Patch 1.08 notes and discussion (June 8, 8AM PDT)

I think it was hinted that Ryder's story ends in MEA, but they can appear in future games, just not as the PC. If they still plan that we'll know in the future I guess.

You're not losing anything, is the thing. Someone is gaining something and I will admit the way this was handled wasn't great but someone getting something doesn't detract from the experience you've had with it and will/might continue to have with it. 

I concur.

Did you read the part that a gay male character needed at least one more partner in order to get an achievement that everyone should be able to accomplish?

I mean, clearly it's pointless arguing with people who disliked BW move. As logical and well-explained as it was, you'll keep saying it's a bad move and that it doesn't make sense even if it was necessary, even. Not to you, of course, so I guess that's the real issue.

There was not, however, anything either that indicated that he might be interested in men. The only gender he ever expresses an interest in is female like his scar line and how he only flirts with the female crewmates. Even Kaidan had a line in Mass Effect 2 that could be interpreted as him having deeper feelings for Shepard and Anders had a line in Dragon Age: Awakening that could be interpreted as him being flirty towards Nathaniel. I don't recall Jaal having anything.  

DLC retconns canon, why is this any different?
There are players who were short-changed being able to get the 3 romances achievement natively, which this neatly addresses.

A minority of fans will be annoyed by a side-quest that's bugged, that's no reason not to address it.

I won't be playing this myself but I'm delighted for players who will enjoy this content.
And its inclusion affects you or I in no way whatsoever, so what possible reason is there to be sour about it?

I can't help but feel that they went looking for logical reasons and explanations until after they caved into pressure from fans.  I highly doubt they sat down, decided Jaal needed to be bi, without any influence from the #makeJaalbi crusaders on twitter.

As for the achievement, again, I think that's a good reason why you can say it had to be done, but I don't think it's what convinced them they "needed" to change Jaal.

Big dong pointing to the skies.

I'd laugh my ass off.

The Extended Cut, for all the hooplah around it, didn't actually change anything.  it offered additional explanation and the "Refuse" option, but that didn't alter the game's ending in any meaningful way.

Because sexuality is not something that can be patched in, you see. Changing it 'behind the screen' is bad enough (e.g. Alenko, Anders), but can possibly be explained. And the in-game canon would ALWAYS be the same, for either PC. In ME1 Alenko has no romance with Sheploo. Period. In ME3 he possibly has. That's what ME hard-locked content is.  In-game experience would always be the same for any non-modded playthrough.  

Jaal was written as a straight character.  He was presented as one. And now what? They don't even try to play the 'we've always considered him to be bi -blah-blah'. They say that they 'patch him in' because they had SUDDENLY realised how messed their M\M  options are.   Apparently, 19 minutes of total screentime for Gill were lacking (to say the least), he and Reyes combined have less attention than Jaal or Cora. So they decide to tip the balance back by rewriting another character.  

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-gay or something. IMO, NPCs are called NON-player character for reason. Any feature or trait they possess defines them and belongs to them (and their writers), be that a hair-cut, a skin tone, alignment or sexuality. Steve is not a european and he's gay. Ashley loves classic poetry, believes in God and has no interest in femShep. Anders is blond and likes Hawke.

About the Jaal thing, they had to work at getting it right, which now convinces me he was straight, but I'm glad they changed it since the achievement is now able to be completed for gay players and they finally have not only a male squadmate to romance, but a male alien and they never had that before in ME!

"However, we understand that a character’s orientation is an important part of what makes them feel real. The relationships with your crew are some of the most loved and cherished parts of our games, so we wanted to make sure we got it right. We consulted with members of the LGBTQ community, both externally and within our own studios. After carefully considering all feedback, we decided this was an important change to make, and one that made sense for Jaal, Scott, and the angara."

Let them be happy. They fought hard for this. Some haven't even bought the game due to this, and now they can enjoy it like the rest of us.

Can you point me to this? Because cut content is common: Sera, a lesbian option from Dragon Age, has cut content with a male Inquisitor. As far as I know and I may be mistaken but Jaal's cut content with male Ryder amounted to a couple of lines which is typical for cut content and not an indication of a romance availability.