Same gender relationships clarifications?

[Kioma]

I for one think the same gender romance options should not be left in the hands of the writers. The players are the only ones that can interact with their compainons, and it is suppose to be OUR story in the starwars universe. any compainon that is currently or in the future able to be romanced by the opposite gender should be romancable by the same gender.

 

Let me also say again that at present I am not buying any more Bioware games because of this feature not being in the game at present. I was planning on buying ME 3 before launch, but the omission of SGRA in this game from bioware who in the past when character romances are a staple in the Bioware brand of the game to be polite is disapointing.

in a game where there is such mature content including murder, slavery, racism, and torture but not having same gender romances speaks volumes on what the people at Bioware think about same gender romances.

I will not support a company that thinks its ok to have that stuff in a game but it is somehow wrong to have the abilty to choose who I love.

 

Very well said, Avrid.

[sparklecat]

Ok guys, so what email addresses have you had luck getting a personal response from?

[Suaine]

Ok guys, so what email addresses have you had luck getting a personal response from?

 

None yet, actually. All my emails appear to go whooosh in the ether. But I've had at least somewhat personalized responses to in-game tickets

[mrcaptainpants]

Ok guys, so what email addresses have you had luck getting a personal response from?

 

There is support@swtor.com , which usually gets me a reply from a customer service person. Often the first response you get will be from an extremely low level employee and will feel more like a cut-and-paste response that barely addresses your issues. If you reply to that email, though, you will likely be escalated to someone a bit higher up who will at least take the time to write you a personal email. Problem is, it will still be from someone pretty low in the hierarchy who will simply apologize and assure you that the content in question is being worked on. While that was initially encouraging, I realize now that such a response is hardly a big deal. Its just a customer service person trying to soothe some ruffled feathers. It means very little.

 

You can also go to http://www.swtor.com/support/form and fill out the feedback form there. This will also get you a response, though again, it will only be from someone who will simply blow sunshine at you to make you feel better.

 

However, its still a good idea to contact them, not because of the response you will get (which is fairly meaningless) but because they will be forwarding your comments to the people that do matter. I strongly encourage everyone to use one or both of these contact avenues.

 

 

EDIT: I even tried contact@bioware.com , which is an address for the parent company. I didn't get a response, but I thought it was worth sending in case they have any pull with with Bioware Austin. It can't hurt to CC them whatever email you are sending to support@swtor.com . Maybe if enough people contact the parent company (perhaps using the recent quote found in my -and many others' - forum sig, they might be embarrassed enough to get involved.

Edited March 3, 2012 by mrcaptainpants

[Nozybidaj]

However, its still a good idea to contact them, not because of the response you will get (which is fairly meaningless) but because they will be forwarding your comments to the people that do matter. I strongly encourage everyone to use one or both of these contact avenues.

 

I wouldn't discourage people from doing so, but the devs have to already know how important this content is to get released. Either they are going to fix it or they aren't, I don't see how more customer service emails is going to tip anything one direction or the other. If they won't take the time to even answer a Q&A question I doubt any feedback is going to impact them at this point.

 

Yes, same sex romances are taking a back seat. Evidently they are: if they weren't then they'd be done already. Why people feel the need to continually state and restate that they think it should take a lower priority than other things when it already is at a lower priority is quite beyond me.

 

LOL agreed. From the way people are reacting you would think the devs have assigned a strike team to getting the content into the game ASAP while leaving all other issues to wait. I actually think that wouldn't be a terrible idea, but it is so far from reality to be irrelevant.

Edited March 3, 2012 by Nozybidaj

[Lurkz]

I wouldn't discourage people from doing so, but the devs have to already know how important this content is to get released. Either they are going to fix it or they aren't, I don't see how more customer service emails is going to tip anything one direction or the other. If they won't take the time to even answer a Q&A question I doubt any feedback is going to impact them at this point.

 

But stopping feedback would indicate that we've given up and accepted the status quo, which may be exactly what they're hoping for. So continued feedback, while we may not actually see a change until the content is released, at least ensures that we're keeping them apprised of the fact that no, we haven't just rolled over and given up.

