I have an on-topic comment as well as a general rant on game morality systems.
Aemon Send a noteboard - 21/09/2011 06:43:21 PM
On-topic:
I don't understand why you want to be rewarded for being "gray." You're right that most real people are gray, but it seems to me that most of life's rewards come from non-gray actions. Whether you're helping a friend in need or ruthlessly clawing your way to the top of your profession, it's generally the extremes that give the best returns. Now, living a neutral life might be easier (which is probably why most people do it) but I'm not sure it makes sense to specifically and intentionally REWARD the neutral path. Unless the reward you're talking about is just to have an easier playthrough, I guess.
Semi-off-topic:
I hate most morality systems in games these days. Why? Because it's not always clear what effect your actions will have on your morality. I guess this is done to increase the "realism" or whatever, but it doesn't make any sense. Maybe someone in a game asks me to stay in their house to protect them. Maybe I decide to go outside, reasoning that I can protect them better if I can see enemies coming. Then a ghost materializes in their house and slaughters them. I would probably be given "evil points" for abandoning them, despite having completely altruistic goals. That doesn't make sense.
It does (sort of) make sense to have unclear choices that result in good or bad outcomes, but accidental morality is stupid. If I'm trying my hardest to make good/pure decisions, then my morality should reflect that, even if I accidentally help the other side with my every deed.
Game developers: don't try to assign my morality based on the actions I take, because today's technology is not sophisticated enough to convincingly manage that. Just tell me how different choices will affect my morality (if not their effect on the world at large) and let me play the kind of character I want to play.
I don't understand why you want to be rewarded for being "gray." You're right that most real people are gray, but it seems to me that most of life's rewards come from non-gray actions. Whether you're helping a friend in need or ruthlessly clawing your way to the top of your profession, it's generally the extremes that give the best returns. Now, living a neutral life might be easier (which is probably why most people do it) but I'm not sure it makes sense to specifically and intentionally REWARD the neutral path. Unless the reward you're talking about is just to have an easier playthrough, I guess.
Semi-off-topic:
I hate most morality systems in games these days. Why? Because it's not always clear what effect your actions will have on your morality. I guess this is done to increase the "realism" or whatever, but it doesn't make any sense. Maybe someone in a game asks me to stay in their house to protect them. Maybe I decide to go outside, reasoning that I can protect them better if I can see enemies coming. Then a ghost materializes in their house and slaughters them. I would probably be given "evil points" for abandoning them, despite having completely altruistic goals. That doesn't make sense.
It does (sort of) make sense to have unclear choices that result in good or bad outcomes, but accidental morality is stupid. If I'm trying my hardest to make good/pure decisions, then my morality should reflect that, even if I accidentally help the other side with my every deed.
Game developers: don't try to assign my morality based on the actions I take, because today's technology is not sophisticated enough to convincingly manage that. Just tell me how different choices will affect my morality (if not their effect on the world at large) and let me play the kind of character I want to play.
My companions! Lend me thine vast expertise
20/09/2011 03:56:19 PM
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I don't think I know anything that matches what you want.
20/09/2011 04:39:22 PM
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You are a horrible human being. *NM*
20/09/2011 08:24:05 PM
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I'm morally grey! Women love me, and men want to be like me. *NM*
20/09/2011 09:15:31 PM
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It'd be pretty difficult to specifically reward you for being a 'gray' character. (Two games)
20/09/2011 05:02:28 PM
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Take Knights of the Old Republic, for example
20/09/2011 05:08:04 PM
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That's not so much an alignment as just metagaming the system.
20/09/2011 09:27:49 PM
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Maybe I didn't explain right
20/09/2011 11:19:51 PM
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I'd say that's evil.
21/09/2011 03:00:32 AM
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of course, then you get into question of whether actions like that example are evil
21/09/2011 04:03:03 AM
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That's actually a pretty narrow view of Neutral when it comes to Alignment or Morality.
21/09/2011 02:19:34 PM
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You might want to try The Witcher series.
21/09/2011 05:16:05 AM
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Grey decisions are good but...
21/09/2011 06:19:04 PM
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they don't reward it because, for the most part, they don't want you taking a middle ground.
21/09/2011 07:10:48 PM
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Well that's just stupid. Tired of picking the 2 sides over and over *NM*
21/09/2011 08:02:11 PM
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Neutrality is often boring or selfish. Good stories seldom have truly neutral protagonists. *NM*
22/09/2011 06:27:05 PM
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Are you kidding?
22/09/2011 06:54:19 PM
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There's a difference between doing "bad" things for a good purpose, and being neutral. *NM*
22/09/2011 09:12:16 PM
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I have an on-topic comment as well as a general rant on game morality systems.
21/09/2011 06:43:21 PM
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if they wanted to make the conversation mechanics more complicated...
21/09/2011 07:14:21 PM
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