Same gender relationships clarifications?

[VegaPhone]

SGRA is one of those mysterious carrot on the stick for the forums, and keeps people interested.

 

If it was not for that, people would be talking about the times they had fun which would sound exaggerated and fake. Almost to the point of begging people to stay by reminding people of the good times they had and why they should stay. Nice marketing done by customers, but this happens on servers with dropping populations.

 

Or complaining about the bad management by BW, major bugs of OPs, exploits, lack of MMO content, no multiplayer mini games, lack of customer service etc etc

 

Or talking about SGRA, and when it is coming.

 

Well, Im tired of talking about what BW should do.

 

I am tired of hearing about people beg to other people by reminiscing about the great the times they had on swtor to convince them to stay... this happens on low populated servers... and its pathetic, I felt like a begger at times talking about the good things in this game as if trying to convince people to stay so I can benefit.

 

Or watch this thread and observe... cause really I am just interested as to what evolves from this, but really having nothing to add. However, if you want to have a discussion about SGRA, then I would entertain the idea since atm I am very bored with swtor, and would find a pointless discussion about SGRA more entertaining.

[USMCjv]

This thread is worth a look through some interesting discussionhttp://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=469994

[Rayla_Felana]

SGRA is one of those mysterious carrot on the stick for the forums, and keeps people interested.

 

If it was not for that, people would be talking about the times they had fun which would sound exaggerated and fake. Almost to the point of begging people to stay by reminding people of the good times they had and why they should stay. Nice marketing done by customers, but this happens on servers with dropping populations.

 

Or complaining about the bad management by BW, major bugs of OPs, exploits, lack of MMO content, no multiplayer mini games, lack of customer service etc etc

 

Or talking about SGRA, and when it is coming.

 

Well, Im tired of talking about what BW should do.

 

I am tired of hearing about people beg to other people by reminiscing about the great the times they had on swtor to convince them to stay... this happens on low populated servers... and its pathetic, I felt like a begger at times talking about the good things in this game as if trying to convince people to stay so I can benefit.

 

Or watch this thread and observe... cause really I am just interested as to what evolves from this, but really having nothing to add. However, if you want to have a discussion about SGRA, then I would entertain the idea since atm I am very bored with swtor, and would find a pointless discussion about SGRA more entertaining.

 

Wrong, it is being released this year, 1.4 is tipped off as being a companion heavy update and we know that the companion update is through the works but won't be quite ready for 1.3, this is not a carrot on a stick, it is a very real update that will happen with new story you might have some doom and gloom outlook on this game, we however do not.

[Larask]

The short version: Nope, they're not in yet. They're expected to be in sometime "this year", in conjunction with a story update. Recent speculation is 1.4, but that is purely speculation.

 

The long version: If you're interested in pretty much everything we know so far, check out this FAQ:

http://www.swtor.com/community/showpost.php?p=3582367&postcount=9

 

(For reference, It's on the first page of the thread, several posts down)

 

Thanks a lot for the info. I thought this would have come up by now as it doesn't seem to be too complicated to add to the game, but oh well. Thanks again

[Jandi]

Thanks a lot for the info. I thought this would have come up by now as it doesn't seem to be too complicated to add to the game, but oh well. Thanks again

 

Not too complicated? Wow that's just... wow. You do realize that they need to book the voice actors, directors, studios and all the other staff in addition to writing them, coding them and then implementing it all. They also need to add completely new companions, their stories, VOs etc. They can't just add it to existing ones or they would have to wipe their affection and that would be a total fist in the behind for people who don't care about it.

 

None of this can be made to magically appear out of a hat you know.

 

Edit: To clarify, they need 16 new companions at least. Male and Female for every base class. That's a mountain of work.

Edited June 2, 2012 by Jandi

[MusedMoose]

Not too complicated? Wow that's just... wow. You do realize that they need to book the voice actors, directors, studios and all the other staff in addition to writing them, coding them and then implementing it all. They also need to add completely new companions, their stories, VOs etc. They can't just add it to existing ones or they would have to wipe their affection and that would be a total fist in the behind for people who don't care about it.

 

None of this can be made to magically appear out of a hat you know.

 

Edit: To clarify, they need 16 new companions at least. Male and Female for every base class. That's a mountain of work.

