It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Well into the 2nd act and haven't had any NPCs scolding me or the companions for addressing or referring to them in the "wrong" way or anything, so... looks like Larian did draw the line, at least in this regard.

The fact that BG3 features Half-Bloods and openly xenophobic races like the Githyanki who think of themselves very much as the Forgotten Realms' version of the "Herrenrasse" and that you can even play as one of them is actually pretty wild if you consider that the DEI department (a.k.a. utter morons) at Wizards of the Coast would rather have this purged from DnD entirely, since apparently the mere mention of "Half-Elf" or "Half-Orc" is "inherently racist" and in case of "Half-Orcs" comes with the "connotational baggage" of children born of rape.
That Larian actually managed to be able to utilise and incorporate these and other "heavy" subject matters into the narrative is nothing short of a miracle and they absolutely deserve praise for that.

Won't be seeing that scene play out in my playthrough (since Karlach's head sits in my inventory, right next to Gale's severed hand) but apparently she calls out the player character should he or she propose a foursome with two prostitutes.
And if that's not "based" then I don't know what is.
Attachments:
avatar
Time4Tea: I'm talking about the Forgotten Realms setting and the Sword Coast region of Faerun specifically, not D&D settings in general. FR has been developed as a fantasy setting to a very high level of detail over the course of ~40 years. Not just in CRPGs and/or D&D supplements, but in dozens of full-length novels. I don't know if you've ever read any of the Forgotten Realms novels, but I read at least half a dozen when I was a teenager - many of them include mature sexual themes, but I don't recall any of them giving the impression that the gender-identity demographics of the setting varied wildly from what would be expected from either modern-day society or medieval Europe.

If you want an RPG that has a very high percentage of LGBT characters, fine: do it Cyberpunk or a different fantasy setting, somewhere else in Faerun even. But trying to retcon a highly popular and familiar setting that has been developed in great detail over several decades is not the right place to do it (imo).

You make a good point though: I played through BG1 and for all I know many of the NPCs I met could have been LGBT. I didn't ask, didn't care, because it wasn't particularly relevant. But then, the way I see it, I'm not the one who seems to be trying to retro-actively insert gender identity politics into an established fantasy setting. Why is it suddenly necessary to explicitly depict the sexuality of significant numbers of NPCs at all? If it's not relevant to the adventure, perhaps it would be better to just leave it undefined, as it has been in previous games, and let players fill in the blanks themselves?

I actually sympathize with this POV. We are over-populating the planet with human beings and it's clear we are facing some pretty severe consequences from that. So, the human race probably does need more people/couples who are not going to have babies. Although I'm not one of them myself, I would agree that an increased percentage of LGBT people in the world would probably be a good thing and yes, it might even be linked to some sort of natural balance mechanism (for all we know).

But, that's the real world and I don't think it necessarily justifies suddenly changing an established fantasy setting into something that is not consistent with how it has been depicted previously.
avatar
Hadak_Ura: "Why is it suddenly necessary to explicitly depict the sexuality of significant numbers of NPCs at all? If it's not relevant to the adventure, perhaps it would be better to just leave it undefined, as it has been in previous games, and let players fill in the blanks themselves?"

This sentence right here is what I've been thinking since this game was released.
Completely unnecessary.
I'm still fooling around in act 1 (which I've completed several times in EA), but I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. What character's sexuality did they tell you about?
avatar
Hadak_Ura: "Why is it suddenly necessary to explicitly depict the sexuality of significant numbers of NPCs at all? If it's not relevant to the adventure, perhaps it would be better to just leave it undefined, as it has been in previous games, and let players fill in the blanks themselves?"

