I’m like Beetlejuice, at times… you gotta say my name three times before I appear. 
(especially when work has me in a slow death spiral)
Interesting thread, though. I have opinions, of course…
Long blathering about romances and ROs having preferences
I think throwing physical preferences into a RO’s setup is walking a very dangerous line, and it’s not just skin color that is a problem. Some human beings can be incredibly insecure over things other human beings can’t quite grasp, and physical attributes of all kinds can trigger those insecurities. That isn’t something you want in a game, especially one that features romance as a feature.
While some might be fine with a RO who is more difficult to romance because they prefer blonds over brunets or redheads, others would find it discriminatory or feel incredibly bad about it, like they were being forced to play the game a certain way in order to get a particular RO (even if this is something that you find in “real” life on a regular basis). That said…
I’m onboard for the idea of actions having consequences, both for the RO and for the MC, even (and especially) once you actually become a “thing.”
That said, I don’t think there should be a laundry list of things that cause the RO to become “difficult” to obtain. One or two choices–like lying or intentionally feeding the RO’s inscurities–would be fine. Simply having personality differences (introvert vs extrovert, friendly vs stoic) would not be fine. People are often attracted to those who display different characteristics than what they think they prefer, and that’s a good thing. The only one I would say could be a kicker is honest versus dishonest, because someone being a liar is a red flag for a lot of people.
Personally, I would like there to come a point in every romance where it is “locked in” and these issues won’t keep the MC and RO from being together. One thing I really love about Wayhaven is the fact that you have to lock in a romance. The MC has the chance to get to know all of them (in some respects, though it was almost like she intentionally made a couple of the romances as unappealing as humanly possibly in b1, when you had to choose), and then you pick. That, to me, is a good thing–you don’t have to worry that your MC will get dumped or that the romance was false advertising (i.e., pitched as a romance option, only to find out they aren’t obtainable, as was discussed in another thread).
But after it’s locked in, I have always wanted to see some sort of mood/status tracker. Say something happens as you mentioned above, where the MC lies to the RO or does something to make them feel insecure, then the there needs to be something to force this to be worked out or, at the very least, track the fact that the RO isn’t feeling overly trusting of the MC now and the MC is going to have to earn that trust back.
The same goes for the MC–if the RO does something to show themselves as untrustworthy, or starts treating the MC like a doormat (something I see repeatedly in these games), then instead of making the MC accept it, let the player choose how they feel about it, and have that set the current mood/status/whatever you call it. I see a lot of this already in games, where a stat is set based on some big romance moment, so it’s easy enough to use that to affect the current mood (or even have what happened be a contention point in the future, until it’s worked out, like it’s forgiven but not forgotten).
I don’t think it’s something that should be constantly back and forth, or affected by every interaction, only those events that the author knows will affect the relationship/romance and either the RO or the MC may react strongly to. It’d be a good way to help build a relationship in-game that actually feels like a relationship instead of a one-sided thing that forces the MC into the position of always letting things go or the ROs always letting things go that otherwise would’ve really bothered them.
I think one reason so many authors are reluctant to get past the “first kiss/first bang” stage in a “romance” is because they think relationships are boring or some other such thing. One solution to this is the above–track the current attitude of the MC and RO (default as positive, I would think, if they are involved!) and change some of the text accordingly. Or even add a line in the stats, something like “Bosephus is really pissed off that you flirted with that Orc two weeks ago, and it’s affecting their mood…”
I know it likely sounds like a lot, but when you consider the sheer amount of stats that are tracked already (some of which aren’t really necessary, from what I see in code diving), it wouldn’t be much more to add, since the author can choose the exact events that can affect the romance/relationship (and may pay more attention to what they write when beta readers start pointing out behavioral issues to them).
Also, just to clarify, I’m not saying the ROs should be changed. Quite the opposite. Everyone has a sticking point or two, those things that set them off and make them grudgy or angry at even those whom they care for deeply. But they can be overcome. That could be a very interesting, fun (and, dare I say it, romantic-oriented) path to add.
As for the original question about a RO rejecting my MC in favor for another character… fuck that noise, to put it bluntly. Unless it’s “spoiled” up front, I would be livid if I created a MC to play through the route, wasted hours of my time, and then found out the RO was never really an option in the first place. That’s false advertising, just like it’s false advertising when someone pitches their story as a romance but there’s no damned romance in it. You outright lied, knowing some people might purchase the game specifically for that reason that you lied about (remember the sticking point thing above? there’s one of mine…).
That’s not to say that I have a problem with some ROs being off limits. I may complain about it (cough Steel cough) but the character is what it is. Now if I hadn’t known that before FH b2 comes out, I might be miffed. But @malinryden told everyone how it is, so that’s that.
I don’t even have a problem with a RO having certain sex/relationship preferences and the MC being forced to deal with it or find another RO (as long as it’s clear up front). A RO whose love language is touch shouldn’t be forced to be with someone who will never touch them. A RO who is only comfortable with being the pursuer shouldn’t be forced to be the one who is pursued by the MC (and I would freaking kill for this one, because no one has done it yet). That kind of thing, I’m all for. But just having a character who is pitched as a RO up and dump the MC because that’s how the author wants it? Not gonna play it.
This is where I would turn green and break shit…
And don’t get me started about Jacob from ME. Ugh!! (and, might I add, that Shepard was freaking creepy when flirting with him??)
Anyway, this whole “plot” just sounds like something to intentionally get readers pissed off. Granted, some of the angst lovers might eat it up, but if you did it, then I’d highly suggest letting people know up front that it’s all angst, the RO will dump you, etc. so those who aren’t into having their MCs crapped on can just avoid it altogether.
