Phenrex
81
I agree 
But for people who it does have an impact on, they might not want to engage with a game where it feels they are punished for just playing the way they want to. Nobody is entitled to what they want, naturally, but the act of having rejection as an element from ROs will cause some people to become dejected. There is no way to make everyone happy.
My issue though, would be if the RO is completely unromanceable, no matter what you do. If someone is listed as romanceable, there should be a version of the story written where they can be romanced. It is a bit too deceptive to me, IMO. Mostly just because it raises hopes for some players then shoots it down, but if you do the wrong thing, fuck up and end up pushing the RO away on accident that is fair game.
12 Likes
Obviously havenāt read the entire thread, so sorry if i repeat already talked about point.
I wouldnāt mind it depending how itās done.
If itās advertise as you can romance X character then midway through the game goes ānah actually notā. I would be quite annoyed, because itās intentionally wasting my time.
For example. I believe in Zombie exodus SH part 3 one of the RO would die a scripted death to show that romance options donāt have āplot armorā, author later changed that after backlash or something. I simply donāt see the the point of making character a romance option just to off them later. Itās just a cheap āgotcha, try someone else next timeā moment.
On other hand if itās because choices made by player i donāt particularly mind.
15 Likes
If they turn my character down because of my players personality, their own sexuality or a lack of romance flags being triggered then I personally find it interesting to explore their route with another character.
However, if the author has been giving me the idea that our romance is destined to be (with max points and all) just to spin around and toss in another character that pops out of the woodworks and happens to sweep my chosen route off of their feet so itās either an out-of-the-blue compulsory poly situation or me just being the hopeless cling-on who canāt read a room, then yeah Iāll be annoyed. Mostly because I hate having to start stories again and I usually build a character around finicky ROās in romance-heavy plots, so missing out on the other ROās that are generally friendzoned halfway through the first book would leave me a little bitter, lol.
24 Likes
Reasonability would play as a factor, like if a RO would reject you because they disapprove your choices too many times, you turn into an alignment incompatible with theirs, or you donāt display sufficient care to your relationship, I wouldnāt mind much. If not that might decrease attractiveness of the game.
9 Likes
Phenrex
85
I wish there were more characters who would reject you depending on your personality.
I feel like there is not very many games where that plays much of a factor, Fallen Hero is one. Most games though flirtation is how you get an RO, and there is little involved other than boldly or shyly flirting your way into their pantaloons.
While personally I donāt mind it sometimes, I wish there was more variety in the approach to ROs more generally. Like, for example, an RO who is less attracted to a MC who tries to flirt with them, or isnāt attracted to an MC who tries to boldly flirt because they are someone who prefers being the āpursuerā.
If anyone has recommendations that addresses that then feel free to let me know as I am always open for new experiences and there is a ton of IF I havenāt checked out before!
2 Likes
It can be restricting though (for me anyway) because you have to adhere to that personality in order to pursue them. I know in RL, there are personalities that are compatible and some are not but in games, either you have to restrict some part of your audience or give your audience a chance to RP as much as you can present them.
Of course, this is my perspective as a consumer though and a certain group of audience that usually donāt play a game multiple times.
Edit: I think Persona series social links apply here. You have to choose certain choices to level up each social links even though there are some questionable concerns. hahaha I only played Persona 3 Portable and Person 4 Golden, I donāt know if it changed in Person 5 Royal.
Edit 2: I just remembered the Tokimeki Girlās Side series are notorious about this! You will only be able to pursue someone if you pass stat checks like you should be brainy or athletic etc. in order to get notice by one of the ROs. I remember in order to pursue the main RO, all your stats should be a certain level. 
5 Likes
Phenrex
87
Ew gross, I didnāt mean stat checks, I meant how you act around the RO themself.
Mind you, I do think the stat checks can be used to show how your acts change based off your own behaviour but just having a stat check cut off a relationship feels pretty not fun 
. Not to say that it canāt be done in a way that works well, just that I personally bristle at the idea on first pass.
1 Like
NSG
88
The only time Iād get annoyed at the situation is if you can spend a large portion of a book focussing on the RO in question only for them to then switch off to another character over halfway through the story, obviously then thereās branches involved in that scenario too, if thereās drama that can ensue between the MC and the RO and if they can be confronted about the situation would make it all much better.
