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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.
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My companions! Lend me thine vast expertise - 20/09/2011 03:56:19 PM 1120 Views
Hm. It depends on what you mean by "rewarded." - 20/09/2011 04:15:18 PM 821 Views
No, not quite - 20/09/2011 04:29:42 PM 752 Views
I don't think I know anything that matches what you want. - 20/09/2011 04:39:22 PM 722 Views
You are a horrible human being. *NM* - 20/09/2011 08:24:05 PM 310 Views
- 28/09/2011 12:58:11 AM 753 Views
I thnk Fallout 3 gave you bonuses for being neutral. - 20/09/2011 04:52:11 PM 712 Views
That was the first that came to my mind, too. *NM* - 21/09/2011 09:46:11 AM 309 Views
P.S. re: "thine" - 20/09/2011 04:57:27 PM 667 Views
Damn, I knew it! - 20/09/2011 05:11:25 PM 725 Views
"Netural" isn't about picking "good and evil" choices. - 20/09/2011 04:59:42 PM 733 Views
It'd be pretty difficult to specifically reward you for being a 'gray' character. (Two games) - 20/09/2011 05:02:28 PM 857 Views
Take Knights of the Old Republic, for example - 20/09/2011 05:08:04 PM 772 Views
That's not so much an alignment as just metagaming the system. - 20/09/2011 09:27:49 PM 737 Views
thank you for phrasing that better than me *NM* - 20/09/2011 11:11:54 PM 312 Views
Maybe I didn't explain right - 20/09/2011 11:19:51 PM 664 Views
I'd say that's evil. - 21/09/2011 03:00:32 AM 841 Views
of course, then you get into question of whether actions like that example are evil - 21/09/2011 04:03:03 AM 713 Views
Questions of morality are the great fun of philosophy . - 21/09/2011 05:24:50 AM 680 Views
Re: I'd say that's evil. - 21/09/2011 06:23:11 PM 821 Views
Re: I'd say that's evil. - 21/09/2011 10:21:17 PM 830 Views
That's actually a pretty narrow view of Neutral when it comes to Alignment or Morality. - 21/09/2011 02:19:34 PM 715 Views
I thought I had allowed for what you said. - 21/09/2011 04:33:30 PM 646 Views
It's not a neutral outlook - 21/09/2011 06:27:27 PM 770 Views
See, what you're talking about IS in fact considered EVIL. - 21/09/2011 08:33:30 PM 713 Views
You might want to try The Witcher series. - 21/09/2011 05:16:05 AM 697 Views
I just played the first one... - 21/09/2011 02:14:13 PM 742 Views
Grey decisions are good but... - 21/09/2011 06:19:04 PM 790 Views
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 661 Views
Well that's just stupid. Tired of picking the 2 sides over and over *NM* - 21/09/2011 08:02:11 PM 350 Views
Neutrality is often boring or selfish. Good stories seldom have truly neutral protagonists. *NM* - 22/09/2011 06:27:05 PM 333 Views
Are you kidding? - 22/09/2011 06:54:19 PM 748 Views
That's chaotic good, not neutral. *NM* - 22/09/2011 10:36:28 PM 343 Views
I have an on-topic comment as well as a general rant on game morality systems. - 21/09/2011 06:43:21 PM 877 Views
if they wanted to make the conversation mechanics more complicated... - 21/09/2011 07:14:21 PM 790 Views
I don't care if it's complicated so long as it's clear. - 22/09/2011 08:27:46 PM 678 Views
I agree with this, actually. *NM* - 22/09/2011 09:17:23 PM 341 Views
I agree with that, too. *NM* - 22/09/2011 10:38:15 PM 330 Views

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