This sentence right here is what I've been thinking since this game was released.
Completely unnecessary.
avatar
alcaray: I'm still fooling around in act 1 (which I've completed several times in EA), but I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. What character's sexuality did they tell you about?
Personally, I'M not talking about anything. All I did was agree with a sentence written by Time4Tea.
Maybe ask Time4Tea?
avatar
alcaray: I'm still fooling around in act 1 (which I've completed several times in EA), but I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. What character's sexuality did they tell you about?
avatar
Hadak_Ura: Personally, I'M not talking about anything. All I did was agree with a sentence written by Time4Tea.
Maybe ask Time4Tea?
Maybe Time4Tea is making up stories? If you haven't played and are just wondering about it I recommend that you watch a let's play rather than listening to the morons who want to turn GOG into a political platform.
avatar
Hadak_Ura: Personally, I'M not talking about anything. All I did was agree with a sentence written by Time4Tea.
Maybe ask Time4Tea?
avatar
alcaray: Maybe Time4Tea is making up stories? If you haven't played and are just wondering about it I recommend that you watch a let's play rather than listening to the morons who want to turn GOG into a political platform.
Or maybe he or she has a point as I believe?
Because it does coincide with what I've read elsewhere.

I've read many reviews and discussion on Steam to know that in Act 2 is when things become apparent.
I think Time4Tea makes some very good points and some I don't agree with.
From the very first response(mathaetaes), instead of understanding his viewpoint and simply disagreeing with it in a constructive way, was a rather condescending and insulting attitude.
The fact that you need to insult is enough for me to know that I'd rather not listen to you as well as some others here in this thread.
Post edited August 26, 2023 by Hadak_Ura
avatar
Hadak_Ura: in Act 2 is when things become apparent.
Care to quote some concrete examples because I am in the middle of Act 2 and so far have come across nothing of note?

And I'm not referring to (inconsequential) things that can be easily ignored and skimmed over, such as certain options during character creation, (gay) romances resulting in displays of pixel tits, ass and primary sexual characteristics or the mere presence of NPCs or companions that might or might not be homosexually inclined, because again - who the fuck cares if all of this can be just as easily ignored and skimmed over.

Or, like mentioned in my previous post, all of this "degenerate" stuff is balanced out with equal amounts of "non-degenerate" stuff?
avatar
Hadak_Ura: in Act 2 is when things become apparent.
avatar
Yigdboz: Care to quote some concrete examples because I am in the middle of Act 2 and so far have come across nothing of note?

And I'm not referring to (inconsequential) things that can be easily ignored and skimmed over, such as certain options during character creation, (gay) romances resulting in displays of pixel tits, ass and primary sexual characteristics or the mere presence of NPCs or companions that might or might not be homosexually inclined, because again - who the fuck cares if all of this can be just as easily ignored and skimmed over.

Or, like mentioned in my previous post, all of this "degenerate" stuff is balanced out with equal amounts of "non-degenerate" stuff?
You're asking me to quote what others wrote, that I read just after release?
I honestly don't care to other than to say from what I've read from multiple people on this very subject, that all of them must have some sort of collective delusion.
avatar
Yigdboz: Care to quote some concrete examples because I am in the middle of Act 2 and so far have come across nothing of note?

And I'm not referring to (inconsequential) things that can be easily ignored and skimmed over, such as certain options during character creation, (gay) romances resulting in displays of pixel tits, ass and primary sexual characteristics or the mere presence of NPCs or companions that might or might not be homosexually inclined, because again - who the fuck cares if all of this can be just as easily ignored and skimmed over.

Or, like mentioned in my previous post, all of this "degenerate" stuff is balanced out with equal amounts of "non-degenerate" stuff?
avatar
Hadak_Ura: You're asking me to quote what others wrote, that I read just after release?
I honestly don't care to other than to say from what I've read from multiple people on this very subject, that all of them must have some sort of collective delusion.
All good, just thought you had a couple of these concrete instances where "things become apparent" at the ready to quote.
Granted I've just skimmed over a couple threads on the subject over on the BG3 subreddit and (role-)play in a manner where content intentionally as well as unintentionally gets skipped but even then I've yet to see some of these compelling examples and points, that are NOT reduced to "there's this or that alleged alphabet propaganda/intersectional feminism or gay shit in BG3 and therefore it's all shit" reasoning.
avatar
Hadak_Ura: You're asking me to quote what others wrote, that I read just after release?
I honestly don't care to other than to say from what I've read from multiple people on this very subject, that all of them must have some sort of collective delusion.
avatar
Yigdboz: All good, just thought you had a couple of these concrete instances where "things become apparent" at the ready to quote.
Granted I've just skimmed over a couple threads on the subject over on the BG3 subreddit and (role-)play in a manner where content intentionally as well as unintentionally gets skipped but even then I've yet to see some of these compelling examples and points, that are NOT reduced to "there's this or that alleged alphabet propaganda/intersectional feminism or gay shit in BG3 and therefore it's all shit" reasoning.
Alright.
But to the OP's point on what I quoted is that none of this is even necessary(maybe I'm wrong IDK) to the outcome of the game other than just there for, lack of a better term, titillation?
i'm glad the GOG boards can provide another source of entertainment. thank you.
avatar
Hadak_Ura: You're asking me to quote what others wrote, that I read just after release?
I honestly don't care to other than to say from what I've read from multiple people on this very subject, that all of them must have some sort of collective delusion.
avatar
Yigdboz: Care to quote some concrete examples because I am in the middle of Act 2 and so far have come across nothing of note?

