It doesn't matter to me, however I want Beth to make the game that they want to make, not what game they should be pressured to make. If Beth wants to have a voiced Protagonist then there's not much we can do about it. Same goes for being a couple, if that's the story they want to tell then so be it. Does that mean I like that the Protagonist is voice, No I think it will severely limit Roleplay. The Background is an issue however I feel like there can be some wiggle room.

If the story can't work without it being a hetero couple, then you can't really change it. It would be like forcing a Female Geraltrina Witcher in Witcher 3, just for the sake of inclusion but then that messes up the story because it's about Geralt.

If the fallout series from 4 and beyond becomes less about a blank player character and more of a fixed set character I wouldnt mind. I would like to see what beth can do when there trying to focus on There story a little bit more. If the character is gay then well my husband better know how to shoot a [censored] laser rifle I dont marry no fools! If there a transvestite ghoul necrophiliatic nympho well then.........um "bring out your dead!"

Unless i know how Fallout 4's MQ goes, and what exualy is going to be the impact of having a family at the start, i can't say yes or no to this. I dont believe in limiting anny group of players, but i also dont want it all to change at the expense of the story. So for now i'm neutral to this.

Game is done....People need to get over it and stop being PC and butt hurt...

I am gay, but i do not care if we have same six marriage at the start or not. I am roleplaying a family, not making it my future one. If that makes any sense. If i have a game where i can do something with my sixuality during the game, mostly Bioware, i will. But i never do romances or make a set sixuality while playing Fallout and Elder Scrolls. That is just my take on it. I think it will make for an interesting story whatever the outcome of the family situation.

I just don't see how it would be implemented? Would it say at the beginning "Would you like the couple at the beginning that potentially doesn't matter at all to be a gay couple?" And then you pick yes or no... That's kinda weird. I think it just is why it is. It may just be a mechanic to choose your gender and nothing more. People just need to accept that the role playing background options will be limited in this game and that is what it is. I voted disagree. Not because I don't want gays in the game or anything and yes I think they should have thought of this before they came up with how the game will start. But I think with how the background story is set up it should just be a man woman and child.

Strongly Disagree. People seem to be missing the point of the intro. You choose whether you are male or female (and you had loved ones and were happy blah blah blah). I do NOT want to *first* have to check options about my orientation and sixuality before I finally get to character creation and commence with the game. Bethesda wrapped a little story around it to keep it from being boring.

I can see it now, 30 questions before you even start working on your face.

"Are you heterosixual, homosixual, or bi, or bi-curious? Or questioning?"

"Are you transgender? Male to female? Or female to male? Or are you still pre-op?"

And where would it end? It could go on and on. No thanks. Anyway, none of that would have an impact on actual gameplay. I'd be pissed if I had to go through 10 minutes of questions that, outside of my personal RP, meant absolutely nothing in terms of game mechanics.

I would say that there should be same-six relationships if there are normal relationships. I am not sure whether this applies to the start as well. I mean, if the era before the war was against it, than maybe go along the route of pre-war standards. After the war is another story. Your choices in the gameplay itself would develop that interpretation

Checking some box about sixual orientation at the beginning would be very strange and unecesary. sixuality is never really big thing in fallout games or most RPGs for that matter. You have no restrictions too early freely between sixual partners of different genders without it changing anything it doesn't tag your character as gay or straight. Most fallout romance is just prostitution anyways. Sure the hetero couple thing defines your past a little much but so did ever other fallout game outside of New vegas.

At first I voted agree, then I realized I really don't care.

I don't feel like excluding people, but people are going to excluded no matter what. Their idea was narrative so they already forced a voiced protagonist and limited dialogue (speculation) so it'd be pointless if it went against their pre-determined story.

Then again I'm a heterosixual male, so I never play as anything besides a heterosixual male. It ain't that I have something against anything else, but my ability to actually RP the part is severely limited.

I selected no. Bethesda has already made the story and can't make the beginning of the game to cover every possible race, religion, culture, political belief, sixual orientation, and farm animal possible. There will be mods.

I don't care but if it really bothers some (alternative life style) people, role play as your parents.

I don't think you understand Bethesda very well. They always have tried their best to make sure that the player's history and own personal story is told BY THE PLAYER, not by them. The only story they tell is the ones in the game world for us to do along with our own story.

This is the first time (for me, at least) to see Bethesda actually ruining a piece of the player's own story with this heterosixual relationship and baby... So, I can strongly understand why a lot of people are not very welcoming to this because Bethesda is ruining a big thing of their own deal: Freedom with this choice.

So, for the poll... I strongly agree.

