I think that we should - at least in singleplayer - be able to have a relationship with an NPC character. You could eventually get married, and - in some way E+ Friendly - have kids, and they could either travel with you, or stay home and do things. Just an Idea. Discuss.
I like it. But not necessarily a marriage and kids - just a little romantic subplot with several side quests, available with an NPC of opposite gender (oh, i'm so politically incorrect).
Well, I get what your saying with the quests. It could be like in Harvest moon, you give them a gift every day and they eventually fall in love with you xD. Or do some Tedious tasks, and they enjoy the workmanship aspect.
Or you could do it the traditional way and just raid their village and bring home a captive as your new bride! It worked for the Neanderthals, Romans, Vikings, Mongols, Germanic Tribes, Celts, Picts, 6 of the seven brothers, Amazon Women, etc... More examples...
I don't really care if this is added or not, but if it is, although I'd take either I'd prefer the relationships to not be limited to heterosexual ones ;D
I was thinking about this and I worry that it would probably detract from the gameplay more than it would enhance roleplaying, unless your spouse /partner gives absolutely no benefits. If they're purely cosmetic NPCs it would be awesome to have them welcome you home after a long day of spacefaring and adventure; my problem is if they do work for the player or confer exclusive items or actions. I may be being paranoid here, but recently having replayed Fable there seemed to be a sense that you were missing out on items, achievements and what have you by not marrying or having a family. Most times when this sort of feature not using it tends to put you at a disadvantage, like not gaining the loot from an optional quest in essence. But yeah, I'm for it being implemented on the condition that choosing not to get married doesn't put a character at any sort of disadvantage. Also to reiterate; this is to do with the experience of such a mechanic in other games and is not necessarily a bad idea!
I'd be fine with this if all the NPC did was give you a home-cooked meal every day. (Restorative item) It would also be nice if their conversations/messages involve something comforting, like back-rubs. Imagine it, free lunch and back-rubs!
I like the concept, but I don't think a specific subplot or quest chain would be the best way to go about it in a game based on procedural generation. I'd preffer a simple system where all NPCs with a non-vital role (someone who only sells guns ect. wouldn't be included in this system) have a positive or negative affection meter in regards to the player. A high score here could represent a romantic relationship, but I feel it would still fit the cute/cuddly style of the sprites. Also, you'd have the alternatives of gathering a band of friends, adopting lost children, or whatever other meanings the players ascribe to the relationship score.
