Of course, dialogue within a game is bound to have some limitations.
Infinite customization is not yet possible.
Maybe Ryder will be able to have more nuanced approaches this way, too.
Thats not real life.
There should be some people who just want to hop in the sack immediately.
There should people who are interested in a long-term relationship.
There are people who arent interested in romance at all.
WithMass Effect: Andromeda, BioWare wants the games romantic interests to all want different things.
Just because someone has a romance doesnt mean they have a longer relationship arc with you, Walters said.
Think of the relationship moment with Garrus inMass Effect 3where you [shoot bottles off the Citadel].
Does it always have to be, Get someone into the bed?
or can it be, Lets go have a bros moment or a friends moment.
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Its also about how youre able to approach the other characters.
The dialogue wheel system itself contributed to a lack of nuance in the originalMass Effectgames.
Shepard did not always say what the player expected.
The originalMass Effects tendency to push players into romance lines was especially susceptible to this.
Different collectibles or costume choices could also allow the player to further customize their experience.
Could Ryder wear a significant piece of armor or a mark of loyalty that would always be visible?
Theres a question of whether a satisfying story always equates to a successful romance story.
A relationship just may not fit with what the writers envisioned or planned for that character.
This is especially true of Garrus, whose friendship endeared him to players as much as the romance did.
Theres an interesting counterpoint to all of this with at least one character in the original trilogy, though.
No matter whether her relationship to Shepard was romantic or platonic, she became a more responsible person.
More natural choices could also find their way into gameplay.
Maybe Ryder has to talk to one character to open up to a third character about how they feel.
Maybe romancing one results in a rivalry with another.
Balancing these relationships has always been part of the players experience on the Normandy or in camp in Thedas.
Friendship endgames could give players more options.
When it comes to writing LGBTQ relationships, there are additional factors to consider as well.
Offering more options like this would allow more players to see themselves in their characters.
Ryder might also fall somewhere other than male or female on the gender spectrum.
BioWare is already used to either working around or swapping in different pronouns to refer to Shepard.
Rethinking a characters sexuality meant rethinking a character completely.
It has to be a part of who they are, Walters told Game Informer.
It cant just be, We need to have three male and three female [options].
Thats one thing we did to make it feel more natural.
But it would make players happy just like defeating the enemies in the game.
Not all relationships work out.
Megan Crouse is a staff writer.