While I'm not disputing the amount of work involved in this - just trying to schedule the game's voice actors must be like herding cats - I think you're off in assuming that SGRs will only be with new companions. BioWare has said that they're aware of our concerns with SGRs, and in all the versions of this thread, there's been a vast majority of people who want SGRs with current companions rather than new ones. Also, at the guild summit, the person from BW who spoke about SGRs said they knew which companions they wanted to implement SGRs with, which implies already-existing characters, not new ones.

 

Another thing is that adding new romances to existing companions wouldn't mean their affection had to be reset, not at all. From what I've seen while playing, companion missions are triggered by two things: affection and story points. If you've passed a specific story point for a companion mission, and you have sufficient affection, you'll get a new conversation mission. These missions don't go away if you don't do them, and you can't miss them by getting too much affection or by passing a point in your story.

 

For example, on my Sith Warrior, I built up a lot of affection with Vette, but didn't get any missions with her for a long time. Then, when I passed a certain story point (Alderaan, I think), I suddenly had four missions in a row from her. Gaining plenty of affection before I needed it didn't make me miss anything. And once I'd passed Alderaan, I would have gotten those missions whenever I had enough affection.

 

I've seen the same thing with other characters and companions. On my trooper, I stopped using Aric as a companion after I got Dorne. (Sorry, Aric.) But when I got some more affection with him, he had a new mission for me, one that I'd outleveled but could still do.

 

So: if the current companions become available for SGRs, it seems likely they'll just suddenly have a ton of new missions for you if their affection is high enough. It will also be a ton less work than making 16 new companions.

[Jandi]

True, it's possible but it's still 16 companions they need to redo, they can't just add romances without changing the characters personality in any way. I personally think it would be kind of lame though as you would miss out on some conversation stuff during story missions that appear only if you're romancing the companion, meaning you would have to replay the class to see them all.

[Kaisernick]

The accents make them sound more formal, but it doesn'tmake sense otherwise

Why these imperials have the accent as well as the original trilogy ones, i'm not sure. i can only assume that ex-Imperial citizens remained on former imperial controlled planets after the war, so the accent was preserved.

But i have no idea where the accent would have originally come from, i guess a hybrid of sith language and english?

 

there was no lore reason for the acents for this game it was simply to create a connection between the empire of the films and the sith empire in game.

Edited June 3, 2012 by Ellvaan
Quoted removed content

[JediElf]

So: if the current companions become available for SGRs, it seems likely they'll just suddenly have a ton of new missions for you if their affection is high enough. It will also be a ton less work than making 16 new companions.

 

It is my sincere hope, that this is what happens.

 

That would be nice. ^_^

Edited June 3, 2012 by JediElf

[Evil_Jashinist]

I wonder when they'll add this to the game... I've got my hopes on 04, but I don't really know. Oo

I'm kinda scared to level up my gay/bi characters just in case I might miss my chance XD So it's really affecting my gaming. Silly I know but my poor little pureblood SW just can't do girls. They give him an inferiority complex because he worries they're more fabulous than he. XD

 

Ah well. Nothing new here, just felt like I needed to add a bit to the discussion and keep the thread going!

[Kaenna]

Well, maybe we'll get more hints and/or answers (maybe even a slip or two), from the conventions they'll be at over the next of couple months.

[Crezelle]

my guild still say it won't happen... "what dev's say and what they are allowed to do often aren't the same"

>

[Rayla_Felana]

my guild still say it won't happen... "what dev's say and what they are allowed to do often aren't the same"

>

 

They are trolling you.

[MusedMoose]

I wonder when they'll add this to the game... I've got my hopes on 04, but I don't really know. Oo

I'm kinda scared to level up my gay/bi characters just in case I might miss my chance XD So it's really affecting my gaming. Silly I know but my poor little pureblood SW just can't do girls. They give him an inferiority complex because he worries they're more fabulous than he. XD

I know what you mean. If SGRs aren't in by the the time my JC gets Nadia, or my SI gets Ashara, I'm going to have to stop playing those characters so I don't miss anything. My BH is on hold at level 3, and I'll probably start her over again once SGRs hit just to make sure she doesn't miss out on any [Flirt] prompts with Mako. And I know I'll have to start my JK over, not only to not miss out on possible flirting with Kira but so their awesome Xena/Gabrielle-type relationship can be requited. ...assuming, of course, that any of the companions I've named are in fact SGR options.