And I'm not referring to (inconsequential) things that can be easily ignored and skimmed over, such as certain options during character creation, (gay) romances resulting in displays of pixel tits, ass and primary sexual characteristics or the mere presence of NPCs or companions that might or might not be homosexually inclined, because again - who the fuck cares if all of this can be just as easily ignored and skimmed over.

Or, like mentioned in my previous post, all of this "degenerate" stuff is balanced out with equal amounts of "non-degenerate" stuff?
I like the cut of your jib, so I'll allow myself to ask straight up - how much skimming over did you have to apply? How often was the part skimmed over to the detriment of the coherence of the world and/or story? One can certainly tell from the trailers and the prologue that it's certainly a beautifully packaged thing. But if writing sucks, then it's a beautifully packaged turd. How big of a percentage would you say of your gameplay was what you called "the degenerate stuff"? 5%? 20%? 50%? More? When you have dialogue options, you'll probably always have "progressive" options, are alternatives to those options cartoonishly evil or hostile?

For instance - I've heard that in your interactions with Gale you have the options to either have homosexual intercourse with him or antagonize him and be a complete asshole.
Post edited August 27, 2023 by m4dhat
avatar
m4dhat: How big of a percentage would you say of your gameplay was what you called "the degenerate stuff"? 5%? 20%? 50%? More? When you have dialogue options, you'll probably always have "progressive" options, are alternatives to those options cartoonishly evil or hostile?
For anything your character can participate in, there are dialog options for you to show interest and opt in, or to show disinterest and opt out. It is your story to tell. If a person hates that it's there for others to enjoy then maybe they should mind their own business?
avatar
m4dhat: How big of a percentage would you say of your gameplay was what you called "the degenerate stuff"? 5%? 20%? 50%? More? When you have dialogue options, you'll probably always have "progressive" options, are alternatives to those options cartoonishly evil or hostile?
avatar
alcaray: For anything your character can participate in, there are dialog options for you to show interest and opt in, or to show disinterest and opt out. It is your story to tell. If a person hates that it's there for others to enjoy then maybe they should mind their own business?
You're not really answering my question, but your weird imagination of my question.
avatar
alcaray: For anything your character can participate in, there are dialog options for you to show interest and opt in, or to show disinterest and opt out. It is your story to tell. If a person hates that it's there for others to enjoy then maybe they should mind their own business?
avatar
m4dhat: You're not really answering my question, but your weird imagination of my question.
It's a bad question.

Define "degenerate". Would slaughtering an entire village be considered degenerate? What about stealing?
Murdering an entire family of harpies to steal from their nest? Killing an owlbear and then murdering its cub? Murdering an ogre and a bugbear for f*cking in a barn?

Would it be degenerate to steal a religious idol?

Would it be degenerate to have consensual sex with a male member of the party? What about a female one? What if they're in animal form?

Is it degenerate to submit to being beaten for fun by some shirtless dude in leather pants?

Would teaming up with someone to murder their lover's father be degenerate? What if the lover was in on it?

The fact that you're asking the question in the first place indicates you're not able to handle the possibilities... so just don't play. Go post somewhere else. If you honestly cared about the answer, you'd go find it on YouTube rather than dog whistling here.
I believe m4dhat was looking for an answer to his question and not a strawman argument.