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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 1036 Views
Hm. It depends on what you mean by "rewarded." - 20/09/2011 04:15:18 PM 746 Views
No, not quite - 20/09/2011 04:29:42 PM 676 Views
I don't think I know anything that matches what you want. - 20/09/2011 04:39:22 PM 645 Views
You are a horrible human being. *NM* - 20/09/2011 08:24:05 PM 278 Views
- 28/09/2011 12:58:11 AM 672 Views
I thnk Fallout 3 gave you bonuses for being neutral. - 20/09/2011 04:52:11 PM 632 Views
That was the first that came to my mind, too. *NM* - 21/09/2011 09:46:11 AM 272 Views
P.S. re: "thine" - 20/09/2011 04:57:27 PM 585 Views
Damn, I knew it! - 20/09/2011 05:11:25 PM 646 Views
"Netural" isn't about picking "good and evil" choices. - 20/09/2011 04:59:42 PM 636 Views
It'd be pretty difficult to specifically reward you for being a 'gray' character. (Two games) - 20/09/2011 05:02:28 PM 774 Views
Take Knights of the Old Republic, for example - 20/09/2011 05:08:04 PM 694 Views
That's not so much an alignment as just metagaming the system. - 20/09/2011 09:27:49 PM 643 Views
thank you for phrasing that better than me *NM* - 20/09/2011 11:11:54 PM 281 Views
Maybe I didn't explain right - 20/09/2011 11:19:51 PM 591 Views
I'd say that's evil. - 21/09/2011 03:00:32 AM 757 Views
of course, then you get into question of whether actions like that example are evil - 21/09/2011 04:03:03 AM 638 Views
Questions of morality are the great fun of philosophy . - 21/09/2011 05:24:50 AM 597 Views
Re: I'd say that's evil. - 21/09/2011 06:23:11 PM 740 Views
Re: I'd say that's evil. - 21/09/2011 10:21:17 PM 748 Views
That's actually a pretty narrow view of Neutral when it comes to Alignment or Morality. - 21/09/2011 02:19:34 PM 636 Views
I thought I had allowed for what you said. - 21/09/2011 04:33:30 PM 571 Views
It's not a neutral outlook - 21/09/2011 06:27:27 PM 697 Views
See, what you're talking about IS in fact considered EVIL. - 21/09/2011 08:33:30 PM 630 Views
You might want to try The Witcher series. - 21/09/2011 05:16:05 AM 614 Views
I just played the first one... - 21/09/2011 02:14:13 PM 670 Views
Grey decisions are good but... - 21/09/2011 06:19:04 PM 714 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 594 Views
Well that's just stupid. Tired of picking the 2 sides over and over *NM* - 21/09/2011 08:02:11 PM 315 Views
Neutrality is often boring or selfish. Good stories seldom have truly neutral protagonists. *NM* - 22/09/2011 06:27:05 PM 297 Views
Are you kidding? - 22/09/2011 06:54:19 PM 668 Views
That's chaotic good, not neutral. *NM* - 22/09/2011 10:36:28 PM 306 Views
I have an on-topic comment as well as a general rant on game morality systems. - 21/09/2011 06:43:21 PM 796 Views
if they wanted to make the conversation mechanics more complicated... - 21/09/2011 07:14:21 PM 711 Views
I don't care if it's complicated so long as it's clear. - 22/09/2011 08:27:46 PM 599 Views
I agree with this, actually. *NM* - 22/09/2011 09:17:23 PM 307 Views
I agree with that, too. *NM* - 22/09/2011 10:38:15 PM 292 Views

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