Well, Tatile, have you seen what's on the PTS? I believe in 2.7 more story is coming to the game. There is also Role Playing. I love the class stories but it is awesome to write your own as well. And I've found quite a few people that our open to SGR RP.

SGR RP and fan fiction don't fix the problem, and they shouldn't be given as alternatives.

If you told world-first raiding guilds to "pretend" they had new raid content, they'd laugh at you and switch games.

Also, 2.7 has, what? Two flashpoints that aren't going to do anything other than get a few pieces of loot? Flashpoints are exactly the height of story content.

SGR RP and fan fiction don't fix the problem, and they shouldn't be given as alternatives.

 

If you told world-first raiding guilds to "pretend" they had new raid content, they'd laugh at you and switch games.

 

Also, 2.7 has, what? Two flashpoints that aren't going to do anything other than get a few pieces of loot? Flashpoints are exactly the height of story content.

Warning: this is going to go everywhere as my thoughts are in a bit of a jumble on this issue.

With regards to 2.7, the 2 FPs aren't ends in themselves, but starting a new storyline- a storyline that could be worth the wait to be told instead of rushed through like so much of the content at the game's beginning was. After all, TV drama and sitcoms tell their stories this way, and it keeps bringing people back to get more. Perhaps part of the "more" for this new story line in SWTOR will include SGR in either new companions or changes to existing companions?

Of course none of us can answer that because Bioware insists on remaining silent. We don't remember the words of our enemies, but the silence of our "friends". Bioware was one of the few video game developers that was first to really become "friends" with the LGBT community and people who are fans of SGR as many of their big RPG games had SGR and OGR romance. And look at what's being talked about the most: Not the people who went into an uproar of Bioware creating Makeb, but the never ending silence afterwards.

Maybe I'm just too patient for my own good. I do try to be patient with this sort of thing, as I am a person with a disability (autism). I can't expect people to be patient with me if I am unwilling to be patient with them. Just like I try to say hi to everybody in my guild who logs in. Yet, if I say hi so often only to get no hi back, then eventually I stop saying hi. Just like eventually I stop saying

The days of being patient are over. I know, I just revoked my stance from the other day. Yet, I don't want to leave SWTOR because there is so much they game can still offer me. One downside to being on the autism spectrum: you only connect to people so well in certain ways, and SWTOR and it's one of the few places I connect very well to people. And I like very specific romances, most SGR male-male. Don't know why, beyond perhaps I'm a straight gal, but that's the way it is for me.

So, Bioware, this is coming from someone who tried to defend you: Do you want to be remembered as the silent friend, or the vocal one? Given the quote came originally from Martin Luther King Jr. I think you'd rather be on the latter.

No talk of it from BW in a long, long time or on any of the road maps they've laid out recently. I pretty much have given up hope of this along with a myriad of other player requests we've had since pre-launch days. If it doesn't benefit the Cartel Market, it's not going to make the game.

Sure seems that way.

Latest announcement from BioEA is player housing and guild flagship. Something requested damn near day one, and talked about per-launch as "something we are working on". While it is nice to see this option coming to the game, I suspect it will be tailored to the Cartel Market for buying "Premium Content" for your home.

As for the topic of "Same gender romance".

Simply put.

If given the option for curly fries or regular fries you choose the one you like. If you do not like curly fries - don't pick curly fries.

If given the option for ****/bi sexual content or heterosexual content you choose the one you like. If you do not like ****/bi-sexual content - don't pick ****/bi-sexual content.

It's a game.

Well, Tatile, have you seen what's on the PTS? I believe in 2.7 more story is coming to the game. There is also Role Playing. I love the class stories but it is awesome to write your own as well. And I've found quite a few people that our open to SGR RP.

That is so true, on the writing and sgr rp. I'm usually am quiet when people in game an out of game, gripe about it. I think BW did a cracker jack job on the writing. I have 8 toons, each is a different class but my shadow and inq are the two story lines that I like best.

Going back to Gauntlet, I've almost exclusively played female characters. I never really gave it much thought until the last 4 years or so. I usually picked Chun Li because I thought she was the baddest of all the SF characters. I usually played Katana, Raiden, and Subzero equally. Point is, role playing is just that, role playing. So many people constantly gripe about these types of games, but fail to realize in the haze of their ranting what an MMORPG at its most fundamental actually is.

I'm hoping for sgr for my shadow because she has it bad for Nadia and Lt. Irresso is nice and all, but he's not really doing it for her. It'll be hard to let him down if BW enables sgr in the near future or ever, I really like him, but just as a friend. <- To me, that's how role playing works. So having sgr is just one more beneficial layer to an already awesome experience.

