Dragon Age 2 Lead Writer Blasts Homophobic Fan

[mirasiel]

I don't really know my history well, but seeing as these fantasy games are based around Medieval-esque "ages", it seems out of place that homosexuality would be so prominent and openly available.

And the Magic...and the Dragons...and the 9 foot tall giants with horns...and the blood corrupting magical disease from god...and the elves...and the dwarves...and the alternate dream world where god exists and everyone can go...and the werewolves...and the flaming/icing swords...and the people who explode when you stab them hard enough...

 

[Namewithheld]

Homophobia is a virus. The sooner it becomes extinct, the better. For everyone.

I misread that as Homosexuality and was ready to get into a punchup...and then I read it a SECOND time.

Oooh.

Also, I'll do Fenris...if he wears an Alistair costume.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

-words-

The flirting dialogue options with Merrill start appearing around her Act 2 companion quest, as I recall. I figure she's harder to approach because she's so shy.

A warning, though: Merrill's act 3 companion quest is currently non-functioning. It starts off with a huge spoiler for how it's going to end, and then it only has a chance of actually working. We're waiting for BioWare to release a patch.

Thanks for the info and the warning. Good thing I'm taking a break from DA2 ^^; Maybe by the time I go back the problem will be patched. Is this for a specific version though? My copy is on the 360.

 

[JediMB]

You people are heterophobic. We, straight people, are flamed just because we don't enjoy seeing things like that. And don't get me wrong (i know you will, you always do, you are blinded by your own hatred, the same argument you always use is your own trait), i don't have anything against gay people, i don't fight with them, i understand that they are the way they are, but please stop rubbing homosexuality in my eyes why don't you? Is it too much to ask for? You can add it in games, but please, when i try to make friends with Zevran in DA:O to get his specialization he shouldn't suddenly ask me if i want to do it with him, why can't the player be the one to initiate (or not) romance?

Do you know.. there are NPCs in that game who talk about being married!

They're rubbing their heterosexuality in my eyes! MY EYES! The goggles do nothing! etc.

In other words, people behaving perfectly normally is not 'rubbing something in your eyes', get over it.

Sometimes people hit on you. I know you poor fragile straight men aren't used to it, but it happens. You don't get exclusive control over who tries to flirt with you, you can only control how you react, and sometimes how you react has consequences regardless of your good intentions. See.. The game is teaching you an important life lesson.

Friendship +15

All I want is a more tolerant way to turn Anders down than "I don't want you to think about me like that."

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

I don't really know my history well, but seeing as these fantasy games are based around Medieval-esque "ages", it seems out of place that homosexuality would be so prominent and openly available.

And the Magic...and the Dragons...and the 9 foot tall giants with horns...and the blood corrupting magical disease from god...and the elves...and the dwarves...and the alternate dream world where god exists and everyone can go...and the werewolves...and the flaming/icing swords...and the people who explode when you stab them hard enough...

Ref calls a two second penalty for bringing logic into this argument.

 

[Terminal Blue]

I was annoyed that Anders hit on me first thing but I still came out ahead with max friendship after I turned him down. However, I will say that I feel it was tasteless of him to flirt with me right after he had... Ya know, Just fucking stabbed his ex lover out of mercy but I guess you just have to get right back on that horse. I just refused to be that horse. XD

Now I think about it, that is kind of disturbing..

..that said, Bioware games do have a history of otherwise 'good' characters having a remarkable insensitivity to death. I always found it slightly weird that your Grey Warden in Origins would cheerfully massacre anyone who picked up a sword in his/her general vicinity. Maybe fighting a blight is like controlling a forest fire, if you kill enough people the Darkspawn will get bored and go home.

Or maybe they just wanted to keep the game exciting with frequent combat and I'm over-analysing.

 

[mattttherman3]

I have to say, didn't care about them hitting on me, did care about the reused areas.

 

[JediMB]

-words-

The flirting dialogue options with Merrill start appearing around her Act 2 companion quest, as I recall. I figure she's harder to approach because she's so shy.

