Do you remember when choice made a difference in a game?
Not those people running from that extremely malevolent bad ass or cheering for that good heroic chap. I'm thinking of that choice that made people lose faith in you when you murdered their mayor. That moustache that made people around you chuckle and made the ladies think you're cute. That dead merchant that made the whole town go poor?
Surely you've had a little taste of that bitter-sweet thing called consequence. But what about it in games? Do you think games need it? Maybe they do, maybe they don't, maybe I need to cut to the chase? What do you think of intentional or accidental choice changing your game experience? That choice is in the range of mostly everything, from killing the Good Guy to having silly hair. The difference can be just about anything, disabling a plot choice because the mayor doesn't like your dog, making people hate you because you killed a beggar or a romantic moment ruined from having a Charisma of 1. That impact is often hyped or/and limited, like having only a graphic change, or barely a change at all. I've noticed how games with a well done "Cause and Effect" mechanic are old school games, that probably have a sequel that disables that feature or just makes it plain bad.
I'll just point out some of the good examples of a well done "Cause and Effect System" having a fair and realistic outcome:
- Cause: Rolling a character with Intelligence less than 4 in Fallout 2
Effect: That character is shunned by most people, and he talks like a 3 year old. Also when observing objects you get some funny text: Looking at a working computer "You see a box. You hear a woman talking from inside. The box is so small, she's probably really cramped in there.
- Cause: Working for the Slavers Guild and thus receiving a special tattoo on your forehead in Fallout 2 (Again)
Effect: There was a tribesman working off his debt in a town. His sister had been taken by Slavers. Every time you walked close enough to him, he attacks you and fights to the death, yelling at you for being a Slaver.
- Cause: Having a strange/funny/scary/attractive feature like a tattoo or a haircut in Fable
Effect: People laughed at you when you had that Punk look. They were scarred when you had demonic tattoos, they were confused when you had an undefined look, and the ladies were wooed when you had haircut. It was a fun and amusing system.
I personally love a system like that when it's done adequately, when the balance between Harsh punishment and No rules is just right. And I want a game that will give me that so sought after "Cause and Effect" system that has been missed by so many games, and perfected by the forgotten ones. I really don't want choice impact, loosing it's meaning in some games.
So what's your take on choice impact and effect?
Not those people running from that extremely malevolent bad ass or cheering for that good heroic chap. I'm thinking of that choice that made people lose faith in you when you murdered their mayor. That moustache that made people around you chuckle and made the ladies think you're cute. That dead merchant that made the whole town go poor?
Surely you've had a little taste of that bitter-sweet thing called consequence. But what about it in games? Do you think games need it? Maybe they do, maybe they don't, maybe I need to cut to the chase? What do you think of intentional or accidental choice changing your game experience? That choice is in the range of mostly everything, from killing the Good Guy to having silly hair. The difference can be just about anything, disabling a plot choice because the mayor doesn't like your dog, making people hate you because you killed a beggar or a romantic moment ruined from having a Charisma of 1. That impact is often hyped or/and limited, like having only a graphic change, or barely a change at all. I've noticed how games with a well done "Cause and Effect" mechanic are old school games, that probably have a sequel that disables that feature or just makes it plain bad.
I'll just point out some of the good examples of a well done "Cause and Effect System" having a fair and realistic outcome:
- Cause: Rolling a character with Intelligence less than 4 in Fallout 2
Effect: That character is shunned by most people, and he talks like a 3 year old. Also when observing objects you get some funny text: Looking at a working computer "You see a box. You hear a woman talking from inside. The box is so small, she's probably really cramped in there.
- Cause: Working for the Slavers Guild and thus receiving a special tattoo on your forehead in Fallout 2 (Again)
Effect: There was a tribesman working off his debt in a town. His sister had been taken by Slavers. Every time you walked close enough to him, he attacks you and fights to the death, yelling at you for being a Slaver.
- Cause: Having a strange/funny/scary/attractive feature like a tattoo or a haircut in Fable
Effect: People laughed at you when you had that Punk look. They were scarred when you had demonic tattoos, they were confused when you had an undefined look, and the ladies were wooed when you had haircut. It was a fun and amusing system.
I personally love a system like that when it's done adequately, when the balance between Harsh punishment and No rules is just right. And I want a game that will give me that so sought after "Cause and Effect" system that has been missed by so many games, and perfected by the forgotten ones. I really don't want choice impact, loosing it's meaning in some games.
So what's your take on choice impact and effect?
