RMMV Game Idea: Harold/Eric Romance

[Oddball]

Yeah seriously. Can we have ONE debate about a non hetero relationship in a game without it turning into a heated debate? Its getting a little ridiculous honestly. If you are against the idea you can just say no without elaborating, or can even just go to the next thread. Thanks.

As for me it depends. Is this all about the romance? Or is there more to the game? I'm not the biggest fan of games that are just about romance honestly regardless of what relationship it is as most end up becoming either poorly done or a flimsy excuse for adult content.

I know some games let you pick if you want to do romance or not and it can be gay romance or hetero. Though a game specifically about romance needs to have backbone to it

Now that i think about it, there actually is a game i played that's about romance between to ladies and has a good backbone to the story Ceress and Orea
pretty sure it was made in an RPG maker engine as well

 

[Touchfuzzy]

Yeah seriously. Can we have ONE debate about a non hetero relationship in a game without it turning into a heated debate? Its getting a little ridiculous honestly. If you are against the idea you can just say no without elaborating, or can even just go to the next thread. Thanks.

I'm going to go a bit further on this.

If your objection to a game is because "no homo" don't post in the thread. You are adding nothing to the discussion except divisiveness. If someone is supportive of gay relationships, saying "I don't like it because I don't like gay" isn't going to change anyone's minds.

Additionally, this site is LGBTQ friendly, just as it is friendly to all people of all walks of life. I know what you are thinking "You aren't being friendly to me": You are correct, look up the Paradox of Tolerance.

If it makes you uncomfortable that you are not allowed to say you don't like LGBTQ people and you cannot stop yourself from being hostile towards that, that is your own problem.

If you have constructive criticism about the subject that is not related to "oh no, gays" then sure, give that.

As an example: honestly that plot is super thin and it is hard to give any real feedback on it at this time.

 

[HawkZombie]

Any romance plot, whether hetero or homo sexual relies on a solid premise and engaging characters. Just putting two characters together and going 'tee hee! they're in love!' will fall flat because it lacks depth.

You need something for people to sink their teeth into. Otherwise what's the point?

 

[slimmmeiske2]

It’s your game, you can do what you want

I wonder though why Harold and Eric? It’s a bit of an odd couple to come up with. Not saying you can’t, but my headcanon is Harold/Lucius and I just haven’t seen many people mix in the different RTP characters, especially ones whose (RTP) style don’t match at all.

Also depending on what type of game you’re planning on making, it might be better to go with original characters instead.

 

[freakytapir]

Now, to just add my two cents ... I don't think a relationship is inherently more interesting for being gay. Well, no, let me rephrase that. I'm actually more interested in it, but I might see others being turned off by it. So it's a polarizing choice, especially for the main character.

What else is going on to make it interesting?

As others have said, is it taboo?
Is it bucking the trends?
You mentioned the king and his knight.
This does bring up nice story ideas.

What about an Heir?
Does the public approve?
Does the court approve?
Is he pushed into a straight marriage to 'maintain family honor' or to produce an heir?
Or is the whole knighthood rife with ... Battlefield friendships? Don't ask, don't tell.

That said, it does sound like an interesting premise if you would flesh it out beyond 'gay guys'.

 

[Ratatattat]

@BenSD Most ridiculous thing is that you, people ask about something, and someone who replies with honesty is mocked and insulted.

Imagine replying with this after saying something racist to a game idea involving characters of color. This is not different. Just because someone asks and you have bigoted views, doesn't make them the bad guy when they object to your sharing of those bigoted views.

@Touchfuzzy Literally the hero we all need and the best person to be running this place

I wonder though why Harold and Eric? It’s a bit of an odd couple to come up with. Not saying you can’t, but my headcanon is Harold/Lucius and I just haven’t seen many people mix in the different RTP characters, especially ones whose (RTP) style don’t match at all.

I wondered about this as well. Will the style of one be altered to match that of the other, or will they just stay mix-and-matched?

I think in general I also wonder: why RTP characters? I may just be unaware, but do these characters have established backgrounds, personalities, or lore somewhere? Or does each dev who uses them make up their own backgrounds/personalities for them, effectively just creating original characters anyway? In which case, is the visual character design the only thing about them that makes this a Harold x Eric romance? In which case further, what makes this idea any different than just proposing a general "gay romance story" between any hypothetical prince and guard?

