How *unappealing* do you predict straight male romance options will be in DA4?

Dec 27, 2017 1:00:24 GMT @carefull said:

Dec 26, 2017 21:13:10 GMT githcheater said:

Cullen, ride the Iron Bull, Solas, and Josephine don't count????

I wager that Bethany, Velanna and Vivienne will be the the only female companions in DA4, and that they will only be same sex options ... and yes I have a gambling problem.

Josephine and Bull are bi, and Cullen and Solas are both race dependent. If Cullen was open to females of all species AND was a party member instead of Blackwall, I would see at least a partial equivalency to Dorian and Cassandra. The way it stands now, the female only options, Sera and Blackwall, are not connected to the plot, and nowhere near as interesting and complicated as Dorian and Cassandra. Cassandra comes from DA2, is an advisor and has million extras in her romance and Dorian goes on to develop as super-important NPC in DA4. Hell’s, he might become an Archon. Despite being an advisor Cassandra travels with the PC!

The females got the criminal who should be hanged and you could take out of the game and will never show up again, and Sera... who is basically the definition of irrelevant...

Not to mention that both Cassandra and Dorian are creme de land creme of the Thedas aristocracy, eligible to be a Divine and an Archon... while Blackwall is not even a Warden, and Sera is not even a leader of Red Jennies...

Solas, Cullen, Dorian and Cassandra should have been options for all PCs, without gates, period. The current distribution is way too restricted and cuts off the most interesting main characters from the best romances.

I consider Iron Bulls romance trolling by BioWare of all the players who loved Sten and Ketjan and wanted a dramatic Qunari romance.

So basically, writers have no right to create fully realized and three dimensional characters with personalities, beliefs and desires of their own, only bots that unconditionally worship the player. Concept artists have no right to experiment and expand what they find interesting and attractive, only repeat the same narrow, pre-conceived models ad nausem.

In universe, your skills, personality and choices have no merit, only appearance and breeding. If you weren't born beautiful nobles, you have no right to improve your station, you do not deserve love, and your life does not matter. If you screwed up in the past or don't fit preconceived notions of what heroism and beauty are, you no have no right to character development or redemption.

Stay classy.

Dec 27, 2017 4:49:16 GMT @carefull said:

Dec 27, 2017 4:42:35 GMT phoray said:

Wait, what? I've romanced her. Where are these extras? I actually think she has less content, she gets zilch in Trespasser for example.

She has this rich story-line, she starts the Inquisition, she has history and relationship with Varric, with Seekers, with Navarre and she can become a Divine. And she is already an advisor AND your best friend, and spared your life, and your tank, and travels with you.... That’s a huge amount of icing on one character. She is there, front and centre pm beginning to end. Blackwall gets a tiny intro cutscene and a Warden’s Memorial trail... yeah... slim pickings if you compare the material between the male main romance and the female one.

• She starts the Inquisition then votes to dump it in your lap. And immediately recedes to being just another background companion. Josephine replaces her at the War Table is how little she is involved with the Inquisition.
• Her relationship with Varric is irrelevant because the Player has a closer relationship with him from playing DA2 themselves. even that aside, All Cass did was interrogate him for a day or two before shit blew up. Hardly a relationship. she spared our life? Whatever. She may not be top of the Game but killing you wasn't even on the table, regardless of all the glares and yelling from Roderick or they wouldn't have bothered trying to heal you via Solas in the first place. Leliana had no intention of doing so, and Lel obviously was the Boss of that two person team at the very very start.
• Meh, Seekers. A useless organization that turned it's back on it's only job. like they had something better to do... oh ya! One leader started the MAge/Teplar war! and the other sacrificed it's minions in experiments and re started a cult!
• Blackwall and Iron Bull can also be a Tank. you also could be your own tank. And I've played 4.5 times, and Blackwall is the better tank, from my experience. Her tankiness isn't special is my point.
• I guess she is there from start to end? Solas comes in like 5 minutes after that, so that's hardly a rallying cry for special (hahaha Solas burn)
• She barely talks about Nevarra at all, because she's actually disinterested in her upbringing and her distant claim to the throne. I learned more from World of Thedas books about NEvarra than I did from her. I mean, let's compare her to Zevran who waxes on about his country so much I actually could conjure an image up about people's life and culture there, the temperature, the weather from his words. 
• There is also the additional discomfort of learning that Cassandra thinks you're a prophet and she's religiously...pleased? to be banging you?