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What's the staus on Same-Sex Romances?


GregSJ

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28 pages (and countless more in the other topic) of 'nobody cares'.

 

While I haven't counted lately, the thread on the Story & Lore forum, where we are expected to keep to ourselves and not bother normal people, has over 7,500 posts over the past 10 months and over 500,000 views. That's adding together the original version and the five subsequent versions CS has created when each gets too full.

 

So, if that one is going so strong, why post here? Because that thread has never had a reply, other than one "nothing new I can tell you" from Joveth. Not that nothing more is known. I have listed a handful of points they could clarify if they choose to. But they haven't, and if posting there isn't effective, we are more than happy to post here, in a thread created by a player who HAD NO IDEA THE 'OFFICIAL' THREAD EXISTS BECAUSE IT IS HIDDEN AWAY WHERE PEOPLE DON'T FIND IT AND CS FEELS COMFORTABLE IGNORING IT LIKE THEY HAVE FOR 10 MONTHS.

 

Pardon my vehemence. Deny it all you like, CS. You know why I contacted you last time. I don't see improvement. I know it's the weekend so I'll give you some time to catch up. Then, let's talk.

Edited by Uluain
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Countless? Two is countless?

 

That's as many times as BioWare has officially issued any statement on this content. The original announcement is the stock response. It is over a year old, dating from before launch, stating the position in language that speaks of game launch as a future event, and was written by a man who left the studio five months ago.

 

I think we can be forgiven for wanting a status update that we don't have to blow dust off of.

 

He can't count very high leave him alone!

 

But seriously, it will happen when it happens until then just make a female type 3 and pretend she is a man and romance other men. Or make a Male type 1 and pretend he is a girl and romance other girls for the time being.

 

I mean I know the power of imagination, I pretend I am shooting jelly filled donuts at SoA and Karraga and when I play my sorc on those rare occasions I scream UNLIMITED POWAAA! in vent constantly and PRETEND noone minds.

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This seems as good time as any to repost this so people know what has and hasn't been said by the actual Bioware employees.

 

A Time Line Of Events Pertaining To SGRA's

 

 

February 2000 – EA releases the Sims featuring same-gendered romance.

 

 

July 2003 – Bioware releases Knights of the old Republic which was initially slated to feature a same-gender romance with the companion Juhani. Although much of the Juhani arc was removed it remained possible to enter a romance with the character and to learn part of her personal history and the relationship she had with another Jedi who will later fall to the Darkside should Juhani be killed by the player character.

 

 

August 2008 – Karen Traviss confirms two Mandalorian characters to be a married homosexual couple. Link.

 

 

“Goran Beviin and Medrit Vasur are a gay couple. Homosexual men. Call it what you like, they're in a same-sex marriage.

 

She further elaborates;

 

“The gay Mandos - like the rest of the Mandalorian cast - are in the series because I think the Star Wars galaxy, with millions of worlds and species, is probably more diverse than just a regular vanilla diet of straight, good-looking, able-bodied white folk with red hair and emerald eyes or whatever. So I decided it was time SW had its first gay characters, because it was dumb for such a rich universe like that to be so narrow and unreal.

 

October 2008 – George Lucas donates $50,000 to No on 8 ( a campaign in support of gay marriage). Lucasfilm donates the same amount of money to the same campaign. Link.

 

 

April 2009 – Bioware Community Manager Sean Dahlberg censors the use of homosexual labels and states that the terms “do not exist in Star Wars”. The statement is later retracted and the terms are uncensored. Link.

 

 

August 2011 – Bioware's Cory Butler responds to the question of SGRA's being in/out with a hurried no and a quick change of topic. Link.

 

 

September 2011 – Bioware Community Manager Stephen Reid announces that SGRA's will be a post launch feature:

 

“Quote: Originally Posted by*StephenReid

Due to the design constraints of a fully voiced MMO of this scale and size, many choices had to be made as to the launch and post-launch feature set. Same gender romances with companion characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic will be a post-launch feature. Because The Old Republic is an MMO, the game will live on through content expansions which allow us to include content and features that could not be included at launch, including the addition of more companion characters who will have additional romance options.