A warning, though: Merrill's act 3 companion quest is currently non-functioning. It starts off with a huge spoiler for how it's going to end, and then it only has a chance of actually working. We're waiting for BioWare to release a patch.

Thanks for the info and the warning. Good thing I'm taking a break from DA2 ^^; Maybe by the time I go back the problem will be patched. Is this for a specific version though? My copy is on the 360.

As far as I can tell, all bugs that aren't engine-related (like graphical glitches) are the same on all three platforms. That includes Merrill's quest and the nearly game-breaking Isabela/Sebastian friendship bug.

So I might as well give you details on that bug as well:

If you gain Isabela's friendship (50% friendship), you are supposed to get a passive +5 Attack Speed bonus. Sebastian, under the same circumstances, gives you a +5 Damage Resistance bonus. However, a bug in the game adds a -5 penalty in those stats every time you save/load the game without those companions in your party.

In other words, after saving and loading a couple of times, Hawke will start moving in slow-motion while in combat, and/or will start taking obscene amounts of physical damage from enemy attacks.

 

[Russian_Assassin]

Am I sensing denial in his stance? Hmmm, for a straight male, he seems far too scared of witnessing the depiction of gay relationships in a game. I think we have ourselves a closet case!

I blame society, for "making" homosexuality a bad thing. If we could just get rid of that notion I believe cases like this could be avoided.

 

[teknoarcanist]

Man, if you're a dude and you're that disturbed by another dude making a pass at you -- A FICTIONAL CHARACTER, no less! -- then you've got some deeper issues to be spoken of.

Seriously, what is with this weird splinter sect of the gaming culture that's so vehemently homophobic? It's repulsive.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

-words-

As far as I can tell, all bugs that aren't engine-related (like graphical glitches) are the same on all three platforms. That includes Merrill's quest and the nearly game-breaking Isabela/Sebastian friendship bug.

So I might as well give you details on that bug as well:

If you gain Isabela's friendship (50% friendship), you are supposed to get a passive +5 Attack Speed bonus. Sebastian, under the same circumstances, gives you a +5 Damage Resistance bonus. However, a bug in the game adds a -5 penalty in those stats every time you save/load the game without those companions in your party.

In other words, after saving and loading a couple of times, Hawke will start moving in slow-motion while in combat, and/or will start taking obscene amounts of physical damage from enemy attacks.

Once again: thanks for the warning...and for an additional reason to keep Isabela out of my party >.>

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

Felt a bit odd when I first realized that all companions in Dragon Age II were either bisexual or "straight + Hawke", but after I'd progressed a bit further I came to appreciate it. It's easily worlds better than the limited options in Mass Effect 2.

My Lady Hawke started by sexing it up with Isabela, and then moved on to Merrill when Isabela explained that she just wanted casual sex. My next character is going to stay with Isabela and see how things develop, though.

So, yeah, while a straight male I'm now considering aiming for a male-male relationship with Fenris in the future. It'd be cute. Not with Anders, though, since his role in Awakening stops me from accepting him as anything other than heterosexual, but that's my choice and nothing anyone else has to care about.

I've been satisfied enough with the Isabella resolution that I've done it twice. It is honestly sweet. I think you're in for a treat.

 

[BabyRaptor]

Homophobic? If one is straight, he doesn't want to see people of same gender hitting on him. Why is that a problem for anyone?

You people are heterophobic. We, straight people, are flamed just because we don't enjoy seeing things like that. And don't get me wrong (i know you will, you always do, you are blinded by your own hatred, the same argument you always use is your own trait), i don't have anything against gay people, i don't fight with them, i understand that they are the way they are, but please stop rubbing homosexuality in my eyes why don't you? Is it too much to ask for? You can add it in games, but please, when i try to make friends with Zevran in DA:O to get his specialization he shouldn't suddenly ask me if i want to do it with him, why can't the player be the one to initiate (or not) romance?

Also, i didn't read-through his (author of thread in BW social network) whole post, but from what I've read it didn't seem like a homophobic rage.

