Suhiira;n8408690 said:
Far to many people associate "evil" with "sociopathic behavior", they are not the same thing.
"Evil" requires intentional action specifically intended to be detrimental to others. Getting drunk and running over a baby isn't "evil", nor is killing one "just because you can". The first is irresponsible, the second "sociopathic". Now if you commit genocide for ethnic/religious cleansing reasons that's "evil". You have a reason and a goal, typical social and ethical considerations are intentionally ignored.
I see lots of people act like a-holes in RPGs and claim they're being "evil" ... nope ... they're just being a-holes.
So much this.
It's one of the things that always drives me nuts in RPG's. Most games don't let you be "evil". They let you be an asshole. There's a MASSIVE difference.
And sadly most players these days don't seem to understand the difference (mainly because they don't really get to see proper examples in modern games).
Killing people because you can isn't evil. It's just sociopathic. It's definitely "wrong", but wrong=/=evil.
Murdering someone because he's got nice stuff is a dick move. Murdering someone and pinning it on someone else so that you can profit off that person's suffering is evil.
Being violent or crazy isn't evil... it's just... violent or crazy.
"Evil" implies intent. It means there's a deeper plan behind your actions. And even with that, in the cyberpunk world a lot more things are shades of grey. Setting up a stealthy attack against one company in order to get them to hire you for a job isn't evil, it's just good business. It's definitely shady and underhanded, but that's how the world works.
Honestly, games shouldn't try to have "good vs evil" ratings. Instead they need to focus on REPUTATION. Your actions (basically anything that can be openly attributed to you, so nothing that you do without being caught) should get added to your rep. So as you complete jobs you get a rep for being dependable. Keeping secrets (when someone knows someone tried to get info out of you that you had but you kept quiet) would get you a rep for being trustworthy. Keeping your word would show you as honest. And the reverse would apply. So spilling the beans when caught would get you a rep as a snitch.
It should never just be a matter of a black and white "good or evil" slider. There should be many reputation points, and each would rise and fall depending on the actions you take (and that others know about). So if you go about and steal a lot of stuff without anyone knowing, that wouldn't affect your rep, as nobody knows you did it. However if you get hired by a company to steal something and pull it off, you WOULD get a rep for being stealthy.
When given options on how to handle a situation it should track your response. So did you talk your way through? Bribe? Fight? Sneak past? All those would be tracked in their own way and shape who you are on how others would respond to you. Honest people wouldn't like a sneaky liar. Corps are going to look for dependable and trustworthy people to hire. A thief might confide in another thief.
So while simpler games might basically give you the option of talking or fighting in a situation and put you down as good for doing it peacefully and evil for being violent (which is stupid), I would love to see this game put some actual effort into it. Have a list of reps:
Honesty (do you keep your word or not?)
Dependability (do you finish what you start?)
Courage (do you stand up for what you believe in or run when in danger? Remember that too much courage can be seen as foolhardy)
Stealth (can you be sneaky or are you a bull in a China shop?)
Altruism (do you help those in need or focus on yourself?)
Aggression (can you find non-violent ways out of situations or do you always go in guns blazing?)
And remember that being "evil" is a matter of intent, not result. So you might put on an appearance of being honest and dependable, but secretly sell out those you are helping for your own benefit (without being caught to ruin your "good rep").