DF General Discussion / Re: Big Picture Stuff: Why be Evil? *possible spoilers*
« on: October 15, 2007, 04:27:00 am »quote:
With the way the human population is growing we will soon be placing so much stress on the worlds resources that it will crumble.
This is a common myth taken as fact. Our growth isn't exponential, it's slowing down. We aren't close to starving, more people suffer from weight problems today than lack of food. And we aren't running out of resources. The reason for the high prices of today are due to lack of refining power, not of dwindling stockpiles. All this can easily seen if you take a good look at actual facts, and avoid scare propaganda.
But whatever... About evil:
Evil paths often suffers in games, and ends up forcing you to be an asshole to everyone, killing puppies and not being nice even for a reward. If someone pays me, a dark, foul warrior who revels in death and destruction, to rescue a princess from a necromancer; am I good for doing just that? I'm doing it for the thrill and the money, not for being mr nice guy. And still, I'll get a good reputation for it. That makes the whole good/evil actually seem a bit obsolete, or at least incomplete, doesn't it?
But like I said, "game" evil mostly is about being as bad as possible, even in detriment to myself. Ooo, lookee here, those are some fine chickens; lets gut them and throw them at children! Why does evil in games often equal stupitidy? Being shrewd and cunning is certainly a part of the personality of some "evil" people, and that should be reflected in game.
What I would like to see, is no predefined evil/good stuff at all, rather simply choices and consequences. Kill babies? People won't love you. Act nice? Then they will. Save people for money? They still will love you, even though you didn't do it for them but for yourself. Each action should carry a price, sometimes apparent, sometimes not. That way, both evil and good actions will have interresting repercussions, and the game world will be all the better because of it.