I'm sorry I'm rubbing my non-heterosexuality in your face by existing. Or by wanting to exist with the same level of acceptance that others do. It's not like you can't just ignore me though...Kinda like you can ignore words in a video game? They don't need your approval to do it, even though you so kindly offered it.

Also, you can take your grand, self-righteous statements about "blinded by hate" we are and how superior you are for knowing what we'll do and stick them somewhere. If you keep getting accused of being homophobic, it's not the people doing the accusing. It's you and how you're coming across.

 

[justnotcricket]

Gaider's reply gave me warm fuzzies =) I like the romance options in DA2 better than in DA1 just because it feels like there's a bit more freedom of choice. Perhaps it's my imagination, but it doesn't *seem* to discriminate. However I can't technically speak for males, straight or otherwise either.

 

[SlugLady28]

Actually, i think the complaint is somewhat valid. From what i've heard, there is a small limit of choices to the females you can romance. Most of them unappealing (not in looks, but in personality). A shy, boring one, and a scary pirate one (not every guy likes this type), for instance. And I think there is a third, let me know if there is more. And it would get annoying in ANY setting if someone who you didn't like was constantly hitting on you.

Plus, to all of you who say that agreeing with this guy = homophobia, let me remind you: "Homosexual" also includes LESBIANS. Even if the company is pandering to mainly girls (and I'm not saying they are) then it's to the girls who like guys.

 

[JediMB]

Felt a bit odd when I first realized that all companions in Dragon Age II were either bisexual or "straight + Hawke", but after I'd progressed a bit further I came to appreciate it. It's easily worlds better than the limited options in Mass Effect 2.

My Lady Hawke started by sexing it up with Isabela, and then moved on to Merrill when Isabela explained that she just wanted casual sex. My next character is going to stay with Isabela and see how things develop, though.

So, yeah, while a straight male I'm now considering aiming for a male-male relationship with Fenris in the future. It'd be cute. Not with Anders, though, since his role in Awakening stops me from accepting him as anything other than heterosexual, but that's my choice and nothing anyone else has to care about.

I've been satisfied enough with the Isabella resolution that I've done it twice. It is honestly sweet. I think you're in for a treat.

Yeah, I figured it would be. Really, it was sweet enough to see how she changed simply from Hawke being her friend, and putting her safety before politics.

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

I was annoyed that Anders hit on me first thing but I still came out ahead with max friendship after I turned him down. However, I will say that I feel it was tasteless of him to flirt with me right after he had... Ya know, Just fucking stabbed his ex lover out of mercy but I guess you just have to get right back on that horse. I just refused to be that horse. XD

Now I think about it, that is kind of disturbing..

..that said, Bioware games do have a history of otherwise 'good' characters having a remarkable insensitivity to death. I always found it slightly weird that your Grey Warden in Origins would cheerfully massacre anyone who picked up a sword in his/her general vicinity. Maybe fighting a blight is like controlling a forest fire, if you kill enough people the Darkspawn will get bored and go home.

Or maybe they just wanted to keep the game exciting with frequent combat and I'm over-analysing.

Probably over analyzing but still, Ander's reaction was odd to me. I was playing my male mage as an angry and sarcastic badass with a slight ego so I went with the "Unexpected" where I said he didn't have to stop because I figured it was okay to look. Then he goes into how Karl was his lover and he was the only bright part of the Circle, etc etc...

And I'm thinking... Whoa, seriously dude? You just killed him and made a big deal out of it so now you are going to try to ride me like a cheap pony? All the usual killing doesn't bother me, that is survival, etc. The death of Karl had actual "meaning" to Anders and then he flirted with me. *sigh*

Anyway, I am belaboring a point so I'll stop.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Point: Bioware. Though, he complains that most males wouldn't go for Isabella or Merrill--on which I call Shennanigans. Almost every guy I know would go for either A) The Busty Pirate Wench you have to pull the knives off of before you make it to the bed/wall/ship's bunk/top of a barrel, or B) the cute, sincere girl with a troubled past who can control dreams, fear, lightning, etc, who ends up feeling almost exactly like a relationship with a girl who's life is much more tragic than it seems.