November 3, 2010
stargrace Putting Down the Sword
As I play through Fable 3 I can’t help but wish MMO’s included more quests that question your morals and cause you to make some decisions that affect the next step of the game (It should be mentioned that the screen shot above is from LotRO, and has nothing to do with any of this, but was just a really pretty screen shot I snapped last night). What if you decided NOT to kill those 10 rats and bring them back – what if upon entering Valdoon’s lair you decided that he should be allowed to live and spared his life? Perhaps you went to Leviathan’s home only to discover that the creature was simply misunderstood.
On a deeper level it bothers me that for most games the only method you can progress as an adventurer includes slaughtering and killing. The only game that I can say this doesn’t have to be the case is EVE, where there are no “levels” and training doesn’t require you to mass kill. Where you can make a fantastic “living” in game through mining, invention, manufacturing, PI and you never have to fit a gun. You are just as valued as someone flying a destroyer and with the different types of mission givers you can still quest and not have to “pew pew”. I gave this some thought and I think it’s one of the major reasons that this game appeals to me even though the genre itself is one I typically avoid.
Unless I want to be a crafter in a game, I’m reduced to constantly butchering the world around me which goes against the idea of “who I am” as a person. I don’t LIKE to kill things in video games. If more games could implement exploration type quests or delivery that still rewarded you as an adventurer, I’d be a lot happier. Of course I know there are a lot of downsides to these methods of leveling. There would be players who abuse the system, etc. If it were that easy to implement I’m sure more companies would at least try.
I suppose my major issue comes from the fact that unless I AM slaughtering creatures, in MOST games I’m under valued. In EQ2 the “top” (I use that term loosely) players are raiders (ie: killing). In WoW the same. In pretty much every single game I can think of (aside from EVE) the “top dogs” of the game are all those who kill. In order to get the “best” gear you must smite those foes in your way.Rar.
Call me a care bear if you want but I think there’s a lot more to me (and my characters) then the weapons they wield and the creatures they have felled. It’s just a shame that the majority of the games I play don’t seem to recognize that.