[Nozybidaj]

But stopping feedback would indicate that we've given up and accepted the status quo, which may be exactly what they're hoping for. So continued feedback, while we may not actually see a change until the content is released, at least ensures that we're keeping them apprised of the fact that no, we haven't just rolled over and given up.

 

/shrug If that is truly what they are waiting for, it is just PR at this point and they never had any intention of spending development time on it, and nothing we do or say will change that. I actually see a lot of merit in that assumption in explaining their current actions, but we'll never know. They certainly aren't going to come right out and say it.

 

Honestly, I don't know what more we could do at this point. Unless someone has the chance to speak directly to a BW or EA executive or something and get them to put pressure on BW - Austin to get the content in the game, there is really no other avenues of feedback left.

 

Either we accept the status quo of silence and keep playing the game hoping that "some day" they implement SGRA's or we quit. That is all we can do at this point. No one is listening to feedback.

[Silthir]

Personally I don't think it's a matter of them hoping we just go silent, I think it's more of the fact that they probably won't implement it, at least not until an expansion comes out. I personally foresee this is gonna be another Mass Effect thing. Mass Effect 1 & 2 neither have a SGR, yet finally with ME3 they're allowing us to do it. I assume it will probably be the same with TOR...

[mefit]

Your opinion of the motives of other players is an assumption and isn't particularly relevant in any case. Your pity, likewise, is somewhat irrelevant. Neither of them have anything to do with the matter at hand.

 

Yes, same sex romances are taking a back seat. Evidently they are: if they weren't then they'd be done already. Why people feel the need to continually state and restate that they think it should take a lower priority than other things when it already is at a lower priority is quite beyond me.

 

You say you're not against it but one of your points against it is that you only have one female companion to romance. Why should same sex relationships have to wait until you have a wider variety of heterosexual relationships to choose from? That's a nonsensical argument.

 

Large font sizes don't make your point any more valid, out of curiosity.

 

I am not against it , but in general form there is more to be done first before they work on Same Gender .

 

Ofcourse you find my post not to your liking , as I do yours .

 

Same Gender relationships in a game already made is not a general NEED . There is nothing NEEDED about it . Personally it would not hurt my feelings if they took it all romance out . I would rather a player romance system like FF11 , so I could marry my IRL wife in game . That would be more meaningful than a system that really has no meaning other than 1 on 1 bases with NPC fantasy .

[Xeres_Ajani]

I am sorry your seeing things as very one sided but your also refusing to listen to our counter points on matters just because you /feel/ on issues. Not everyone agrees on everything but look at this post (which i posted on PAGE ONE OF THIS TOPIC)

 

Originally Posted by sparklecat

Person A: Why are you asking for this content, it's not even in Star Wars canonically!

 

Person B: Yes it is, you'll find examples here and here.

 

A: ...Is that it? Well, that's almost nothing and it doesn't really count, anyway. Besides, it doesn't matter if it's canon or not, what matters is that this issue isn't at all important next to all the other problems. The focus should be on fixing the game first.

 

B: Have we mentioned that it's different teams handling bugfixes to content updates?

 

A: Well, what makes your request so much more important than everyone else's? Why should, like, the 5% of the players who want this content be given priority over everything else which will appeal to a much larger percentage? How arrogant do you have to be to demand you should get what you want before they do?

 

B: First of all, we're not demanding immediate implementation, nor that everything else be put on hold so SGRAs can be developed first. We're asking for information on roughly when it's expected and how it might be implemented, because that affects how we play our characters right now. Secondly, MMOs in general have a wide range of features to appeal to different groups, some quite niche, all of whom naturally focus their requests and questions on what interests them, without adding caveats to the tune of "but this other group I'm not at all interested in has some things they want too, please put those in as well!"

 

A: What do you need more information for, anyway? The game's barely been launched, and lots of people aren't getting their questions answered. Bioware isn't under any obligation to answer your questions, so stop asking.

 

B: Bioware's customer service has encouraged us to continue asking and providing feedback. As well, the last we've heard on the subject was roughly five months ago; we don't need every possible detail, but any sort of update would help with what's really become the biggest issue here - that we're feeling ignored.

