Player control over Gale's romantic advances?

[Retrox]

Just saying "no" is not how it works with Gale. On the infamous early-game celebration night, all you have to do is be friendly with him and you will be informed by Lae'zel that it's unfortunate that "your body has been promised to Gale." The player is never given a choice, nor a reasonable chance to respond to Gale's advances that prevent the game from "promising" your PC's body to him other than (1) just being a complete **** to him, or (2) telling Lae'zel that you'd rather bang her instead. This ridiculous scenario is literally forced upon the player with no warning, and no way to rectify it. So your PC's options boil down to two choices: Either you want to have sex with Lae'zel, or you don't because you're gay. This is the "choice" the player is given, and I have the screenshots to prove it.

If the game forced the PC (and by extension, the player) into a heterosexual interaction that the player did not consent to, there would already be a legion of LGB keyboard warriors ruthlessly and hatefully attacking Larian via every available avenue online. Straight players have a right to complain too, and most of us are being far more civil than the former group has been in the past; and yet we are the ones receiving copious amounts of *actual* hatred from those very same people who demand tolerance and understanding from us.

Most of us heterosexuals are more than happy to be LGB allies when they have been disrespected. However, many of us are also tired of that respect not being reciprocated. Ironically, it seems that most of the people lashing out against what they perceive as homophobic behavior are hetero themselves and most of the *actual* gay people seem to understand our complaints... because they've been dealing with this ♥♥♥♥ their entire lives and they GET IT. So for the rest of you: Kindly stfu if you have nothing to contribute beyond your tired white knighting and ad hominem attacks.

All that fluff aside, I see a lot tactless straight people criticizing this from the "it's creepy" and the "no ♥♥♥♥" angles, when in reality we should simply be pointing out that it's just broken and slightly offensive because of that. It would be just as broken and just as offensive to gay people if this forced scenario was a heterosexual one, and as a straight person I would absolutely call it out just the same. It's not weird, it's just broken, and it should be fixed, and the game will be better off for it. That's the only agenda *I* have.

[cfehunter]

You have to tell him no twice.
Act 1 party and his first advance after that, I *think* he leaves you alone after that.

From his point of view I understand why he's attaching to the player character. It's understandable, but uncomfortable, that he's so forward while pining over Mystra though.

[MegaClaus]

I told him to leave the tf alone, now we are buddies. 😂

[Balzack]

It's like, they want to follow Bioware's example with all the dumb romance in this game. Yet...they missed the part where Bioware treats romance more like something you unlock. More akin to a reward. Just having characters fling themselves at you is pretty weird and off putting, gay straight or whatever lol.

[Heroic Ryan]

After I rejected him during the weave scene, he never came on to me further. It seemed to just be completely platonic after that. There was another scene that I think could've been romantic where he was looking at the stars during Act 2, but there wasn't any romance involved. He just seemed to be venting about being scared to die, which seems reasonable. I really don't understand where all these claims of Gale not taking no for an answer are coming from tbh.

[♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]

Originally posted by Heroic Ryan:

After I rejected him during the weave scene, he never came on to me further. It seemed to just be completely platonic after that. There was another scene that I think could've been romantic where he was looking at the stars during Act 2, but there wasn't any romance involved. He just seemed to be venting about being scared to die, which seems reasonable. I really don't understand where all these claims of Gale not taking no for an answer are coming from tbh.

Just bad dialogue strings. Some of the options seem mild and fair, and only end up meeting the requirement to trigger romance dialogue again in the future, but it's not clear which ones do. Because you have so few companions people try hard to avoid picking the "be a ♥♥♥♥" option, and it ends up backing them into those encounters.

[Texas_Jake]

It's positively frightening how many people cannot separate themselves from a character in a video game. But yet explains so much as to why we are where we are as a society.

[Heroic Ryan]

Originally posted by ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥:

Originally posted by Heroic Ryan:

After I rejected him during the weave scene, he never came on to me further. It seemed to just be completely platonic after that. There was another scene that I think could've been romantic where he was looking at the stars during Act 2, but there wasn't any romance involved. He just seemed to be venting about being scared to die, which seems reasonable. I really don't understand where all these claims of Gale not taking no for an answer are coming from tbh.

Just bad dialogue strings. Some of the options seem mild and fair, and only end up meeting the requirement to trigger romance dialogue again in the future, but it's not clear which ones do. Because you have so few companions people try hard to avoid picking the "be a ♥♥♥♥" option, and it ends up backing them into those encounters.

The only option I had with Gale to resume his romance was a dialogue option that said "I still think about that night we shared the weave often" or something like that. Never picked that option, never had anything romantic with him happen afterwards.

[Retrox]

Originally posted by Heroic Ryan:

I really don't understand where all these claims of Gale not taking no for an answer are coming from tbh.

The problem I have isn't that he doesn't take "no" for an answer, the problem is that the question is never asked in the first place.

[lar unuruur]

for me it is not "sligthly offensive", for me it is disgusting! it is impossible to comfortably play man main character because of this bs. just look what opposition arrived from same people about simple suggestion give people choice at character creation state their sexuality. NO! look at responses! stop being tolarete where you should never had to in the first place.

[♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]

Originally posted by Retrox:

Originally posted by Heroic Ryan:

I really don't understand where all these claims of Gale not taking no for an answer are coming from tbh.

The problem I have isn't that he doesn't take "no" for an answer, the problem is that the question is never asked in the first place.

I hear you, but people go off the deep end with the "how dare you?!" replies no matter how tame and reasonable you try to be when you bring up the subject.

[Retrox]

Originally posted by g0dless_heathen:

It's positively frightening how many people cannot separate themselves from a character in a video game. But yet explains so much as to why we are where we are as a society.

For a role-playing game that relies tremendously on narrative and meaningful character interactions to engage and entertain the player, role-playing gamers will dock the **** out of a game's score if it is weak in those areas.

I have no problems with you not understanding that, but try not to judge people.

[Lysamus]

I chose the nice, non flirtation option with Gale during the celebration night and he never attempted to pursue a romantic relationship with me after that.

You have full control over romance in the game. Don't flirt with characters you don't intend to romance and if you do so accidentally, just choose the "no" option to shut it down.

[aramintai]

If some new colleague was hitting on me at work irl just after successfully finishing a one week project like Gale does, I would have siced HR on his ass right away for sexual harassment. But apparently there is no 'Call HR' button in this company of horny weirdos. You gotta endure their explicit headcanon fantasies and salivating gazes just after few days of meeting them until an opportunity arises (way way later) to finally say a rude NO to them to finally make it stop. But even then they act all hurt and dejected.

Seriously though, I think there's gotta be a clear indicator for romance initiation options. Like (Start Romance) or something.

[Texas_Jake]

Originally posted by Retrox:

Originally posted by g0dless_heathen:

It's positively frightening how many people cannot separate themselves from a character in a video game. But yet explains so much as to why we are where we are as a society.

For a role-playing game that relies tremendously on narrative and meaningful character interactions to engage and entertain the player, role-playing gamers will dock the **** out of a game's score if it is weak in those areas.

I have no problems with you not understanding that, but try not to judge people.

I'd love to see where the "role-playing gamers have docked the ♥♥♥♥ out of the games score". Last I checked it was smashing the scores of a lot of very well received games, which leaves only one answer as to why very few people have an issue with this one small part of the game. They don't want to see anything but hetero relationships and when that isn't the case they lose their friggin minds.

[Kain]

I was close to Shadowheart during that party, so he was pretty ok with me not being interested.