romance
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Breakfast Topic: Do you have a crush on a minor NPC?
Ah, romance. Love is truly in the air when so many romantic topics keep cropping up. Recently with the Drama Mamas, we tackled the topic of roleplay romance. Commenter musicchan suggested that in order to avoid the awkward, one-sided crossover from RP love to OOC, players could fall in love with minor NPCs. When Blizzard asked about in-game NPC couples, Cynwise confessed to a crush on Auctioneer Jaxon. Love is in the air, indeed. I have a crush too. Makavu, the troll banker in Orgrimmar's Valley of Spirits, has a way of saying things that makes my bank alt swoon. Nobody says okey-dokey like he does. I think Auctioneer Ziji may be jealous of our romance. She seems pleasant enough when I conduct business with her, but she watches grimly as I flirt with Makavu. I suppose it is possible that my love isn't returned. Who knows the workings of a troll's heart? Sassy Hardwrench isn't a minor NPC, but she isn't a major one either. Maybe I shouldn't mention the fact that my mage Tizzy thinks she's dreamy. Tizzy couldn't express her feelings when Sassy was her Executive Assistant -- what with sexual harassment cases being what they are -- and now Sassy runs her own place. She's out of Tizzy's league. Do you have a crush on a minor NPC? Which vendor or guard makes your heart beat faster? Or does your character have a romance in every city? Heroes often tend to have groupies, after all ...
The Call of Nyorloth: Your favorite Azerothian relationships
Nyorloth, the newest blue poster on the forums and a lore specialist, has already opened up the floor for lore discussion with a great topic for Love is in the Air. There are many types of relationships all over Azeroth, from romantic to bromantic, friendly to rivalrous. The question is which work the best? I think my favorite relationship in Cataclysm was the father/son bonding and relationship building that went on between Eitrigg and his son Ariok. Eitrigg seems to want to bring his son along for the ride as he redeems his people and weeds out the bad blood amongst the Blackrock clan. Ariok is proud to serve under his father, and that relationship feels real, honest, and not forced. Just a father and son doing something together that they love -- subterfuge and war. Head on over to the thread and help out Nyorloth with his first post on the lore forums. Another hearty welcome to Nyorloth!
Apps for Valentine's Day
Image: Shutterstock Today's smartphones are, by their nature, quite versatile. It's impossible to guide every lover on Valentine's Day to the app for their particular needs, because despite the requisite "flowers, chocolate, *something*" expectations, we all do it differently. I tried to round up a few apps that might appeal to just about anyone who participates in tomorrow's festivities. Happy Valentine's Day, if that's your thing! Going out to eat If you're trying to get a reservation, one of the fastest ways to check and make a reservation is with OpenTable (hopefully your area's restaurants are on-board with their system). If you're out and looking for somewhere to eat, I still use one of the first big breakout apps from the App Store, UrbanSpoon. Of course, you can always ask Siri, but if you don't have a 4S, try Yelp. Going out to find someone to love Personally I've had a great experience with OKCupid, probably the least skeevy of the online dating sites and its app is quite excellent. There's also Skout, which I haven't tried, but it has good reviews and features a location-based singles finder in the app. There are also most specific love-finding apps like Grindr for the gay community and Cupidtino for fans of Apple stuff. Buying a gift Don't know what to buy your sweetheart? Apps like El Gifto, and Thoughtful (not yet available in app form) will help you answer that question by asking a few background questions first. You can use Red Laser to comparison shop (you hopeless romantic, you) or Giftiki to pool your money with friends -- the gift that says "I love you enough to beg our friends for money." Setting the mood Yeah we've all heard of Pandora by now, but lately I'm digging the DJ-powered Slacker Radio for less repetition and a wider set of music. Slacker also has several romance-themed stations set up, like this one called Love Songs. If you subscribe to Rdio or Spotify, you can build your own playlist for all-night romance without commercial interruption. My personal preference is Rdio, but it'll be fun to see all the romantic songs being played in Spotify on the night of V-Day thanks to Spotify's in-your-face social mechanisms. Having fun Spending a night at home? Try Scene It? Romance Movies for some lighthearted fun -- although it could be embarrassing if you never watch romance movies. If you want to reminisce about the times you had together and snapped with Instagram, check out Lovestagram, which will bring up all the pics of you and your loved one taken using the social photo service. iKamasutra is the App Store-approved Kama Sutra for the iPhone. You could just as easily buy the real deal in ebook form, but the app provides easy navigation to all your favorite, um, love pretzels. Got any other apps you recommend for Valentine's Day? If you need to call a florist, I'd suggest Google or Siri -- and that you do it fast.
