I noticed a discussion in the PR thread that came up and this seemed to be the best place to chime in on it with regards to the outfits in Loren. I'd like to preface this by saying I have enjoyed what I've seen from Planet Stronghold and Loren, and I would have no issue purchasing like titles in the future.
That being said I've read Aleema's and Anima's comments with regards to NPC dress and find myself in agreement. I've played computer RPGs since the very early days, starting off with Wizardry 1 on an Apple II+ with a green screen. It was this enjoyment of RPG's that eventually led me to Baldur's Gate 2. The inclusion of the NPC romances with well written and developed characters was a revelation as well as an amazing fit. With that I was hooked and have purchased all of Bioware's titles since then, as much for the writing, including romances, as for the excellent game play.
In choosing which romances to pursue and teammates to interact with appearance did play a part certainly, but more important was character personality and development. Sure fanservice is nice but at the same time it's only a small slice of what makes a character appealing. One of my favorites all time was Jaheira from BG 2 and you never saw her below the neck, all the allure was created from dialog and development. Even Bioware's queen of fanservice Miranda from Mass Effect owes much of her draw to the defrosting ice queen element in spite of the catsuit.
In Loren I absolutely loved Karen. Certainly she was drawn as an attractive mature individual and that never hurts, but it was the development of her as a character rather than the bikini top that sealed the deal. Having her personality balance of action girl, deeply wounded individual, and mature woman very aware of her sensual self made her a choice that's hard to part from. All three elements existed in harmony making her feel both real and deep.
I feel like depending on the direction that future projects take there's certainly room to create deep and competent females, both in action and dress, that are still appealing and attractive. I would hold up Liara from Mass Effect as an example.
That here you have someone smart, accomplished, deep, and effective but dressed in a way that is practical without hiding the fact that she's female (or whatever you label asari as ).
The other important thing for me as a gamer is how the romance was dealt with; the two important parts were present, both lead-up and pay-off. Mass Effect created a path through the romance that relied on the dialog to create the action, but at critical point in the relationship was also able and willing to present a grown-up view of it's culmination. I like a game that can appreciate the age range I'm in and provide an experience that's on par with it. I neither expect nor desire a game to be "adult" just because I'm over 18, but on the other hand I've got enough life experience that I'm not worried about cooties. If that requires a grown-up patch version I'm fine with that.
In the end I see little conflict between where Aleema and Anima are coming from and what I would enjoy as a guy. I may want to tinker with the fade to black meter a little but beyond that I think there's much to agree on. Anyway, that's just my thoughts as a male gamer.
and she didn't have to show any flesh or even walk (she rides a horse the whole game!)