I guess what I'm saying is, while this idea was presented with its use of Harold x Eric as being a main point/attention-grabber, what is it about this point that makes it so important? It's fine to use the RTP, obviously I'm not saying it's not - I'm just wondering what it is about the RTP characters that gives this story a unique identity. The prince/guard detail definitely provides more of a concept IMO.

Otherwise, I agree with most others that it's just not a lot to go on yet I think you got the first response objecting to it due to being gay, primarily because that's one of the only points we have to go on. Obviously that person's opinion should have no bearing on you proceeding with making the game. Perhaps you should develop the story premise a little more and then come back for feedback again, though. We could provide way more valuable feedback on a later, more detailed point in development

 

[Soulrender]

Okay, because I see notifications with an "Angry" reaction, so I rephrase my answer, do whatever you like, but that kind of game won't interest me at all, more interesting it would be if main hero would get involved in a love affair with someone similar in appearance to Dee Williams and Olivia Fyre or Zoey Nixon (You google it on your own risk...)

 

[tammie]

Now that i think about it, there actually is a game i played that's about romance between to ladies and has a good backbone to the story Ceress and Orea
pretty sure it was made in an RPG maker engine as well

Right, by @Plueschkatze - that was a very good game, focused on romance only as far as I know.

I wonder though why Harold and Eric? It’s a bit of an odd couple to come up with. Not saying you can’t, but my headcanon is Harold/Lucius and I just haven’t seen many people mix in the different RTP characters, especially ones whose (RTP) style don’t match at all.

I don't know, I just always shipped the two.

@freakytapir I do very much like the proposed idea of the romance being forbidden or at least strongly disapproved of. I was thinking that Harold would be pushed into a straight marriage, with a princess assumedly to "unite" royal families.

I think in general I also wonder: why RTP characters? I may just be unaware, but do these characters have established backgrounds, personalities, or lore somewhere? Or does each dev who uses them make up their own backgrounds/personalities for them, effectively just creating original characters anyway? In which case, is the visual character design the only thing about them that makes this a Harold x Eric romance? In which case further, what makes this idea any different than just proposing a general "gay romance story" between any hypothetical prince and guard?

I guess what I'm saying is, while this idea was presented with its use of Harold x Eric as being a main point/attention-grabber, what is it about this point that makes it so important? It's fine to use the RTP, obviously I'm not saying it's not - I'm just wondering what it is about the RTP characters that gives this story a unique identity. The prince/guard detail definitely provides more of a concept IMO.

They don't exactly have established characters, though Ace characters at least have descriptions in the default database. But I've seen a lot of games that intentionally use RTP characters.

 

[Oddball]

Right, by @Plueschkatze - that was a very good game, focused on romance only as far as I know.

Did they make anything else?

 

[slimmmeiske2]

@Oddball Getting a bit off-topic here, but yes Plueschkatze is working on two new games (and they've done jam games in teams as well).

@ts50 Any idea what genre you're going to go with?

 

[misterdovah]

I think this can work fine if you build a nice plot with memorable moments. A relationship system, multiple endings and blushing effect sprites and I am into it.

#pleaseputahorseescapescene

 

[freakytapir]

@freakytapir I do very much like the proposed idea of the romance being forbidden or at least strongly disapproved of. I was thinking that Harold would be pushed into a straight marriage, with a princess assumedly to "unite" royal families.

Now I'm just thinking about the reverse. Two royal lines that only have a son, so the princes are pushed into 'relationships'.

 

[overlordmikey]

Now I'm just thinking about the reverse. Two royal lines that only have a son, so the princes are pushed into 'relationships'.

Depending on how you play, they can either really fall in love, end up in a weird political marriage, or all kinds of fun things.

 

[freakytapir]

Depending on how you play, they can either really fall in love, end up in a weird political marriage, or all kinds of fun things.

Or just the comedy route of the prince not finding out until after the marriage. Or maybe right after all the political manouvring has been done.
"Wait, you're a dude? Why did no one tell me?"
"We all thought you knew! The whole kingdom knows!"
"Well, no one told me."
"No one tells you the sun comes up because it is obvious, and everyone knows. Now, who's wearing the dress?"

 

[coyotecraft]

For any romantic relationship, I think the idea is for their personalities to compliment each other. Rather than saying "opposites attract" I think it's better to say that one does what the other can not. I've listened to podcasts about Romance Plots in general. One author said that the way to ruin a romance novel is to end it with all their problems going away. It kills the chemistry.

