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

PapaCharlie9 was using the remarks about the clueless option in a Dorian conversation to make a broader statement and used the Chargers bit as an example.

A silent option doesn't apply to the Chargers conversation specifically, since you don't even have to take that path, as it's an investigative option. After Krem makes his remark about breast binding, you can choose to move on by taking "And your other men?" The conversation moves away from Krem and you never address the trans issue. This is how I usually approach it. However, you can still talk about the trans stuff with Krem in private if you have questions. His explanation about shaving with his dad seems more clear to me than anything said in the Chargers conversation.



Or you can just have a third party ask as well. In other entertainment, there is often the person who is a substitute for the reader/viewer, who will ask the questions and have things explained to them, so the information gets out there in a natural manner. However neither of these will work in all instances.

Let's just take the example from the dwarf noble origin. Before you head to the Proving, you can wander around the shops in the Diamond Quarter. There is one scene where you run across a couple of noble hunters. Gorim says who they are and you have the opportunity to ask about them (or you can not ask; it's only an option). In that case, I think having the player explain it would sound awkward. Having Gorim explain it without prompting can have the result of making the player feel like an idiot and also feel artificial.

I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all perfect solution to info dumps that satisfies the need for getting the information out there, clarity, good character writing, while also allowing for roleplay. It's best to take each case on its own and determine the best avenue to drop that information.

I'll also add that these sorts of questions benefit a replay or multiple plays. While you might ask all the things in your very first play of DAO, because you're new to the DA universe, you don't have to ask them on subsequent plays and conversations can have a more natural flow without the requisite info dumps.