Drama Mamas: When roleplayed love is in the air
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. I think it is long past time for another results edition of Drama Mamas. Some letter writers have already sent me the outcome of our advice, which is always wonderful. But we could still use some more. If you have written the Drama Mamas and we have answered you in print, please send us an email at robin@wowinsider.com. We will compile the responses in a future column, once we get enough of them. On to the drama ... This week, we have another RP romance conundrum. Dear Drama Mamas -- I've recently started roleplaying on Wyrmrest Accord, and I really love it! It's a fun way to meet new people and really get into your character, even if I only do it somewhat-casually. However, I have an issue that I need some help with. When I first joined my roleplaying guild it was fine and dandy, but one person in particular gave me more attention than anyone else. I was fine with it, as we were in character and my character was single and all, so I flirted a bit and over time our characters started a (somewhat) romantic relationship.
SWTOR: Ten things you need to know about companions
For those of you who have never played a BioWare RPG before (or any single-player RPG, really), the concept of "companions" may initially strike you as strange. After all, in MMOs we're so used to jaunting off into the wilderness solo without some semi-intelligent NPC tagging along for the ride, so for a game to inform us that we not only will have them but will have to use them all the time may feel odd. If so, we're guessing you've never been into pet classes, either. Companions are one of the long-standing features of BioWare RPGs; they're both useful fighters who help keep you alive and persistent beings whom you get to know, develop relationships with, and affect in significant ways. In the past, BioWare companions have often been cited as the most memorable parts of the studio's games, from Baldur's Gate II's Minsc to Mass Effect 2's Mordin (to name two of my all-time favorites). Yet in MMOs, companion NPCs aren't that common, and if you're feeling a little bewildered at the thought of having one at your side at all times in Star Wars: The Old Republic, then we're here to lay out for you 10 reasons why companions are as useful as all get out -- and why you're going to love them like crazy before too long.
Drama Mamas: A fake romance turns real
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. I think half of the Fred and Ginger movies are about whether they are faking a romance or really in love. Let's hope this week's letter writer has the same happy ending Fred and Ginger always do. Lately I've run into a strange situation in my guild. A friend of mine and I have been spending a lot of time online together and it's suddenly come to our attention that a lot of people think there is something going on between us. Some background of my guild: We're several years old and are very tight knit. I feel so at home with these people, specifically my fellow officers, that I'd call some of them my best friends in-game and out. We have people from all over the world and it's amazing to connect with everyone no matter the distance between us.
SWTOR companions will have same-sex romance options... eventually
It's been debated across the MMO blogosphere and casually confirmed in interviews, but today it's been announced formally (and you know it's official because it's in yellow ink): Star Wars: The Old Republic's companion characters will not offer same-sex romance options -- at launch. But such relationships will be making an appearance sometime after launch. In a statement on the forums, SWTOR Senior Online Community Manager Stephen Reid posted the following: Due to the design constraints of a fully voiced MMO of this scale and size, many choices had to be made as to the launch and post-launch feature set. Same gender romances with companion characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic will be a post-launch feature. Because The Old Republic is an MMO, the game will live on through content expansions which allow us to include content and features that could not be included at launch, including the addition of more companion characters who will have additional romance options. (Emphasis ours.) This plan is certainly in line with other BioWare titles while setting it apart from other MMOs. Hopefully this option won't end up in the "never got around to it" bin like housing in a certain other MMO.
Storyboard: Talk about the passion
Two of the earliest columns I did for Storyboard were all about romance in roleplaying. If you've forgotten them, they can be found here and here, but if you don't feel like reading a couple thousand words just to continue with this column, the gist was pretty simple. In short -- don't. But since you're going to anyway, take the usual steps to avoid any sort of spilling drama. Actually, I should just make a column of usual tips to avoid spilling drama in roleplaying and save myself a lot of time. It's been more than a year since those were written, and to my great joy they're still relevant and useful. But at the same time, there's more to be said on the topic, albeit in bits and pieces. So (possibly against my better judgment) I'm diving face-first into the sea of love once again to talk about a couple of points that I either didn't discuss the first time around or only briefly touched on.
Drama Mamas: Rivals for love
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. Good friends vying for the attentions of the same woman -- it's a tale as old as time and certainly not new to WoW. We also have an announcement: This is the last Drama Mamas column ...
The Daily Grind: What do you think of MMO dating?