You know I would like to say I am a very patient person. I am usually willing to give people the benefit of the doubt and wait them out, but I must say that my patience as pretty much reached its limit on this issue. I would almost say the very promise that Bioware made to include this at a later date is more of a lie then anything, IMO at this current date.

Now I don't wish to be rude although that may be seen this way, and I don't wish to start a fight with anyone as I have listened to this issue, and read through the many incarnations of this thread as well as many others discussing this issue. I have even defended Bioware at times on this issue and how difficult it may be to implement it if they did it in a correct manners as I hoped they would.

From my point of view if they SGR correctly not all companions will be available for it. It would take the shape of the relationships similar to Dragon Age or possibly Mass Effect (never played mass effect yet so not sure about this one). Where some companions will romance the same sex and some won't. The main reason I defended them in earlier posts, is the potential for cross over romance between companions, and the animations and issues this would cause. For example we will use the Sith Warrior: if my male Sith Warrior romances Dark Jaesa, and Vette there is a animation where Vette confronts you about this. In the animation and dialogue Jaesa implies that she is ok with sharing you, but Vette is not. Now imagine a female Sith Warrior in SGR with Dark Jaesa, and also a relationship with Lt. Pierce. This could also bring about a similar scene, although I doubt Pierce would object to this where Vette, and I think Quinn would. A similar scene also happens to male smugglers, but not female ones.

This is of course not going to happen on every class, story as the number of romances is different in many of them and not every romance option will or should bring up these kinds of scenes. I would hope players are not just sleeping with every companion available on their ship at least.

In the end However I have lost much of my patience as, it has been said several times, yes its coming, yes its coming we don't know when but it is. Also a lot of people seem to believe when it comes it wont effect older comps but only new ones. The Sad truth is if it effects only new companions then Yes, Bioware Lied to us.

It was originally said this content would be in at release, then changed before release to allow them to focus on other issues and hit their release date. However it was still coming to the game. I was fine with that under the assumption that it would come out rather quickly, because if it was originally planed then it was scripted, and one would assume when they had the voice actors working with them is was also recorded as these are pretty much the easiest parts of that task. So then they needed to code it and do the animations to go with the code. However they wanted to focus on other thins so, they cut this out. Basically (yes I am assuming a little here) we decided to cut somewhere around 1/3 to 1/2 the dialogue with companions, to focus on other content.

Ok the game was released on December of 2011, it his now 4/10/2014. So roughly 2 years 4 months later, Bioware has failed to implement a feature they originally planed at release. They have also avoided to issue at almost every turn, pretty much being unwilling to even discuss it. On the few occasions where they have to acknowledge it, they have been as vague as possible and moved on to another topic.

Now in my post above I make some assumptions, and I apologize if I have offended anyone with those that was not my intention. I merely with to point out that my patients is near its end as I said in the beginning, and hey if Bioware cannot provide me with what they promised their are other options out there where I can take my money.

So, you can [Flirt] with Darth Arkous on a male character. and get quite politely rebuffed. I'm not sure if you can [Flirt] with Lana Beniko on a female character, or Darth Arkous, as I've not done the quest with my Sorcerer yet. I'll let you guys know if that's possible (I'm guessing Lana is go, while Arkous is off limits) - but you can [Flirt] (multiple times) with Lana as a male character.

That said, a brief conversation with a friend of mine has brought up the trope "Bury Your Gays" - and... spoilers:

Perhaps Mr. Hood and Mr. Boyd think fridging is the hallmark of dramatic writing, and should be used whenever possible? That would be something to ask.

So, you can [Flirt] with Darth Arkous on a male character. and get quite politely rebuffed. I'm not sure if you can [Flirt] with Lana Beniko on a female character, or Darth Arkous, as I've not done the quest with my Sorcerer yet. I'll let you guys know if that's possible (I'm guessing Lana is go, while Arkous is off limits) - but you can [Flirt] (multiple times) with Lana as a male character.

 

That said, a brief conversation with a friend of mine has brought up the trope "Bury Your Gays" - and... spoilers:

 

 

Given how the quest line then pans out, I wouldn't be surprised if Bioware is going that route of removing Darth Arkous from the game - as they did with Lord Cytharat (where if you "saved" him, he still never shows up again and might as well be dead) - and frankly while I'm sure I'd be disappointed if Bioware chose to kill off its second (albeit this a tenuous assumption on my part, see above) gay male cahracter, because it seems that they are entirely incapable of writing more than bit parts for them.

 

 

Perhaps Mr. Hood and Mr. Boyd think fridging is the hallmark of dramatic writing, and should be used whenever possible? That would be something to ask.