 

A: Just because they're not answering you doesn't mean there's some sort of anti-gay conspiracy. You know, you're turning off a lot of people who might otherwise support you with your conspiracy theories and "Help, help, I'm being repressed!" refrain.

 

B: Forgive those of us who are a little sensitive to the possibility that we're encountering prejudice; a necessary hazard when you're dealing with any minority group that *has* encountered such, I'm afraid. But the point is, we've encountered some very bad customer service - not from the individual customer service representatives, who are lovely people and are restricted in what they can say, but from the developers, in not addressing something that has a significant impact on people's games and their ability to play their characters. Even to say "we're still planning to include this/it's currently under development/we don't anticipate this will be in for some time" would be better than complete silence.

 

A: Why even bother still asking, then, if it doesn't do any good? You're spamming the Q&A thread with it, and it's getting annoying. Just leave if you're so unhappy.

 

B: Some have. Others have their own reasons for staying, too many to go into in one hypothetical conversation. But as I said, we've been encouraged to continue asking, and I for one intend to continue doing so, because I've got a lot of fondness for Bioware and am enjoying the game, this aside. I just think they're making a bad choice in remaining silent, and that the best thing I can do is apply pressure to try and change their mind. No customer deserves to be ignored when it comes to something they were promised and want some information on.

 

 

 

 

Did I hit all the major points?

 

 

 

Oh, right.

 

 

A: What about a tog-

[Kioma]

On a brighter note I had an odd idea the other day that the companion standing in your cockpit could swap to the one you're romancing if and when you start romancing one.

[Lurkz]

On a brighter note I had an odd idea the other day that the companion standing in your cockpit could swap to the one you're romancing if and when you start romancing one.

 

That would be awesome. What about if you're not romancing anyone? I really want to kick Corso off the flight deck of my ship.

[Krayna]

On a brighter note I had an odd idea the other day that the companion standing in your cockpit could swap to the one you're romancing if and when you start romancing one.

 

Why not the captains bedro.... ummmm heh

 

Luvs you all!

[Lurkz]

Why not the captains bedro.... ummmm heh

 

Luvs you all!

 

Muwahaha... ahem... I mean, also a great idea!

[Kioma]

That would be awesome. What about if you're not romancing anyone? I really want to kick Corso off the flight deck of my ship.

 

<snerk> Well, the option to move people around on the ship would be fun, too. Though I suppose you could ask for a paper bag helm so when he's in the ship he turns up in the cockpit with a paper bag over his head.

[Lurkz]

<snerk> Well, the option to move people around on the ship would be fun, too. Though I suppose you could ask for a paper bag helm so when he's in the ship he turns up in the cockpit with a paper bag over his head.

 

I really do need to start a quest to find the stupidest looking hat I can and make Corso wear it. At least it would make me smile when I enter the cockpit.

 

On a semi-related note, more of your companions need to speak during space missions. Particularly a romance option. I would laugh if my character's love interest suddenly said "If you get us killed I'm never sleeping with you again!" after I do something particularly stupid/brave in a space mission.

[ProfessorCaprion]

On a semi-related note, more of your companions need to speak during space missions. Particularly a romance option. I would laugh if my character's love interest suddenly said "If you get us killed I'm never sleeping with you again!" after I do something particularly stupid/brave in a space mission.

 

I was hoping for this, too, as I progressed in my Consular story. Alas, all I ever heard was Theran.

 

I'd love to hear others opinions on the battles... particularly C2 making "C3-P0"-style worrying remarks. I know he annoys some people, but I think he's amusing.

[Kioma]

I was hoping for this, too, as I progressed in my Consular story. Alas, all I ever heard was Theran.

 

I'd love to hear others opinions on the battles... particularly C2 making "C3-P0"-style worrying remarks. I know he annoys some people, but I think he's amusing.

 

Man, that'd drive me nuts.

 

It was so weird, playing my Sage and hearing her talking to herself in space battles until I got Tharan.