 

my guild still say it won't happen... "what dev's say and what they are allowed to do often aren't the same"

>

Your guildmates are foolish, then. The simple fact that they think BioWare wouldn't be "allowed" to add SGRs suggests they still believe the myth that LucasArts is somehow anti-gay, and that's simply not true.

 

I say you start making million-credit bets with them, saying that SGRs will be in-game by the year's end.

[Rycerz]

While I'm not disputing the amount of work involved in this - just trying to schedule the game's voice actors must be like herding cats - I think you're off in assuming that SGRs will only be with new companions. BioWare has said that they're aware of our concerns with SGRs, and in all the versions of this thread, there's been a vast majority of people who want SGRs with current companions rather than new ones. Also, at the guild summit, the person from BW who spoke about SGRs said they knew which companions they wanted to implement SGRs with, which implies already-existing characters, not new ones.

 

Another thing is that adding new romances to existing companions wouldn't mean their affection had to be reset, not at all. From what I've seen while playing, companion missions are triggered by two things: affection and story points. If you've passed a specific story point for a companion mission, and you have sufficient affection, you'll get a new conversation mission. These missions don't go away if you don't do them, and you can't miss them by getting too much affection or by passing a point in your story.

 

For example, on my Sith Warrior, I built up a lot of affection with Vette, but didn't get any missions with her for a long time. Then, when I passed a certain story point (Alderaan, I think), I suddenly had four missions in a row from her. Gaining plenty of affection before I needed it didn't make me miss anything. And once I'd passed Alderaan, I would have gotten those missions whenever I had enough affection.

 

I've seen the same thing with other characters and companions. On my trooper, I stopped using Aric as a companion after I got Dorne. (Sorry, Aric.) But when I got some more affection with him, he had a new mission for me, one that I'd outleveled but could still do.

 

So: if the current companions become available for SGRs, it seems likely they'll just suddenly have a ton of new missions for you if their affection is high enough. It will also be a ton less work than making 16 new companions.

 

They also said they just don't want to change the dialogue, and they said characters not companions. So I wouldn't box them in just to the current 16 companion characters. Plus with the recent announcement I wouldn't assume to know what their budget is for implementing SGRs - if they are apart of the showcased story updates.

 

As for the current companions, the current romances are integrated into their personal character story - in order to go back and make an existing companion into a SGR then that romance arc will have to be separate and it'll make it feel disjointed when you can only flirt with him/her in the "X" amount of special conversations, instead of throughout all of them.

[MusedMoose]

As for the current companions, the current romances are integrated into their personal character story - in order to go back and make an existing companion into a SGR then that romance arc will have to be separate and it'll make it feel disjointed when you can only flirt with him/her in the "X" amount of special conversations, instead of throughout all of them.

This probably comes down to personal taste, but I think the current romances are a little disjointed in how they fit with the existing companion missions. The only romance I've finished with is Akaavi, on my Smuggler, and her normal companion missions were clearly done separate from her romance missions. I don't think there were any chances to flirt with her in the non-romance missions, at least, not after the romance itself got started. So there's already that clear separation between the two. It's pretty much the same with what I've done with Vette and Elara - from what I've seen so far, there's flirting in some of the pre-romance missions, but once you start the romance, the later missions don't have those dialogue options.

 

I also disagree that the romances are really integrated into the personal character stories. The companions' stories had to be written so that they worked without the romance, since not everyone would do the romance. Akaavi's story, as far as I can tell, about her dealing with past issues and becoming loyal to the Smuggler, would have played out the same with or without the romance. The romance just means she has more reason for her loyalty.

 

Also, there's nothing to stop BioWare from adding in flirt opportunities along with the existing dialogue. Okay, nothing except time and budget constraints.

 

It's hard to know how it's going to end up working, and I think most if not all of us wish we had answers to these questions. Hopefully we'll get them sooner than later.

[Ohmygah]

Perhaps they'll add two companions per faction, available to all classes of that faction. One male, one female. Either same sex only or both genders, probably the latter.

 

I'm more curious about the npc flirting. Presumably the earlier missions won't be edited, but what about the new ones? I imagine they may not do same sex npc flirting since they may want to keep it more low key than that, but it'd be nice to see.

[Darth_Gao_Gao]

hey i like how 1.3 addresses none of this. it's okay, you'll all keep waiting.