I believe Japan has a genre for gay romance. But they're not forever-love stories. It more like a story of how they came together and then drifted apart. "Drift apart" is putting it mildly. It's more like one commits suicide to cut ties. Because they live within a class hierarchy. "Important" people are meant to be irreplaceable. It's all revolving around a "man vs society" conflict. Or should I say "men" vs society?

"One Stormy Night" had some gay undertones. That was more of a "Man vs Nature" or "Man vs Himself". Because the characters are a wolf and a sheep. One is a pack animal, the other is a herd animal. They recognize their bonds, their social values, are different. They make each other happy, but they're also sacrificing part of their identity. Whether it's a personal identity or a group identity.

But I think the big jump is the sexual reality. Because without that you just have a platonic relationship. You know, it's a buddy-cop story where you squint and cock your head sideways to read between the lines. It's ambiguously gay. How close are they?
In which case, we're shifting away from the "romance" category into a different form of entertainment: sexual innuendo. Because if you're not explicit enough, it's turning into a mystery-comedy. You're laying down clues like *wink* *wink* *knudge* *knudge* Did you catch that? Did you see what they did there?

For a short story between Harold and Eric you don't need to show how it all started or where it ultimately leads. Or what's even keeping them together. You can just simply have them acting out of character and sneaking away with a revealing denouement: they had secret dinner plans. That explains all their actions up to that point. It doesn't need to be deeper than that.

Personally, courtly love is too boring for my taste. I want fantasy. Give me love potions. Magic spells. Give me a melodramatic love triangle where Harold reciprocates Eric's feelings but Eric made a doll/homunculus of Harold who tries to break them apart.

 

[overlordmikey]

I believe Japan has a genre for gay romance. But they're not forever-love stories. It more like a story of how they came together and then drifted apart. "Drift apart" is putting it mildly. It's more like one commits suicide to cut ties. Because they live within a class hierarchy. "Important" people are meant to be irreplaceable. It's all revolving around a "man vs society" conflict. Or should I say "men" vs society?

Japan has a few gay romance genres.

 

[coyotecraft]

Edit: sorry, I had the tab open all morning and just kept adding to it. I guess i was rambling. I was focusing on the narrative, but for a game like an rpg, i guess you have to consider the "campaign".

A book can tell a story confined to a single location.
An rpg needs to span a continent, i think.

 

[RivalRamen_Games]

AAAA YES
Sorry, being unprofessional, haha...
What I mean is, YES! These types of relationships between characters is one of the reasons I get up in the morning! Especially if it's canonical!!
But everyone else has a point... Is it JUST the relationship on show, or is it other things AND the relationship? Is it forbidden, like Katniss and Peeta in Book 1, Parts 1-2? (No, I am NOT using Romeo and Juliet because FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, Juliet's, like, 14! And Romeo's, what, 26?! ADULTS SHOULD NOT ROMANTICALLY LOVE CHILDREN!! Or vice versa!
Sorry if I offended anyone... But I am SERIOUSLY against pedophilia. I guess you could call me a Pedophobic person??)
*I'm getting off topic here...*
Is there a war? Is Harold betrothed to a princess in order to forge alliances? Does Eric have to go to war, and we're not sure if he'll return, and some of the time we're with him, he's like, "I HAVE to stay alive! FOR HAROLD!!"?
I NEED to know! Other than that, just make sure they're the same age group, and I'm cool with it!

 

[Jragyn]

Okay, because I see notifications with an "Angry" reaction, so I rephrase my answer, do whatever you like, but that kind of game won't interest me at all, more interesting it would be if main hero would get involved in a love affair with someone similar in appearance to Dee Williams and Olivia Fyre or Zoey Nixon (You google it on your own risk...)

For those who are unfamiliar or are now scared-but-curious about googling these names, all three are just porn actresses, all of which look pretty significantly different.

Why would it somehow make the plot more interesting if an RPG Maker game had characters that somehow looked similar any of those three?

What about the look of the main character(s) themselves? Doesn't matter?

Why would you bait people into googling porn?

You raise more questions than you answer, and most of them probably don't add value to this thread, and if I had to guess, this forum either.

 

[slimmmeiske2]

(No, I am NOT using Romeo and Juliet because FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, Juliet's, like, 14! And Romeo's, what, 26?! ADULTS SHOULD NOT ROMANTICALLY LOVE CHILDREN!!

Just so you know: Romeo's often portrayed as 16, not 26.