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Avowed won't have an approval system for companions

Saucycarpdog

Saucycarpdog

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Oct 25, 2017
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www.pcgamer.com

Avowed's companions won't ditch you for making the 'wrong' choices: 'It's not about maintaining their approval, it's about getting to know them'

You'll be able to adventure with two companions at a time in Obsidian's upcoming RPG.
www.pcgamer.com www.pcgamer.com
Avowed, the upcoming first-person RPG from Obsidian, mixes and matches a few RPG standards in its approach to companion characters and their stories. Before we get into details, some basics—in an interview with game director Carrie Patel and gameplay director Gabe Paramo this week, we learned the following about Avowed's companions and party management:

  • We'll meet multiple companion characters throughout Avowed (Obsidian isn't revealing how many there are yet), and they'll hang out at a "party camp"
  • Two companions can come with you on adventures at a time
  • There are "a few cases" where you must include a particular companion in your party because their knowledge or expertise is relevant to the situation, otherwise it's up to you
  • It sounds like you can issue some basic orders to companions, but you won't "micromanage" your party in combat
  • There's no "approval system," but conversations may influence our companions' decisions and stories
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As has been so popular in Baldur's Gate 3 recently, the party camp will be a place for "heart to heart" conversations. Don't expect romance, though—it didn't come up in our interview, but it's not really Obsidian's thing—and there won't be an "approval system" that makes companions like the player-character more or less.
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I know approval systems are a bit divisive among RPG fans. Some like them, some hate them.
 
Fat4all

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personally I don't need romance out-and-out, just having those 'heart-to-heart' conversations with them will be enough
 
MGPanda

MGPanda

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Feb 25, 2018
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I think I like it better this way. Instead of being a matter of a value ranging from -100 to 100, make your decisions affect their stories. Shame about the romance, tho. I thought I was not into it until I played BG3. If handled correctly, it can make for some really special moments.
 
OP
OP
Saucycarpdog

Saucycarpdog

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Oct 25, 2017
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Edited the title to remove the romance part as it's just speculation by the writer looking at it again.

Still, don't expect it.
 
Fat4all

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Ascenion said:
??? Bethesda has romance since Skyrim. Honestly Obsidian cutting that corner is disappointing.
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in regards to Obsidian, im thinking more in lines of New Vegas, where you could get closer to your companions in a personal way, but not specifically romantic, more showing respect for one another
 

camjwils

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Oct 28, 2017
135
Outer Worlds didn't have romance either and it was probably better for it, but companions would definitely leave if you did something too fucked up - wonder if that will still be in Avowed
 
btags

btags

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Oct 26, 2017
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I will say I find it odd when people expect things like this in rogs. Like, sure you can have it but not every game needs to focus on it. I'd rather a game not have it than try to half ass it just for the sake of including it.
 
Mr.Vic20

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Oct 31, 2017
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Any element that makes characters and a world more believable is welcome, but for me its not quintessential that I be able to hook up with everyone in my party. I'm just fine keeping it professional! ;P
 
Khanimus

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Oct 25, 2017
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btags said:
I will say I find it odd when people expect things like this in rogs. Like, sure you can have it but not every game needs to focus on it. I'd rather a game not have it than try to half ass it just for the sake of including it.
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They made a point talking about choices and reactivity in that last gameplay demo.

It extending to the people in closest proximity to the player is not an unreasonable expectation for this genre of RPG, or the history of what this studio has made.
 
NDA-Man

NDA-Man

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Mar 23, 2020
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I'm of two minds... for instance, if memory serves, some companion questions in New Vegas could never completely locked if you didn't do the right esoteric thing you were unaware of--the one that sticks out is Raul's--where there were like three triggers for vital conversations that you could hit well before finding him, and were also sometimes bugged.

That said, while at the time I dug the approval system as an alternative to story-based triggers, it does end up being a bit of a grind, where like, advancing your relationship is dependent on more and more grinding.
 
Fat4all

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Khanimus said:
They made a point talking about choices and reactivity in that last gameplay demo.

It extending to the people in closest proximity to the player is not an unreasonable expectation for this genre of RPG, or the history of what this studio has made.
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I do worry if doing certain actions while having a specific partner doesn't cause some sort of reaction, that would be a bummer, that's sommit they've done well in the past
 
boris_feinbrand

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Oct 26, 2017
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What disappoints me the most with these kind of RPGs is that romances are still so extremely binary and limited. When I first played Skyrim I imagined that by the time next gen rolled around these games would offer much more complex relationship simulations. Like allowing you to befriend innkeepers, romancing that intriguing looking bard etc.

Yet here we are still with these barebones NPC systems.

I understand that it isn't as easy as just putting such systems in there. The increase in required assets is also a concern, but I feel like they could achieve a lot more than what we got in the recent examples like Outer Worlds and especially Starfield.
 
Yerffej

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It's adding next to nothing for me in BG3 as in most. Fine by me.
 
Patapuf

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Oct 26, 2017
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When done right, approval systems can be a nice way to have long term consequences without one particular choice having disproportionate effect.

