7 replies to this topic

[Feanor]

Dragon Age will be totally different from BG and NWN in terms of alignment style. That I think it's good news. It always seemed odd to me that you can choose your alignment from the start instead of letting your actions speak for you.
I have to quote again David Gaider for all to see what is it about :

As Gromnir says, there is no alignment, declared or otherwise. If we track how good or evil your actions are, they do not restrict your dialogue choices and if you want to flip-flop between them the only repercussions will come from the choices you make.

As for divergences in the story between weal and woe? Uhh... yeah. Okay, sure

But there are separate ways of responding to events, regarding how you want to act, good or evil :

You mean completely seperate? Like a story for good players and a story for evil players, completely different things? No, of course not. That would be ridiculous.

Are there seperate ways of responding to events, some good or evil, which can lead to consequences and possibly divergences as the story goes on? Well, sure. But what does that tell you? Not much.

But, if there is no alignment, how will DA define morality :

I believe our plan is to keep track of how evil/good you are acting... but that will be a completely invisible mechanic which the story uses as opposed to an attribute of some kind. You will not be racking up "evil points" that you can see or which would affect your character outside of the story, and at no point do you select your "alignment". Reputation is something different, and depends solely on your public actions in the course of the story.

It seems that will be implemented a feature similar to virtue. Reputation and morality won't be the same thing anymore.

[Archmage Silver]

Heh heh, no more hiding what you do to those merchants when they refuse to give that scroll for free... ahem. I wonder how "hidden" actions influence this invisible reputation system? Ie. an assassin PC kills a townsperson and no one knows that the PC had any part in this... will this affect reputation? It would be illogical at least, if no one really knows about it.

[Tom]

Heh heh, no more hiding what you do to those merchants when they refuse to give that scroll for free... ahem. I wonder how "hidden" actions influence this invisible reputation system? Ie. an assassin PC kills a townsperson and no one knows that the PC had any part in this... will this affect reputation? It would be illogical at least, if no one really knows about it.

No it shouldnt affect reputation, it should affect morality or as he put it "how good or evil you are acting."

[Archmage Silver]

But that information is only for yourself. Reputation can be maintained even with assasinations taking place from time to time. Interesting. Opens up more possibilities.

[Alandrea]

What Archmage Silver mentioned is what I've always wanted. You know how Sarevok had it, he was causing a war and no-one knew as he was elected to be one of the dukes of Baldurs Gate. I want the ability to be the kind of person who rescues kittens from trees in the public eye and drowns them once the peoples backs are turned.

Of course, I most certainly do not condone the drowning of kittens.

[femalepaladin]

I wonder if a mechanic will be in place to affect your morality if you class yourself as good but do things you know you shouldn't. Like convince yourself you are doing the " right "   thing.

[Sephiroth]

I wonder if a mechanic will be in place to affect your morality if you class yourself as good but do things you know you shouldn't. Like convince yourself you are doing the " right " thing.

Sounds like Anakin Skywalker, ala Star Wars :oP

Ex: He turns to the darkside and slaughters everyone in the jedi temple to save his wife. (altho he eventually realized he was played for a fool)

[Archmage Silver]

No idea, really. Alignment would hard to do in such a way tho, if you convince yourself of something, it'll still be of the alignment the devs coded it to be.