 

This is shortly followed with two posts from Reid explaining why it was decided that SW:TOR should allow same sex romances -

 

First of all, this is definitely not an audience that consists of a 'couple of people' and we're aware of that. We take this decision very seriously.

 

Second, it's very important to realize that this is just one of many, many content additions that will be going into the game post launch. The vast majority of our content will be of interest to the vast majority of our potential audience.

 

However, one of the amazing things about MMOs is that over time we can get to add things that are exciting and interesting to smaller audiences. Normally, that's not something that's addressed too far ahead of time. In this case, we felt the addition was warranted and should be addressed early.

 

There will be plenty of content for all to play and enjoy.”

 

And -

 

We can't guarantee that a character you play at launch would have romance options 'unlocked' for an existing companion. It's something that will be taken into consideration when making design decisions. Not a promise it'll happen, but we'll take that feedback and relay it through to design.

 

We fully intend to do justice to the story in our storylines.*

 

As you may have heard, we take story very seriously - this included.

 

Lastly for those of you who seem concerned that you will be 'tricked' into any romance arc in the game - all romance choices are clearly marked. You will be aware you're making those choices as you make them.

 

 

January 2012 – Activists target SW:TOR's decision to include Same-Gendered Romance. Link.

 

 

March 2012 – Daniel Erickson elaborates on the inclusion of Same Sex Romances. (The specific mention of SGRA's begins at the twenty one minute mark.)

 

 

Q: Any update on same gender romance?

Daniel Erickson: It is coming and it is coming with story updates. It is something that depends on the writers and we want to do right, and writers have a long lead time. We did not want to just change all the dialogue for the other gender. That is not writing, that is not story telling. This was cut originally because of budget and time issues. We have designs, we know what romance options we want to put in for this. It is coming when full story comes, and full story is coming this year. We are still on track.

 

 

August 2012 – Gabe Amatangelo Lead PvP Designer announces that he belives Same-Gendered Romance to be coming with Makeb. Link.

 

 

Um, the same-sex relationship stuff, there is – I think it is in Makeb? In the new update, I think there is some stuff in there. But I don't know exactly. I'm not, not a writer. That's sort of the aspect that I am farthest from. But it really comes down to just getting it on the schedule and getting that content into the game

 

 

August 2012 – In response to an email from a former regular poster the ESRB confirms that same sex romances do not affect the rating that a game receives.

 

Thank you for contacting the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). We sincerely appreciate your taking the time to write.

 

The ESRB is a non-profit, self-regulatory body that assigns age and content ratings for video games and mobile apps so parents can make informed choices as to which are suitable for their children and family. As part of its self-regulatory role for the video game industry, the ESRB also enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines and helps ensure responsible online privacy practices among companies participating in its Privacy Online program.

 

We understand that sexual themes have the potential to be of concern to consumers, which is why all such content must be disclosed during the rating process. In specific regard to your question, ESRB’s ratings criteria do not distinguish between heterosexual and same-sex content when it comes to addressing sexuality in games.

 

We hope this information is helpful, and thank you again for writing.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Entertainment Software Rating Board

 

 

September 2012 – Hal Hood Lead Writer supports Gabe Amatangelo's announcement by posting two updates on Twitter. The first update is later deleted.

 

(1 of 2) To all the folks who have been expressing interest in SGRs, here is the official word from Gabe Amatangelo:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tt49...tu.be&t=10m49s…

 

(2 of 2) When I can share more information, I will let you know. Writing romances is one of my favorite things about working on SWTOR. :-)

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

:)

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Well if they implement it with no way for me to not have it in my game so I can experience my game as I want then I will leave and I know quiet a few others who will as well. The last thing BW needs is more people to stop playing.

 

But you do have the option to ignore it. You just don't pick the Same-sex flirt options. This isn't a difficult concept. They're very clearly marked. If you never flirt with a same-sex npc. you'll never see same-sex content. Simple, easy, non-discriminatory.

