190°

Morality systems in games don't need meters and points

A gamer doesn't need meters to show what kind of person they are. They just need strong character and a fleshed out world.

NagaSotuva4955d ago

I would implement such a feature in first-person shooters. It worked for light-gun games. "Don't shoot!"

THR1LLHOUSE4955d ago

I'm so sick of morality systems in general. The first time I broke into somebody's apartment and stole their candy bars in Human Revolution, I was extremely happy to not see something pop up and tell me that I had acquired X amount of bad guy points or something.

It was a cool idea, but it's been completely run into the ground.

malol4955d ago

i HATE that skyrim don't have any kind of Morality system like fallout 3 had
i know that this is a different game and such
but still its a nice thing to have in RPG games and it actually makes your choices MATTER and feel more engaging

The Matrix4955d ago

Just like when you steal a candy bar from Wal-mart and lose a bunch of karma points for doing it? Keep your morality inside yourself.

Xof4955d ago

Except that Fallout's morality system (and morality systems in general) do NOT matter and do NOT make the experience more engaging.

In general, a morality system accomplishes the opposite of its intended function.

What is the point of a morality system? To make game worlds feel more realistic, as if your actions--good or ill--matter.

And what makes our actions matter? In games, or in reality?

CONSEQUENCES.

Getting +1 points in a meter is not a consequence. Gaining access to certain in-game abilities or sidequesets with X number of points, too, is not a consequence.

Actual consequences MUST effect the narrative. And most games--even those like Bioware's latest entries, that highly emphasize the aspect of player choice--completely forget that for player actions/decisions/morality to have ANY meaning there must be actual narrative consequences involved.

Part of that means not knowing the repercussions of a given choice. The only modern game that really does this well (that even TRIES to do this) is the Witcher, where you are constantly presented with CHOICES. There's no morality system to tell you if what you did was right our wrong, and often the immediate consequences of an action are different from the long-term consequences.

Good actions can lead to bad events, and bad actions can lead to good events--the point is that, from the perspective of the player, moral choices are made with both immediate and long-term consequences. This is how to make choice matter.

Simply slapping on a meter and giving players bounties or random NPC comments based on set good/evil variables is the laziest possible way to attempt to mold the gaming experience into one resembling the real world.

And, sadly, things will likely not change until developers stop building games around the "cinematic experience" (and other purely aesthetic values) and start devoting more time, effort and energy into crafting the narrative mechanics which, history has shown us time and time again, matter far more than the transient visual appeal of any game.

gaden_malak4955d ago

I agree. I would love a game where your choices actually affect not only who you are but where your journey takes you (ie. branching off into different areas).

While I like the idea of being good/bad and having that choice it really only affects how people talk to you, nothing more.

SybaRat4955d ago

Agreed. Morality isn't a matter of numbers and filled bars, and it takes away from the immersion to do it that way.

Sharingan_no_Kakashi4955d ago

Yea... most of them are completely unrealistic. And not challenging at all. I've yet to see a game where I actually didn't know what the right and wrong thing to do was.

Show all comments (18)
100°

Mass Effect Companion Tier Ranking

One of the best things about the Mas Effect series is the companions you meet along the way. So here is a tier list of all the companions from Mass Effect!

Read Full Story >>
lordsofgaming.net
IAMRealHooman204d ago

Bro missing companions: Legion, Grunt, Samara/Morinth, Javik, EDI

anast204d ago

Legion, Zaeed, and Jack are my favorites.

RiseNShine204d ago

To think that Bioware at some point was capable of doing games like this, you see those characters and remember them like good old friends, and now check ME Andromeda, Anthem, Veilguard etc and wonder what the hell happened.

anast204d ago

They lost too much talent.

IAMRealHooman204d ago

some in andromeda are decent, I agree with peebee and Vetra being good companions. Except Liam he's trash tier

anast204d ago

Liam lol I can't stand that dude.

IAMRealHooman203d ago

it's like bitch but your shirt back on, your not blue or spikey get away from me

80°

The Witcher Trilogy bundle just hit its lowest-ever price thanks to Steam Summer Sale

The Witcher Trilogy bundle is currently listed with an 89% discount on Steam, and you can save over $60 thanks to this Summer Sale discount.

anast364d ago

It's been cheaper on GoG and you can own the game DRM free.

90°

10 Weirdest Video Games of All Time

Plenty of unforgettable games have completely messed up their players throughout the years, all the way back from the PS1 days to the dark recesses of the modern internet.

Read Full Story >>
culturedvultures.com
JonTheGod439d ago

Why are the Katamari games not on the list??