THIS.

These were my exact thoughts when I got that 'surprise flirt' (surprise yes, after all those female flirts - thanks for throwing us a bone I guess?) At this stage I think the only way the story could redeem itself after that for me is if...

Edit: Just tried the start of the mission with a female char and can confirm you can flirt with Beniko:

http://s28.postimg.org/amcv8bk1p/fl1.jpg

Not sure about the rest of the conversations after the fist flashpoint though. I'm curious to see if female characters also get that rebuffed flirt too. I'm going to go with no and that they've made the female npc bisexual and not the male. Again.

There's also a single [FLIRT] option for both genders on the republic side. Not sure if it's an actual spoiler, but what the heck.

There's also a single [FLIRT] option for both genders on the republic side. Not sure if it's an actual spoiler, but what the heck.

 

 

You also can get one [FLIRT] with Theron Shan during the cantina drinks scene.

Oh my goodness, we've found him... the only bisexual man in swtor

Oh my goodness, we've found him... the only bisexual man in swtor

Good god. Quick, we need to put him in a safe location, lest Bioware "correct" their "mistake".

Although, we can be quite sure he won't fall victim to the "Bury Your Gays" trope - at least not in the game - as he's a book character.

Also, yes, Alix, that would be a wonderful plot development, but one I think is sadly too complex for the "shove it in a flashpoint and be done with" system, as it would require actual writing and thought.

The worst part is I actually like Theron, but because of his FPness and book-ness, we probably won't ever will get a FtB with him. (Or get him as a companion, which I admit, is my dream).

Admittedly, once this is all over, even Lana could make a good companion.... hmm...

The worst part is I actually like Theron, but because of his FPness and book-ness, we probably won't ever will get a FtB with him. (Or get him as a companion, which I admit, is my dream).

 

Admittedly, once this is all over, even Lana could make a good companion.... hmm...

Part of me thinks Lana is an ex-Watcher, and not a Sith at all, dunno why.

Also, I'm pretty sure we won't be getting any companions with story/significant story again, nor any updates to existing companions (and not any story content outside of "wee! flashpoints!" - I've not even done the KDY stuff)

Part of me thinks Lana is an ex-Watcher, and not a Sith at all, dunno why.

 

Also, I'm pretty sure we won't be getting any companions with story/significant story again, nor any updates to existing companions (and not any story content outside of "wee! flashpoints!" - I've not even done the KDY stuff)

first of all I think bioware should be commended on trying to bring the sgrs to star wars 1 step at a time. I mean come on now we can actually flirt with a council member. that's pretty awesome. and there are many more sgr characters being introduced. id expect out next companion to be the same way. second in regards to lana I have a strong feeling that due to her dialogue of bein able to sense this new disturbance and her bein possibly connected to it suggest that she as well is......one of the emperors children. the message from the hand suggest possible story lore as well. I think shiz is bout to get real.

Part of me thinks Lana is an ex-Watcher, and not a Sith at all, dunno why.

 

Also, I'm pretty sure we won't be getting any companions with story/significant story again, nor any updates to existing companions (and not any story content outside of "wee! flashpoints!" - I've not even done the KDY stuff)

You don't know that Tatile, None of us do.

first of all I think bioware should be commended on trying to bring the sgrs to star wars 1 step at a time. I mean come on now we can actually flirt with a council member. that's pretty awesome. and there are many more sgr characters being introduced. id expect out next companion to be the same way. second in regards to lana I have a strong feeling that due to her dialogue of bein able to sense this new disturbance and her bein possibly connected to it suggest that she as well is......one of the emperors children. the message from the hand suggest possible story lore as well. I think shiz is bout to get real.

And I agree with you, Darth Aeonis. The fact that with each new added story they've been including SGR in some of the dialogue is a good thing, same goes with revealing the new story arc little by little... Just like TV shows do. And I think since only Juhani and one gay mandalorian couple have been in Star Wars, I think adding it in slowly is perhaps the wisest thing on their part because it is still fairly new. However, I trust Bioware will introduce more of and perhaps the arc will add a new companion.

Personally, I cannot wait to see where things go and who knows? Lanna and perhaps Cytharat will be the new companions? We simply don't know.

*goes back to writing Lord Cytharat x my gay Imperial agent... with a twist!*

now i play a female Vanguard

i so wanne romance jaxo it sound funny but i like that girl bummer she cant be your comp

was the mail i get from her

so what do you guys think about Jaxo ??

This is obviously an old topic, but I wanted to throw in my two cents.