Iād prefer characters like that to just not be ROs because it kinda isnāt an āoptionā at that point if theyāre always going to go away from you for someone else.
1 Like
Phenrex
89
I kind of understand the urge to do it, but I think such characters should just be listed as āflingsā or the like, like Shonin in Whiskey Four. If you canāt really be with them in the end of the game.
1 Like
NSG
90
Yeah, obviously it depends on how itās set out in the story and it definitely can work better in some stories more than others. Like Whiskey-Four, youāre on a mission the entire time (I havenāt read recent updates so I may be wrong on that) and so things being more casual makes more sense and those characters having external lives make way more sense.
If a character is set up to give you the chance to romance them for most of the book and then they break it off for something out of your control and you canāt then go down a different route then people can be annoyed at the circumstance, itās a very story specific and not really umbrella discussion for this kind of question.
4 Likes
I was referring to this question when I first mentioned the Tokimeki Memorial Girlās Side. Technically, the MC gets rejected by the RO if youāre certain stat like Attentives or Art didnāt met their standards.
I might have misinterpreted the question. hahaha I did enjoy them when I was young but now, I wouldnāt play them again because youāre adhering to the ROs preference than being yourself. xD I did enjoy how Persona 3 Portable handle their romance route though. xD
1 Like
Itās because you canāt have kids together. Itās possible to talk him around with the right choices - or to become his mistress.
I donāt mind ROs who are gated by choices the character makes (like Alistair). I do mind ROs who show serious interest in other characters before or while youāre attempting to romance them, unless thereās a poly situation on offer. And I definitely hate fakeout ROs.
9 Likes
The ācanāt have everybodyā answer doesnāt make sense because an RO is by definition part of the list of characters you CAN have, itās in the name āRomantic Optionā. If a character is listed as an RO and you canāt actually romance them, itās straight up false advertising.
20 Likes
To be fair, a romance that ends because the RO choose another character over you is still a romance.
1 Like
The thread post is about being rejected tho. Not having a bad end to the romance.
1 Like
Rejection doesnāt necessarily have to take place at the very beginning. You can reject someone after having romanced them for a time.
1 Like
Letās be honest, itās because of how the poll question is vague and the answer purposefully phrased to push people to pick āItās realisticā if they just glance at the original post and poll.
Thatās generally called a break up, not a rejection. A rejection is used to mean refusing to enter a relationship.
5 Likes
Kelsey
98
I hate when people talk about realism in this context. Sexualities? Sure. Conflicts, misbeliefs, and flaws? Yes. Rejection? No, especially if the game leads you on as if youāre actually romancing them.
I donāt see how you could possibly want to get rejected in a game, of all things, just because itās realistic that you canāt have everyone. Go confess your feelings to a real life person if thatās what youāre after.
Now, if your character did something that doesnāt align with the ROās views and beliefs, rejection actually makes sense. I wouldnāt be upset about that. But if the game leads you on, only to have the RO reject you for someone else, and thereās nothing you can do about it? Absolutely not. Iād be too angry to even continue playing, tbh.
43 Likes
Thisā¦
Unless I broke a cardinal sin that goes against their beliefā¦
Its just leading the mc on and thatās a big no no in my book. I would resent whoever wrote this romance that way.
13 Likes
Haflaen
100
This is an interesting quandary. Much as I love an escapist fantasy, itās often struck me as very āconvenientā that every potential love interest happens to reciprocate the playerās feelings. In real life itās a lottery whether the person you like feels the same way, and on top of matters of character agency and autonomy I find it hard to relate to a character who seems to exude some kind of pheromone that makes everyone swoon over them (provided you pick the right options).
However, Iām not sure what the alternative is. Tying it to personality traits wouldnāt work; whereās the excitement in a romance between two people with the exact same values? Perhaps (although this is usually something I intensely dislike) some sort of randomness factor would be an option - provided itās still possible to be friends with the character after theyāve rejected you, and that itās possible to pursue another character afterwards. Or maybe thatās a terrible idea, I donāt know.