When we talk about MMO dating, we're not talking about the creepy guy in your guild who hits on all the female characters until you kick him out. No, we're talking about genuine dating, forming a relationship with someone and eventually asking the other person out on a date, possibly even in-game. Lucent Heart is unique in some ways because it offers a similar function baked in to the client, but nearly every longtime veteran has at least one story of the couple that met via the game and wound up in a happy relationship. On the one hand, if the key to making a relationship work is a shared interest, dating someone you meet via an MMO certainly seems like a viable approach. On the other hand, virtual relationships face a unique level of challenge even without introducing the possibility of a long argument over who should have rolled need on that last piece of gear. So what do you think about the idea of MMO dating? Is it a good idea with some problems or something that sounds nice but just doesn't work right? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Declaring love with the Mac OS X Finder
Not only is this really cute, it made me think to myself, "Man, I wish I'd thought of that first." Sean Ohlenkamp put a folder on the desktop of his wife's Mac as the gateway to expressing his sentiments on their third wedding anniversary. The video above walks through a whimsical nest of folders in the Mac OS X Finder, occasionally taking non sequitur (and hilarious) side trips before winding up at an awww-inducing conclusion. There's no indication of how Sean's wife reacted to his message or the way he delivered it, but if she's a keeper, I'm sure she loved it. You can watch the video after the break. [via Neatorama]
Drama Mamas: When guild officers break up
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. If you have sent a letter recently to dramamamas@wowinsider.com, we didn't get it. Please resend to robin@wowinsider.com, and use that email until we get the official Drama Mamas email sorted out. We're sorry for the inconvenience. Meanwhile, love is still in the air -- in Azeroth, anyway, and today we have another love-themed letter. Last week we talked about getting together, and this week we talk about breaking up. Dear Dramamamas. I am writing you, as I am in deep disarray. I recently broke up with my girlfriend, after a 2year long relationship. I know that is not much for many people, but for me it is. The relationship were kind of doomed from the start, as I was an army officer with hunger for adventure, and her a beauty with hunger for a settled life. When we met, we quickly found a common ground; World of Warcraft. We started playing together, and after a few failed attempts trying to find the perfect guild, we finally found this pristine little gem.
The Guild Counsel: Till death do us part?
Yes, sometimes being part of a guild feels like being in a marriage -- there's lots of commitment, lots of responsibility, and all too often, lots of arguing and fighting. But this week, we're actually going to look at the issue of online romance and online relationships in MMOs. As games and communities increase in number, more and more players are developing lasting relationships, and some of those have even led to marriage. Since the Valentine's Day roses are still fresh and there are still a few chocolates left in the heart-shaped box, this week's Guild Counsel will look at a few dos and don'ts of online romance. Joining me this week is Arithion, host of the Rift Podcast. She met her husband in game, and they've been married for four years. She'll share some valuable advice on what to do if you think you've found that special someone.
Heart Story: One player's quest for iconic affection
The first character I ever made in WoW was a rogue named Lockette. She was an adorable little gnome with green pigtails who I played for 5 minutes while my boyfriend (who'd left himself logged in on the character selection screen) was in the shower. I don't recall much of what I did in the game during those few minutes, but I remember being fascinated by the sight of my character's footsteps on the snowy terrain of Dun Morogh. Looking back on it now, I know it probably sounds like a strange thing to be impressed by, but my gaming experience at that time was limited to sprite RPGs that didn't have those kinds of little details. I wasn't used to being able to affect the environment of a game. So I ran in circles, squiggles, and zigzags, then finally made a small effort at drawing something simple: a heart. That's when I realized the prints fade quite quickly.
The Daily Grind: Have you ever gone on a date in an MMO?
Fight it, avoid it or embrace it, Valentine's Day is almost here, and you know what that means: Well-meaning bloggers are going to pry into your love life! Just giving you the heads-up for the next paragraph. When our thoughts turn to sweethearts and romance, it's only natural for us gamers to incorporate our hobby into our love lives. Ew, not like that! Never like that! Put that away! I meant that MMOs can be just as much of a venue for flirting, relationships and courting as anywhere else, so it stands to reason that a segment of Massively readers have done just that. So have you ever gone on a date in an MMO, and if so, what happened? Did you map out an evening of adventurous delights, or simply play together as nature and MMO studios intended? And if you haven't gone on an in-game date, what do you envision being a fun way to spend time with a romantic interest? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Drama Mamas: Love is all around
