Chaos Project

I feel a little embarrassed posting about something silly like this, but I've been working on the story, and the question has arisen in my mind of how deep I should take any possible romance sub-plot. This being our community project, I wanted to get everyone's input, so please vote in the above poll. Here are the voting options explained in a little more detail.

• Not at all -- There would be no intentionally romantic situations in the game at all. The main character's relations with each other will remain strictly friendly (or familial, in William and Gerald's case.)
  Games that have implemented this style include Mother 3, Dragon Quest IX, and Secret of Mana.
  
  
• Hinted at, but very fully stated -- Romance would never really be a part of the story, but occasionally hints might be dropped of one character having feelings for another. It would never be expressly stated, and would minimally impact the story.
  Games that have implemented this style include Chaos Project, Super Mario RPG, and Earthbound.
  
  
• Fully formed and present -- One or more romantic relationships would be present in the story, and would evolve over the course of the story. Things would never overshadow the main storyline, but the sub-plot would be obviously present and written into the story.
  This is probably the most common implementation. Games that have implemented this style include Final Fantasy IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X, Chrono Trigger & Cross, and a variety of other games.
  
  
• Fully present, and integrated into gameplay -- This option is slightly different from the others, but definitely a valid alternative. The player, as William, would be given the choice to pursue a romantic relationship with any one (or, if the player plays their cards right, multiple) female character. This would have a minor but still visible effect on some scenes in the story. It is also a possibility that the player's choices would have a small impact on the gameplay itself. If we decide to go with this option, the details would have to be further discussed.
  Examples of games with a limited implementation of a system like this include Final Fantasy VII and X. Examples of games with an extensive implementation of a system like this include Persona 3 and 4, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect.
  
  
• Other -- None of the above. Please post and describe your feelings on the matter.

Quote from: WhiteRose on April 28, 2011, 02:59:11 am

• Hinted at, but very fully stated -- Romance would never really be a part of the story, but occasionally hints might be dropped of one character having feelings for another. It would never be expressly stated, and would minimally impact the story.
  Games that have implemented this style include Chaos Project, Super Mario RPG, and Earthbound.

I feel honored to be included in your list. ._.
Naturally I voted for the same option. I just like it that way. It happens very often that people have feelings for each other but never express them. IMO it's a bit weird (and sometimes maybe even unnatural) that no feelings are developed whatsoever.
BTW, at the very end of Secret of Mana, there actually is a hint of romance. The girl (I don't remember her name) says something in the manner that "if she wasn't already engaged to Dyluck", etc. It's just before the fight against the dragon.

I agree with Blizzard. Hinting at it, but never fully bringing it to light is the best way to go in my opinion. I think it is difficult to get it just right, and it usually seems forced or a little over the top to me in most games that try it (FFVIII and FFX come to mind). I think that the hinting at it is the same as how a love story in a book seems deeper than one in a movie. You basically can give the hints and connotations, and allow the player to use their imaginations and personal experiences to fill in the missing gaps. The feelings they imagine that the character has will feel more real and personal since they are really just their own, and it will help draw the player in.

Quote from: ForeverZer0 on April 28, 2011, 05:32:54 pm
allow the player to use their imaginations and personal experiences to fill in the missing gaps. The feelings they imagine that the character has will feel more real and personal since they are really just their own, and it will help draw the player in.

This.

Other - Comic Relief using NPCs.

Here are the current results of the poll:
Not at all.    0 (0%)
Hinted at, but very fully stated.    4 (50%)
Fully formed and present    1 (12.5%)
Fully present, and integrated into gameplay    2 (25%)
Other (please post and explain)    1 (12.5%)

I'll leave the poll running so that people who haven't voted yet may voice their opinions, but in the meantime, I'll probably go with the ideas suggested by Blizzard and F0.

@AliveDrive: Not a bad idea, but I was mainly wondering about a romance plot between the main characters. With NPCs, we don't have to be as careful when it comes to being fully developed characters, so having a comedic-romance side-quest chain is a definite possibility.

Other - Make romance, but keep it strictly to side characters. Your allies, but never the main character.

I'm saying this having not read the rest of the thread. Sorry, but I noticed this just now and I'm not in the right place of mind to be seeing other opinions. My mind is rather raw. Maybe I shouldn' tbe posting in this thread at all.

So I say keep the romance to the allies / NPCs but not the main character at all.

This is definitely an interesting alternative. You could even make 2 of your side characters be actually already married. Hm... Killing off one of these two characters would create an interesting emotional spike.