[Innocentone]

I doubt that they would want to reveal if it isn't until the next expansion of a future patch. They could tend to risk loosing subs by having so many players cancel there subs until the changes do get added. There possibly thinking about money first $$$$then other things second when it comes to announcing things. I want SGRA added to the game. If they did announce that it wasn't until the next expansion . Then yea, I would most likely just cancel and wait. Even if they didn't release info on this and ignored the players that want this. They risked being viewed negatively which players could still cancel there subs. It's a double edged sword . But staying silent on the matter, it can hurt them just as much as announcing something. Question is , which path are they gonna take? Edited March 3, 2012 by Innocentone

[Kioma]

I doubt that they would want to reveal if it isn't until the next expansion of a future patch. They could tend to risk loosing subs by having so many players cancel there subs until the changes do get added. There possibly thinking about money first $$$$then other things second when it comes to announcing things. I want SGRA added to the game. If they did announce that it wasn't until the next expansion . Then yea, I would most likely just cancel and wait. Even if they didn't release info on this and ignored the players that want this. They risked being viewed negatively which players could still cancel there subs. It's a double edged sword . But staying silent on the matter, it can hurt them just as much as announcing something. Question is , which patch are they gonna take?

 

The problem I see is that the behaviour they're exhibiting hurts them in a far worse way: it damages customer loyalty. Nobody likes being ignored, no matter what their opinion is. Subscriptions dropping off until a patch is almost guaranteed when a patch and its contents are announced, just as renewed subscriptions are a given when said patch is released.

 

But not even talking to us? Not even a short 'it's coming but we can't say when'? They've done that with other content so we know they're not refusing to on the basis that they can't give a time. And as they're not saying anything we only have our speculations to go on.

 

The longer they leave the situation like that the darker those speculations become. That's human nature.

[mefit]

On a brighter note I had an odd idea the other day that the companion standing in your cockpit could swap to the one you're romancing if and when you start romancing one.

 

I think this is a good idea but to further it , I wish you could generally move companions around . I know I would like to fill seats with them in the cockpit instead of them just standing there.

 

Maybe even movement in the Spaceship in general would be nice !

[Lurkz]

Actually, as has been pointed out several times, we don't actually know if it IS in the works. They made a vague statement about it being a post-launch feature. For all we know it's stuck on some list of "things to do after 5 expansions when we have nothing else to add" and ISN'T being worked on. Hence why we're asking for info. We want to know if it's actually being worked on now or has been delayed until a future date or what. Edited March 3, 2012 by Paralassa

[Kioma]

I think this is a good idea but to further it , I wish you could generally move companions around . I know I would like to fill seats with them in the cockpit instead of them just standing there.

 

Maybe even movement in the Spaceship in general would be nice !

 

I think it'd be nice to have a few quest scenes where the companions are doing more than just standing in front of the holocomm, standing in their assigned spot or standing in the gather room. Some dramatic ship scenes with people sitting at stations would be good. More movement is definitely better.

 

In terms of romance, well, having the capacity to put your character's lover in the part of the ship you like the most would be great.

 

in some cases maybe a confrontation scene would be good, like Kira cornering the JK and Doc to tell them off and rant on about the Jedi Code for a while - or Doc surprising the JK and Kira somewhere and bagging them out for being 'naughty Jedi' or the like.

[Lurkz]

or Doc surprising the JK and Kira somewhere and bagging them out for being 'naughty Jedi' or the like.

 

This would make me laugh so hard.

 

I wish companions reacted more to things you say or do in general. At least in class quests. So often I wish I could talk over what just occurred with my active companion because it just seems like something that should happen. They really shouldn't just stand there passively. Sure, they gain or lose affection points but they should -verbalize- why they do or don't like what you just said/did.

Edited March 3, 2012 by Lurkz

[Innocentone]

Actually, as has been pointed out several times, we don't actually know if it IS in the works. They made a vague statement about it being a post-launch feature. For all we know it's stuck on some list of "things to do after 5 expansions when we have nothing else to add" and ISN'T being worked on. Hence why we're asking for info. We want to know if it's actually being worked on now or has been delayed until a future date or what.

 

 

My guess would be since no official word on the matter has been said. That it won't be out for at least a year or so. I can see that there trying to tip toe along the edge just long enough to get bye without having to give a time frame on the matter. Trying to keep the idea alive while leaving everyone in limbo waiting.