It's obvious that some players get up in arms when homosexuality in games is "forced on them" simply by having it be an option. So how is that any different from players who would normally play gay romances having heterosexuality forced on them? That's what bothers me.

I briefly read some of the other posts early on in this thread, and I entirely support the concept of being able to toggle this option in the preferences panel. That would save a lot of people the trouble of being with or without gay romances.

I would also like to strongly advise Bioware against making "token" gay characters. If he's gay, he must be slightly more effeminate and less aggressive (Which is how I saw Lord Cytharat), or extremely butch lesbian characters. Those are stereotypes and they're irritating. My best example is in ME3, the shuttle pilot, who was our token gay character, was portrayed as an emotion non-combatant for the most part, while Vega was our beefed up, macho hetero (not complaining because he was kind of gorgeous).

Outside of this game, I am an art historian, and there has always been a very deep rooted gender hierarchy in Western tradition. From top to bottom it goes Men>Lesbians>Gay Men> Women. And I promise I'm not one of those angry 70's feminists (in fact I am quite against that attitude). The idea behind that hierarchy is that masculinity is valued over femininity, and lesbians are seen as more masculine than gay men, even though those are both inaccurate stereotypes.

So, I went a little off topic, but I wanted to throw in my vote for more gay romances, while at the same time warning against "token" characters that only fit a set of very narrow minded stereotypes.

Also, if given a man or a woman, with no back story, my male sniper would go after the male, but if given Lord Cytharat and Watcher 2/keeper, he would go after her because their story is more interesting as are their interactions. My point is, having a random gay character here and there that we interact with once or twice is not nearly as appealing as a character that our characters have to interact with throughout the story. I've developed some sort of relationship with my companions that's unique to the fact that I gained them early on and continue to interact with them throughout most of the game. That relationship (whether it's romantic or not) is more important to me than any "Hey look, you can put that here!" character offered once or twice.

I briefly read some of the other posts early on in this thread, and I entirely support the concept of being able to toggle this option in the preferences panel. That would save a lot of people the trouble of being with or without gay romances.

A toggle option is considered discrimination, so they will never implement it.

A toggle option is considered discrimination, so they will never implement it.

This. No toggles of ANY kind will be implemented.

A toggle option is considered discrimination, so they will never implement it.

Hmm. That's a good point. Well, I can understand why they have to be careful with SGRs, so as an advocate for them I would see it as more of a precaution than an act of discrimination. Or if I do see it as discrimination, it would be a result of SGR-opposers, since they're the ones forcing Bioware's hand, and thus not Bioware's fault.

I have all male characters, and only JUST romanced two of my companions. I had never romanced a character (with the exception of Lord Cytharat), simply because none of my characters would be straight. So I am deprived one characteristic of the game because of that, or I have to accept the OGRs. I feel like saying "Put up with" instead, since it's slightly more colorful.

The elephant in the room is that prejudiced and hateful players are holding a gun to the developers' heads. Or at least Bioware is acting as if that were the case. So this caution that they're taking is understood, and I would rather they enable a toggle option than see them suffer losing those prejudiced players (if they really did end up abandoning the game dramatically), or rather than settling for very minute SGRs in comparison to the majority of OGRs we're offered.

Or, and I've heard a lot of proponents and opponents of this alternative, make all of the characters Bi. Unless it's very important that they be otherwise, it's fiction. They're creating characters anyway. In the ME trilogy, people were arguing about how unrealistic it is for every single person to be bisexual, but they were forgetting the most important characteristic of these characters. They're all fictional. They're providing players with highly malleable plots, but the one thing they're omitting is homosexuality. Again, I can understand why, but as a player, I'm just trying to make suggestions to help. If they're afraid of discriminating, there's one LGBTQ player here who would not be offended by the toggle option. I am, in fact, quite appreciative of their effort to even address the issue. It's very encouraging.

Yes. I want to be able to have romances on my female characters with my female companions. Romance with male characters, even if I'm playing a female character, feels wrong to me.

Or what about this, the toggle option would enable players to be selective of Homosexual romance, heterosexual romance, or bisexual romance, or ALL.

Of course, there's not much they can do now that it's all set in code. But for future projects and releases, it would be really nice to have that general toggle address everything. Then it would seem less like discrimination and more like acceptance of every lifestyle.

Problem is, the toggle can be applied to everything, and that WOULD be discrimination. Say, "no black characters" - to show people like Iresso fully white. Or "no alien characters" - get rid of those Sullustians! Or "no children"(though a Mass Effect 3 fan in me is quite enthusiastic about THAT option, let me tell you).

Me, personally - I'm all for that toggle. But I'm afraid it will not be implemented, unless we consider modding - and modding doesn't work in MMOs.