Ah. The romance of giving the right colour knicknack 20 times to somebody and get the relationship meter to green.

It would also accommodate some Aces I know that just find the concept unappealing at best and repulsive at worst. Having to click through scenes you don't wanna see to get to the good stuff is just annoying, and the impression that your relationship is only "complete" once you do the deed obviously also isn't great.

Conversely, decoupling sex from romance could help destigmatise it, particularly in monoamorous games. You don't need to be fully committed to someone to do the special thing with them (though obviously cheating when you are committed is a bad thing). People who do it more casually aren't being irreverent about something sacred. There needs to be consent, there needs to be trust, maybe make the player "earn it" in some way, but normalise the notion that it's a thing people can do.

Either way: make it an option, not an obligation.

It's been breeding people

Perfect choice of words

B²G3 romances seem shallow and kind of transactional because it is a mix of characters who don't know each other having a whirlwind romance in a relatively short period of time.

Add the sense of "we don't know how much longer we have" and the general dramatisation of High Fantasy and you have one hell of an intense honeymoon phase.

After that, the game doesn't really cover how your relationship plays out, aside from that short party epilogue. Sure, your shared experience may make for a strong start, but the arguments, the differences, the difficulties adjusting to one another while also grappling with the trauma of what you went through and the challenge of finding your place in this new world... there's a lot left open that just doesn't fit in this game's frame.

Not just romance systems... Especially with younger crowd unless 100% of the content is accessible on a playthrough they will feel left out. Cosmetics, items, weapons whatever be it. Makes everything seem more shallow because of their fomo.

Someone using the word “cornball” is weighing in on what defines mature discourse.

Someone using the term “mature discourse” desperately wants to beat the cringey cornball allegations lol

Yeah, I really just wish it wasn't in games since it's almost always done poorly yet also the only way to get some backstory which feels forced and dumb.

To me finding the right dialog option or getting the right item just doesn't cut it. In real life a lot depends on the head space both people are in and what's going on in their lives when they're talking with each other. You could have a max "score" with someone, but they're kinda seeing someone or maybe you have a family emergency you need to deal with and things don't work out. If you have characters that are just waiting for you to select the correct options and have nothing else going on in their lives, it's all very flat and oversimplified.

Some things just don't follow the rules of logic, or if they do, it's too complicated to model mathematically. But maybe people would get value from an approximation of a cheesy romance novel? Not really sure what the goal is tho. Is it realistic encounters or something emulating something not at all realistic but some people enjoy anyway?

And SO much resources spent on it that could be used for legitimate content- more story, better content, stability passes.

I’d have said “adult talk” but I didn’t want to assume you were a child just because you act like one.

I’m going to block you now as I don’t see you being worth talking to any further.

Embarrassing lol. Another excruciating read.