[Wittand]

Adding SGRAs for existing companions would not be such a problem as some seem to believe.

The level cap will be raised anyway this year, so that there will be some room for the story to unfold. A JC as example right now only meets his female LI on Belsavis, so BioWare already appearently is not too bothered by writing fast developing romances.

As far as changing existing RAs during the leveling process goes. Jaxo was bugged and many troopers missed the final conversation with her. Patch 1.2 fixed that bug and all troopers ,

even those who already advanced the main plot and choose to let her die,

got the mission to go talk with her in her Corusant appartment.

Something similar can be done for existing characters. I.e a romance starting conversation is added similar to the ones you have as male trooper with Dorne that is available for every player and the rest of the romance just plays after it. So created toons still can unlock the romance, even if it will feel as rushed as most interactions with late coming companions do, and new players just run across the romance unlocking conversation during the leveling like they do for OGRAs right now.

[Birthofthecool]

hey i like how 1.3 addresses none of this. it's okay, you'll all keep waiting.

 

 

Same here, I thought with June already arrived, that the topic should be adressed again and it's nice how 1.3 will again do nothing for SGR's. The E3 announcements show that new storyline material, new level cap etc. should be implemented this year, so where's the promised same gender romance?

 

Gee, why is it always one step forward and then two steps back with Bioware?

Like you could romance Liara in ME1, but the same sex romance options in ME2 were pulled...

[MusedMoose]

hey i like how 1.3 addresses none of this. it's okay, you'll all keep waiting.

BioWare said a while back that 1.3 would be a smaller patch, just for Legacy additions and the group finder and other mechanical things. They said patches after it would return to more content and story updates.

 

Besides, nobody gets what they want exactly when they want it. That's called Real Life. Patience is called a virtue for a reason, as there are things worth waiting for.

 

Same here, I thought with June already arrived, that the topic should be adressed again and it's nice how 1.3 will again do nothing for SGR's. The E3 announcements show that new storyline material, new level cap etc. should be implemented this year, so where's the promised same gender romance?

At the guild summit, BioWare said that SGRs would come with the story update. What did the E3 preview mention? Story updates. Therefore, we're still on track. Just because something wasn't mentioned doesn't mean it's not in.

 

Gee, why is it always one step forward and then two steps back with Bioware?

Like you could romance Liara in ME1, but the same sex romance options in ME2 were pulled...

Care to explain where the step back is? SGRs not being mentioned in no way means they're not going to be added. That's a baseless assumption.

 

Also: I thought that Fem!Shep still could romance a female party member in ME2. I haven't played the game, so can someone who has verify this, please?

[Rayla_Felana]

Also: I thought that Fem!Shep still could romance a female party member in ME2. I haven't played the game, so can someone who has verify this, please?

 

Fem Shepard can still get with Liara T'soni who doesn't just come as a companion, she comes with her own enormous ME2 DLC pack called 'Lair of the Shadow Broker' based around her, which without gives you a much poorer experience in ME3, throughout the Mass Effect franchise she is quite clearly the biggest companion of the lot, she is given all the biggest roles and cannot be killed off in any part of the series.

 

Furthermore, Liara's ME3 *cough* scene is far far more 'mature' than all the others are.

Edited June 5, 2012 by Rayla_Felana

[Captain_Zone]

Fem Shepard can still get with Liara T'soni who doesn't just come as a companion, she comes with her own enormous ME2 DLC pack called 'Lair of the Shadow Broker' based around her, which without gives you a much poorer experience in ME3, throughout the Mass Effect franchise she is quite clearly the biggest companion of the lot, she is given all the biggest roles and cannot be killed off in any part of the series.

 

Furthermore, Liara's ME3 *cough* scene is far far more 'mature' than all the others are.

 

Oooooh, yes! Most definitely yes! Liara has a thing for not wearing.... ok, enough of that.

[Ellyria]

Also: I thought that Fem!Shep still could romance a female party member in ME2. I haven't played the game, so can someone who has verify this, please?

 

FemShep could try to romance Samara (and get turned down) or get some asari mind lovin' from Morinth (and get a critical mission failure). She could also romance Kelly Chambers, who isn't a party member. None of these granted the paramour achievement, but in ME3 hooking back up with Kelly apparently does.

[Jenzali]

Now that Cathar are announced as playable, I'm holding off levelling another Trooper until SGRA is added (for Jorgan furiness).