It's not the only way to achieve that though.

Yerffej said:
It's adding next to nothing for me in BG3 as in most. Fine by me.
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I think BG 3 does it really well though. If you don't interact with a companion their stuff just doesn't trigger or triggers differently.

If you only play through it once you probably won't even notice because the companions you are interseted in will be those that talk to you most.
 
Tbm24

Tbm24

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Oct 25, 2017
16,451
I don't care for an approval system. Not my thing, more power to you if you find that important. Glad it's not something I'll need to think about in this game. My BG3 runs almost always involved taking my friends characters with me when I'm not playing MP to avoid that whole thing.
 
Khanimus

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Fat4all said:
I do worry if doing certain actions while having a specific partner doesn't cause some sort of reaction, that would be a bummer, that's sommit they've done well in the past
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Like this point here
  • There's no "approval system," but conversations may influence our companions' decisions and stories
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If they're saying there isn't some arbitrary bar with a heart icon for you to game, then cool. That kind of approach to character development is so extremely dated and artificial. But like... characters should still have a vibe of things they will or won't do because of who I am, or the things I've done. That's the fun of it.
 
DanteSparda504

DanteSparda504

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Nov 2, 2017
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There's enough RPGs out there with approval systems and romance systems, I'm not mad or upset nor do I care that this one is skipping those. I have plenty of other choices if I want to scratch that itch. For things like this, not every game has to do things the same way.
 
Fat4all

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Khanimus said:
Like this point here


If they're saying there isn't some arbitrary bar with a heart icon for you to game, then cool. That kind of approach to character development is so extremely dated and artificial. But like... characters should still have like a vibe of things they will or won't do because of who I am, or the things I've done. That's the fun of it.
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yeah, that makes me think there will be narrative pings, but it wont factor into some larger scale system for sommit like 'who sticks by you at the end' or whathaveyou

if that's the case then that's fine
 
dude

dude

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Oct 25, 2017
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Obsidian's refusal to partake in horniness has been disappointing to me since PoE1. Even when they added romances on Deadfire they were so tame and unimportant it was almost better to not have them at all.
 
Haze

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The more I hear and see of this game the more I'm thinking it's going to be even more shallow than the outer worlds
 
rzks21

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Idgaf about lacking romances and in some ways I prefer them not to be there as they can be quite cringe most of the time. I'm also fine with lacking an approval system, but damn, the "you won't be able to piss off your companions into leaving you" makes me feel like this will be a more Bethesda-like experience than I would like. Then there's the fact they are saying "ohhh you will be able to miss content like in BG3" and then they just give you an example about a location you can decide not to visit and it's like... yeah? If that's "missable" then even freaking FFXVI is like BG3 because you can decide not to do some sidequests, RIP.
 
Fat4all

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dude said:
Obsidian's refusal to partake in horniness has been disappointing to me since PoE1. Even when they added romances on Deadfire they were so tame and unimportant it was almost better to not have them at all.
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lol

gotta say, I could do with much more horny along with their writing

BG3 placated me for a while at least
 
Patapuf

Patapuf

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Oct 26, 2017
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Khanimus said:
Like this point here


If they're saying there isn't some arbitrary bar with a heart icon for you to game, then cool. That kind of approach to character development is so extremely dated and artificial. But like... characters should still have a vibe of things they will or won't do because of who I am, or the things I've done. That's the fun of it.
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It's really about the execution though. Just having narrative flags can feel just as artificial and binary as a bar if it's done badly.

I tend to agree that obfuscating the tracking from the player is better - but I do like the narrative consequences of my action to be more complex than do this --> that happens.
 
Sir Lucan

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Pillars of Eternity companions had pretty bad reactivity/progression when compared to Owlcat and Larian games, I wouldn't expect a drastic change in that regard.
 
Cassius Africanus

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I'd rather they leave out romance of they're not interested in writing it. That's ok. Not every game needs it. We definitely don't need half done romance or cheap romance.
 
Glio

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The approval systems in many games feel like an unnatural way to relate characters.

Like, oh, I've acted completely against your principles out there, but then I give you something expensive at camp and agree with you on everything, so everything's okay.
 
Yerffej

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Patapuf said:
When done right, approval systems can be a nice way to have long term consequences without one particular choice having disproportionate effect.

It's not the only way to achieve that though.



I think BG 3 does it really well though. If you don't interact with a companion their stuff just doesn't trigger or triggers differently.

If you only play through it once you probably won't even notice because the companions you are interseted in will be those that talk to you most.
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I think it's more of the gamey "Astarion liked that" "Shadowheart disliked that" stuff that gets to me. I'd rather not know how I'm faring until I talk to the person.
 

Wulfram

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Mar 3, 2018
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Yerffej said:
I think it's more of the gamey "Astarion liked that" "Shadowheart disliked that" stuff that gets to me. I'd rather not know how I'm faring until I talk to the person.
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I just see that as representing all the little bits of feedback you get from people naturally when hanging around with them. Like smiles, eyerolls, frowns and glances.
 
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