Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
Path: gmd.de!Germany.EU.net!mcsun!uunet!boulder!ucsu!ucsu.Colorado.EDU!crosby
From: crosby@ucsu.Colorado.EDU (Matthew Crosby)
Subject: Re: Player Character Personality
Message-ID: <1993Apr2.174946.16940@ucsu.Colorado.EDU>
Sender: news@ucsu.Colorado.EDU (USENET News System)
Nntp-Posting-Host: ucsu.colorado.edu
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
References: <1993Mar31.221853.3064@Princeton.EDU> <733697236snx@hinrg.starconn.com>
Date: Fri, 2 Apr 1993 17:49:46 GMT
Lines: 35

In article <733697236snx@hinrg.starconn.com> mroberts@hinrg.starconn.com (Mike Roberts) writes:
>jacobw@ernie.Princeton.EDU (Jacob Solomon Weinstein) writes:
>
> >You can do this by giving him a wide range of options, and keeping 
> >track of which ones he picks, as in my moral solution/immoral solution 
> >example.  [...]  Perhaps your reward for being kind (or cruel, or whatever
> >the author wishes to make the PC) is just that you get a fuller story. 
>
>This would be very interesting.  People have mentioned that some of
>the Ultima games incorporate something like this - is anyone familiar
>with the implications of moral vs. immoral behavior in those games?
>
Well, it depends on which Ultima.  They are most pronounced in Ultima VI, where
you have to achieve avatarhood to finish, and becoming an Avatar means keeping
to the 8 virtues.  Basically the rules are along the lines of:
Don't steal
Don't kill innocent people
Give money to beggars
Don't boast, etc.

The game actually keeps a score for each virtue, and whenever you do something
bad it lowers that score, and you can raise the scores by doing various nice
things.  Once you achieve a certain score, you achieve avatarhood in that
virtue, and of course you have to keep high standards!

The later Ultimas just simplified it down to a single, "mana" score, which
is lowered and raised according to your actions, much the same as above.
Peoples responses depended on your mana.

BTW, 8 virtues of the Avatar are honor, valour, compassion, sacrifice, justice
spirituality and humility

-- 
-Matt							crosby@cs.colorado.edu
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the net!
