right with their own motivations. A player simply selects a follower— “I want you!”— and that follower immediately surrenders all agency to the player’s will. It’s not really true, but I think it’s a perception fueled by an overreaction to the fact that there are fans who do like the romances a great deal (and talk about it extensively, whereas there are fans who vehemently oppose the romances being the most important element in the game… not that they are or ever have been, but clearly if they do not actively oppose the idea we BioWare developers will succumb to the notion that it’s so). I imagine there are also fans who don’t mind the idea of the romances working that way—just pick whoever you want and they will reciprocate. Why? Because the player wants it, and isn’t this game about fantasy fulfillment? It’s not, though there’s nothing wrong with somebody wanting that—and it’s completely excusable that there are those who think that’s what the game is or should be. We’ve always been more interested in establishing a believable world and believable characters, and the romances—to us—are an extension of that rather than the purpose for it. Having equal opportunities for romance plots is a point of fairness and not indicative of a shift in the purpose of those plots, and I’d be fine with having more restrictions rather than less—of having some romances simply not working out, or less romances in total (even if they’re equally distributed in number). Note that this isn’t really indicative of our plans for DAI, but you can take it as indicative of my (and the Design department’s) view on the place that romance plots have in the overall game. Which is to say “substantially tertiary, if great fun”. YMMV, naturally, and you are (as always) free to hope for otherwise.