Gone Gaming

Many roleplaying games attempt to have some form of “alignment” system to describe character’s karma or disposition towards the world. Unfortunately, a substantial number of them to make their alignment system work for their game, but rather let it just fall into place. Specifically, I’d like to examine two games by Bioware, Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire.

Knights of the Old Republic exists in a world with a Light side vs. Dark side manichean world. It is set in the space opera of the Star Wars universe where good is decidedly good, and evil is quite dastardly. There is little room for grey, and people generally shake out towards one end of the spectrum or the other, but temptations pull those trying to do good, and even the most evil can find some redemption if they choose to. The alignment system for this game fits it perfectly, consisting of a tug of war between good and evil, a simple line upon which a character’s location represents the location of the characters moral compass between the opposing poles of Light and Dark. It fits the themes and mores of the Star Wars universe, and is integrated into the game to have an effect on the use of the Force in the game, which is supposed to be sensitive to the mind set and aura of Light or Dark of the person calling upon it. It fits in beautifully, adds to the game, and is no more complicated than it needs to be.

Now consider Jade Empire. It is, supposedly, a world with two well known morally equal paths that can both be followed and still be considered “good”. The very first character in the game describes the two philosophies of “The Open Palm” and “The Closed Fist”, and describes potential pitfalls of both. Always extending an open palm can lead to dependence and weakness on the part of the one being benefitted, and submission of individual liberty for the greater good must be tempered or else no liberty is left and no one prospers. Contrariwise, a closed fist encourages strength and intiative, but does not blindly ignore need in situations where the odds are unfair and there is no possibility for growth without helpful intervention; individual self-reliance must be tempered by the acknowledgement that the rising tide of the community can lift each boat further than it fell in lending itself to a common purpose.

But then the game gives you the exact same alignment system as Knights of the Old Republic. The Open Palm is good, the Closed Fist is evil, end of story. It’s really disappointing given the potential for something ground-breaking in a console game that was completely missed. Yes, they are the same game company, but that’s no excuse, that’s just laziness. Dissecting the two paths it becomes there are two seperate poles being balanced, individuality vs. community, and charity vs. self-reliance. Moral dillemmas in the game revolve around these points, but are ultimately dissolved to a simple good vs. evil, instead of exploring the debate of how liberty should be balanced against communal stability, or at what point charity crosses the line to enabling self-destructive behavior. The game is crying out for at the very least a two-dimensional alignment system, a plane of potential locations, instead of a one-dimensional line.

Having an alignment system can be more than a simple angel on shoulder, devil on the other. Done well, alignment in a game can be a central element that adds to the depth and versimillitude of a world, making it feel real to a player, and making clear the larger rippling consequences of actions within the game world.

Anybody have any other games they’ve seen with either really well implemented or really poorly implemented alignment systems? I could list a few more, but I’m curious what other people think.

Next Time: Getting the most out of your alignment. Part II

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