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. I know that Love is in the Air, but I like the song Love is All Around so much better. Of course, my favorite version (or perversion) is Billy Mack's, but 'tis no longer the season. Love is certainly all around us right now, what with hearts and cupids being displayed all over the physical world as well as WoW. Mix it with all of the Lunar Festival lanterns in game, and you've got one gaudy Azeroth. However, romance isn't just about decorations, fragrances and boxes of chocolates. It's also about couples getting to know each other and exploring relationships beyond friendship. Hi. About two months ago I met a woman on WoW that I play the game with quite often now, and I'm very interested in her romantically. How should I approach this? I have spoken with her and flirted with her quite a bit, but I dunno if dating her would ruin what we have on WoW, or if it's really a good idea to do this. I've never dated anyone I've met on a video game before. I'm mostly a casual gamer, but I have played WoW for about 6 years now, on and off. Note: I have talked with her via social networks as well, and I have seen what she looks like. I am currently 26 years old. If you have any insight, please and thank you, I appreciate your time and effort. Romeo
Massively's guide to Valentine's Day festivities
Ah spring! 'Tis the time when young men and women's thoughts turn to love -- or at least scoring some nifty holiday-themed loot! This year there's quite a bit going on. Some events are old familiar ones that have stood the test of time. Others offer new twists and things to do for those who have been there, done that. If you aren't feeling the love bug biting, there's even the odd anti-Valentine's-type event, perfect for those who would rather rain destruction down on the head of anyone foolish enough to approach him with anything heart-shaped or pink. Curious as to what's going on? Check out our listing below -- and feel free to chime in if you know of a fun event others should check out! Rip out your Fallen Earth character's heart for Valentine's Day (February 11th-13th) What's better than surviving a nuclear holocaust and wandering your way across a blasted brown landscape rife with societal collapse? Why, sharing said wanderings with someone you love, of course (or at least, someone you lust after in that we've-got-to-do-this-for-the-future-of-mankind sort of way). In a novel spin on the traditional mid-February holiday, Icarus Studios is presenting Fallen Earth's Valentine's Day Massacre event, and clones everywhere can literally offer their hearts as a sign of affection (and a +3 stamina buff). Vindictus spreads the love with new update and holiday (February 1st-15th) Quirky events have quickly become one of Vindictus' staples. Right now players can participate in V-Day events for special rewards. If fishing and chocolate hunting isn't your bag, you can simply purchase a Valentine's Package at the Supply Depot for "sexy Valentine's themed Inner Armor." Cute undies, in other words. Valentine's events will end after the 15th, so players are encouraged to partake sooner rather than regret it later. Time for love in Final Fantasy XI (February 1st-15th) Valentine's Day is almost here, that special time of year when you attempt to distill the essence of a romantic relationship into chocolate form. And if you were hoping to escape from the day within Vana'diel, your efforts are rather misdirected -- Valentione's Day coincides nicely with the holiday in the real world, with just as much saccharine summation of liaisons in Final Fantasy XI.
Found Footage: The geekiest marriage proposal ever
Update 11/30/10: It's a fake. Mashable reports Frank popped the question according to script, if Kasey didn't catch the ring they'd have tried again another day. It was an attempt to create a reproducible formula for making viral videos. On October 24th, after a two year relationship, Frank decided to propose to his girlfriend Kasey in romantic Central Park, found in the heart of New York City. Lots of people have done this, but never as geeky. Frank got a bunch of techie friends together to pull off this one-take event. Employing musicians, playing Kasey's favorite song, a famous bridge, a rowboat, a bunch of iPhones running custom apps and a MacBook Pro to mix it all together, Frank popped the question. The result was a big "Yes!" and a video that looks like it came out of the credits of Trainspotting. It's a fun three-minute watch which raises a question: what would have happened if Kasey didn't catch the ring? Update: They would have tried again the next day. [via Macgasm]
Drama Mamas: I think I'm in love with my RP partner
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. Throughout history, there have been more songs written about love than any topic. Sad songs, happy songs, angry songs -- all of the facets of love have been and will continue to be explored in popular music. And as long as there has been roleplaying, people have been falling in real love with each other through playing fake characters. Keep reading for fake love turning into real love and me going off on a tangent about love songs. Dear Drama Mamas, I've been a roleplayer for several years, and for the first time I developed a crush on my character's in-game partner. Our characters have been a couple for six months. While their relationship evolved from flirting and banter into deep, passionate love and then sharing a home, our out-of-character relationship tightened too. We would flirt, exchange secrets we told no other soul, pull all-nighters chatting. He really is a charming, understanding, considerate and giving person.
Storyboard: Anyone else but you
Welcome back to another installment of Storyboard, and another week of discussing romantic relationships in roleplaying. If you missed last week's column, it's a helpful primer, talking both about why it's a terrible idea and why the odds are high that you're going to do it anyway. And I can't criticize on that front -- I eat at McDonald's even though I know it's bad for me, I buy new Transformers even though I know it's not the best use of my money, and I watch Persons Unknown even though I know it's only going to last one season. Still, a bad idea is only as bad as you make it. To continue my above analogy, as long as I know the whole time that the show is only going to last one season, I can enjoy the heck out of that season. (It's not Lost, but it's pretty darn good.) And while you can't fix all of the fundamental problems with roleplaying relationships, you can do a lot to make sure that the course of love runs smoothly for the players, if not the characters.