I agree with you but the problem is, Bethesda shouldn't have done this in the first place. Bethesda should've allowed us to play as their child, not THEM... Having part of our character's story pre-determined ruins the aspect of our freedom in the game and in roleplaying of our character.

What parents? My real world parents? I don't follow.

But I think you misunderstand the Fallout series. In TES, the only thing pre-determined is that your character managed to get him/herself essentially imprisoned. However, the Fallout series has always given the player character some sort of background, and while Fallout 3 (and now Fallout 4) did take it to another level, it's wrong to say that this is the first time Bethesda is "ruining a piece of the player's own story". This isn't TES.

Just thought I'd clear that up, but for the most part I do wish the Fallout series was different. But it isn't, and so I don't think you can criticise Bethesda for that.

I picked no. I don't really care if homosixuality is represented in games or not, but from what little we've seen of this game I strongly suspect there are story reasons for being heterosixual. Also the OP's suggestions for the baby seem overly complicated to me and I wonder how much more time/money they'd have to spend with voice actors. Personally, I'd really prefer to keep six out of my games completely (aside from prosttutes offering services, then fade to black if you agree). I get all the virtual six I could possibly want from movies, TV, and books. It can stay out of my games. Bad enough it's such a big part of Bioware games.

I guess I just don't see the big deal. I've been a female computer gamer since the 80s. Many times I've been forced to play a male character (or a female with impossible proportions), sometimes for story reasons, sometimes not. I'm perfectly happy to do it for the story but if not I'll just roll my eyes and play the game anyway and have fun. If there had been game forums I wouldn't have bothered to start a thread about it.

Yeah, no thanks. I strongly doubt Bethesda is going to "shove heterosixuality into our face" or whatever, anyway.

Romantic relationships in video games are pretty much always stupid, aren't they? Look how Skyrim handled marriage: You do a favor for some NPC, wear a necklace, and they get to call you "my love" for the rest of the game. Romance! Who cares?

When I'm playing Fallout, I can pretty much guarantee that my character's sixuality has basically no impact on my approach to the game.

As for the pre-game "Oh no! I have a heteronormative family!" stuff, that's just about as restrictive, RP-wise, as Fallout 3's "You have a daddy who loves you, and you leave the Vault to find him" backstory. And yet a lot of us were perfectly capable of just handwaving all of that nonsense and getting out into the wastes to play whatever character we wanted. Surely we can all adapt and overcome.

Be strong, forumites. Be strong.

Yes, that's what I meant. I don't know they whole voiced-protagonist back story thing makes me frustrated. I don't mean to offend anyone by saying that.

I'm surprised no one is over in the Fallout Shelter forum raising a fuss about the issue. Apparently you only get to play as breeding stock.

I think that this would work better as a retrospective poll. Without knowing the story, I don't think we can judge the trade-offs. However, I said I disagreed because I strongly dislike the notion that a story shouldn't be told because not everyone will find its beginning identifiable. This is even more true in a game with mod support where those who don't care to explore the story as presented, can adjust it to suit their preferences.

I think gay representation in games is a Good Thing and would weigh the trade-offs differently if the story of a Bethesda game forced you to play the entire game with a pre-defined sixuality, but that's not the case here. I'd also object if the protagonist of every Bethesda game started out married--to anyone. However, if games can only explore stories everyone can identify with, we're going to miss out on a lot of stories--and great games--and ultimately games will become a lesser art form because there's too much they can't address. Should Planescape: Torment and The Witcher games not have been made because their heroes are very unlike me? On the other hand, I'd be displeased if CDProjekt's cyberpunk RPG also forced the player to play as a heterosixual male because at that point it would begin to become a pattern rather than a specific story they wanted to tell.

Actually, no. It's pretty right to say it. In Fallout 3, yes you are born in Vault 101 but that's about it. Everything else is pretty much your own choice in your story. Where you were born at is the only pre-determined thing really. You control your character's choices, interests, etc throughout the game. Maybe not his whole entire life, due to time skips, but you get to develop your character the way you want him to be in the major parts you did made choices in. Bethesda never told you that you have to have a specific character trait that you have to "roleplay around"... This is the first time, for me, in any Bethesda game I've played where they are giving you VERY specific character traits...

Then simply live with it?

Never ever, ever think that because something is true yesterday that it is true today (Bethesda's mantra can always change and has over the course of developing games).

This is wrong in so many ways. Developer have no obligations in that matter. Of course you are free to suggest your favorite features but there is no guarantee that they're going to be implemented.

My vote https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=RFZrzg62Zj0I just want to play FO4

So long as it is not forced on everyone in an attempt to pander to certain groups, whatever. I am all for different viewpoints and so on if it is handled in a mature and believable manner.

Of course, you could just head-cannon that your partner is a cross-dresser. BAM! Problem solved.