If by “party members” you mean main characters that have a part in the plot, yes… although they don’t technically all have to be traveling companions, as in a traditional rpg.
It just so happens that usually the core group of team/party members are the cast of characters the MC will interact with the most, and therefore those RO’s will tend to get the most scenes and dialogues…which is what makes them preferable over side characters who get less content.
That said, a mix of main character RO’s with one or 2 side characters can be interesting, particularly when you are replaying a series. There is one game in particular I am playing now, where it’s a side character that appeals to me the most as an RO, even though they are not part of the main cast and are not really an option. They do have a part in moving the plot along, and causing situations, despite having fewer appearances, however…so I think that’s probably the main reason why I’m wishing that character was an RO. Also that character has some of my favorite tropes and themes going for it, that I would normally like in an RO… but that isn’t always the case for side characters.
Yeah, now that I think about it, in all of the games where I have preferred a side character RO, they were games where the main cast still had a strong friendship and/or family dynamic to it…so it didn’t feel so much like you were missing out on character development by having a side romantic subplot. Also, they all gave that side character some unique plot thing to do, and some interactions with the main cast and/or villians…so they didn’t feel completely disconnected from the main story/plot.
I would prefer if you could romance all of the main characters not just the ones in the party which would include the villains in the story, it would give it an interesting dynamic being in love with the person you are fighting.
Ooh, this is an interesting topic! There doesn’t seem to be much author input here yet, so I figured I’ll share my own thoughts as a writer too.
I also dislike ROs that aren’t relevant to the plot since it feels like they’re just there to be ROs, but I’m glad this has been brought to my attention because I seem to be falling victim to it too.
I first wrote my story (well, tried, at least) as a traditional novel, so while there might be a few crushes here and there, I didn’t make the characters with being an RO in mind. Since they’ve already been developed, making them so feels very natural.
So there’s no problem for me with the main “party members” all being romanceable. But what about all the other characters you get to meet in the story that don’t appear as often? It feels like a wasted opportunity to restrict the ROs to the main characters and not give the side characters a few extra scenes. After all, more character development and more choices won’t hurt, right?
And now I’m at the point where I’m trying to develop characters with being a minor potential RO in mind, and now that I’m aware of it, it feels like it’s poisoning the natural character development. I won’t lie that it has given me a few ideas that’ll make the characters more distinct and (a little more) relevant plot-wise, but I feel like this is the wrong way to go about things.
So then, is it better to give that choice, even if you know it won’t be as developed, than to not have it as a choice at all? Whichever you choose, someone will be disappointed.
Well, you present an interesting point. Personally, I have planned side missions for side characters and some of them are tied to certain character arcs so the player will see more of them, that way I get to give them more depth and the opportunity for the player to know them better. Also, like any writer any opportunity to show off the rest of the characters it’s an opportunity I’ll take Another advantage I see to this approach is that I get to include some worldbuilding bits in their side scenes that are not necessary but do flesh out the world.
Not every character you meet has to be a RO, but if you like the idea then I don’t see why you shouldn’t do it. Maybe make it clear that side romances don’t have as much impact or content as main ROs? That way the player wouldn’t feel like they were “lied to” in a sense.
For example, like @BourbonDingo mentioned, in the Persona series you have “main” romances and “side” romances. The main romances are your close partners (Akihiko, Chie, Ann, Yukiko…), the side romances are other characters you meet during the story (the doctor in P5, Theo in P3P). The player understands that characters that they don’t get to hang out with much won’t make as much of an appearance if they romance them (the doctor won’t go to the school. Theo can’t leave the velvet room without permission if I recall correctly), and because you can’t get to the confession until you’re pretty late in the game you feel like the relationship truly developed well. P5 managed side romances very well, in my opinion, so maybe you could check that out if you haven’t already?
Also, side characters get a lot of development through the social links. In a similar sense, Fire Emblem gives more depth to characters through supports between non player characters (well, it depends on the game and the characters involved, some are… questionable)
Ah yeah, that’s the approach I’m going for, so I hope that’ll be enough. I can easily communicate/lampshade it in the narrative that you may not see them again (until the end, at least), especially because of my premise. And yup, I totally get that. Part of the reason I switched to interactive fiction is so that I don’t have any pesky word count limits
Oh, and that’s actually a good idea to tie in some worldbuilding through the side characters instead of having them be separate scenes/choices.
There doesn’t seem to be much author input here yet, so I figured I’ll share my own thoughts as a writer too.
Another advantage I see to this approach is that I get to include some worldbuilding bits in their side scenes that are not necessary but do flesh out the world.
