Do you like impactful, character-shaping choices in games?

aaronvienneau

Call me old-school, or "hardcore", but personally, I'm a massive fan of games that face players with character-shaping decisions that cannot be easily, if ever,reversed, save starting a new character, or completing a difficult quest. First, I'll give a concrete example of a system that explores this paradigm, and then weigh the benefits and disadvantages.

A system that implements the aforementioned model might be a perk system that allows players to choose from a large set of modifications that alter the affects of their main skills. One of the biggest advantages I see to a system like this is that it forces a player to think critically about how they'd like to play, and build, their character before actually building their character. As a result of this critical thought (or lack thereof), you create a player-base full of unique high-leveled characters that contribute different strengths to end-game content, instead of the same cookie-cutter high-level builds. This last advantage cannot be overstated: it requires players to explore their perceived "perk mistakes", and perhaps discover things that they wouldn't have normally discovered.

Obviously the disadvantages to a model like this is that players can't easily undo mistakes, and in some ways discourages experimentation.

I find that with newer games, developers allow players to fluidly change their builds with minimal effort or consequence, which usually just promotes meta-gaming (Picking the most efficient class and build).

On which side do you fall? Do you love character-defining systems that lend to a unique character feel? Or do you like the versatility that comes with fluidly changing your character?

seaber

versatility

Wandering Mist

In my opinion, locking a person into a particular path is more likely to encourage cookie-cutter builds and an unchanging meta. Once a game has been release for awhile, new players will come in and know that they can't change their path once they are set on it. So what do they do? They go on the internet and look up the "best" build, then follow that to the letter. When you allow players to more easily change the path they are on, newer players are more likely to choose what they find cool or interesting at the start, then change to the meta when they get to content that requires it.

The other problem you have is when a developer starts balancing the classes after the game has launched. Let's say you are a player who only wants to play the best build, so you do your research and you carefully choose the path that is the best at that time. Then 2 weeks later the developers re-balance the classes and suddenly your build is one of the worst in the game. This will probably really piss you off, especially if you cannot easily change the path you have chosen, and will more than likely just quit the game.

Karthos

I hate games where it goes;

"Well you forgot to pick up the hidden onion in chapter 2 by giving the scarecrow the secret handshake you learned from the random spawning toad, so now your character has one arm and farts uncontrollably"

grisu

The way you write it is contradictory to me and a perfect methaphor.
You don't want cookiecutters, but clearly state that there are mistakes to be made. (methaphor being for: evershifting and/or crappy balance)
People will all the more look for already viable cookie cutters when they know they can't switch out of it. ESPECIALLY when we have hard content, people will find some good damage source builds and will want them/require them even more to even stand a chance.
So either the game is truly balanced in all aspects or this application of impactful choices is in my opinion the wrong way to do it. I don't really have an alternative tho, sorry.

altyor

Why not a lore friendly balance of both? Your decisions on your character class and perks are (to some extent) permanent, this helps minimize a class based meta at the start of the game which would, hopefully, continue along if that is the habit everyone forms (if leveling is time consuming then you can't force your new recruits to reroll a 'better' class, and guilds are more likely to accept members based on skills over class). But then you make gear allow for flexibility and versatility. Allow armor bonuses not just for entire sets, but also for mixing and matching certain (lore specific) sets.

You wanted to tank but picked the wrong class/subclass/perk and are slightly sub par in the damage absorb stats? Focus on gear that makes you vampiric and helps heal to offset.

This means even if they change the balance badly one patch your choices still count and matter and have consequence, but you're not completely SoL.

Azathoth

Yes! Stories and quests with multiple endings based on player choices are my favorite!

aaronvienneau

Some great points here. I think what I truly yearn for is a necessity for my particular skill-set. I want to feel useful and distinctly different from other classes, or even players within my class, and generally games that enforce my described archetype result in that kind of necessity.

When it comes to my point about meta-gaming, perhaps I missed the mark, as I think that's more of a characteristic of the player themself than the game mechanics offered (If you want to meta game, you will do so regardless). I thought that maybe if games forced players to live with their choices, they'd be less likely to recreate their whole character JUST to achieve some minor efficiency in the current meta's most powerful build; whereas games that offer immediate fluidity might make it easier to meta game.

*Shrug* There are probably better, more interesting ways to achieve a feeling of necessity, but I've yet to experience it.

Tatiana

I like character shaping choices in regard to quests and branching storylines but not anything mechanic/system wise. I don't like having my character locked to some sort of decision I come to regret later with how I've built them.

Varkun

I do like choices that will shape your character and for those choices to have meaning.

However, there are those who like to theory craft and with no ability to alter some of the choices that you make after the fact may result in less choice when it comes to theory crafting different builds and actually being able to implement them. This is a big part of the game for some people.

Wololo

unchangable choises are nice as long one of those never becomes the meta