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SWTOR had to change it model to F2P for made it more profitable and for allow it to survive a few more years, so being say this, i ask:

 

Do you honestly think that BW, have at all any way to release this huge new contempt with the same sex relationships, when they can barely pay they current staff, and they develop its literally not existant?

 

lets remember Maken Was already on the making when ToR was on its good months after release, and all this updates we have had, was already being develop, so with the current state of the game, feel happy TOR is still around and they will try to keep it moving with the FP2 model, but dont spect to see something huge like SSR in the game at all or any time soon next year...

its to bad for me, because i am one of the people that want the feature, obviously just not gonna happen.

just move on and enjoy what the game have to offer, or look for a new game that suits you better.

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Um, no.

 

The game is fine. BioWare isn't over a barrel. F2P is just apt to be that much more profitable that it is worth taking the game that direction. You don't publish a big, fat, full-color, hard-bound 350-page art book for a dying game.

 

BioWare has already invested development time and resources to same-gender content. We know it's coming. That's not at issue. We want to know when and how this will be implemented, and for which classes, and with which companions.

 

The original poster was asking for a status update. People don't flame and troll posters who ask for a status update on chat bubbles, hood toggles, pazaak and minigames, character recustomization, paid transfers or a host of other anticipated content. Neither are threads asking about those things closed.

 

So we're asking for a status update, too. I think that's fair. I don't see any reason anyone should take exception to us asking.

 

EDIT - sorry, I jumped to conclusions that you were opposed to this. Gabe A. seemed in no doubt that it was very much on the way. He simply was uncertain when, as of last August when he said the thought maybe Makeb. It is on the way.

Edited by Uluain
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No, it won't.

 

Don't expect anything different from how opposite-gender romantic options are already offered now. That is perfectly fair.

As a gentle reminder: Discussion of the implementation of toggles to filter same gender romance options is considered discriminatory language and is neither appropriate nor allowed on the forums. Posts along this vein of discussion will be removed.
Edited by Uluain
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If you don't use [flirt] then you won't be in any kind of romance :) That is the simplest way to avoid it if you wish to.

 

I really look forward to it being implemented, this is a BioWare game, have had a ton of fun romancing Leliana, Merrill, Samantha with my FemSheps and FemHawkes. I am however in no stress for it, have so many characters that I will to lvl than I got plenty to do before that. But there are many of us who are waiting for it.

 

Have fun on the forum.

Edited by SilentKitty
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Less than six months. HK-51 was announced July 16. If we get 1.5 in the next week or two, that will be about three and a half months since the announcement. And people were making threads every patch to ask about him. And those threads weren't locked, nor were they trolled by hostile players.

 

And in fact, we have been given a ballpark figure for the inclusion of same-gender companion romance, from former lead writer Damiel Erickson at the Guild Summit last March. We were told the content will come this year. Now, that is over seven months without a word, going on eight.

 

A lot has happened since then, both in the studio and in the direction of the game. Development times are necessarily elastic and plans do change. So asking if we are still on track for this year, or whether that content is, as was rumored, coming with Makeb, seems reasonable to me.

 

And if the original poster never knew there was a dedicated thread in Story and Lore to asking, then it is valid for him to ask here. And if that thread, which has been running for ten months, over seventy-five hundred posts and half a million views, has never gotten a response, I think that even those of us who know quite well that is is there can be excused for feeling that posting to a thread in General Discussion is apt to be more productive.

 

As to the HK-51 thing, we've all been waiting on him since before launch. He was cut from release, but we all knew he was coming. Also I wrote:

 

I also think in this instance that people clamouring for it are not being entitled, they were promised something that has yet to appear. I'm sure the announcement of SGRA inclusion influenced some people to purchase the game. As such it does need to be looked at and included at some point.

 

So I'm not entirely sure how you think I am not on your side in asking about this.

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Hello everyone! Because we already have two threads dedicated to asking for more information about this topic, we ask that you please continue the discussion here: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=476215 or here: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=536092. Thank you! Edited by AllisonBerryman
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