Ben

Editorial: Dealing with Death

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This is why I find EDF so gratifying in many ways. The fact that every single one of your team mates is expendable.

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I still find the way that Morrowind deals with critical-NPC-death to be one of the most interesting. It's not particularly intrusive and, although it presumes a knowledge of extratemporal phenomena that might not mesh well with everyone's self-image of their character, it does fit in with the themes of the game. It also lets you keep on doing whatever it was you were doing in the first place and doesn't arbitarily decide that you are more interested in the overarching narrative than in that of your character.

Other sand-boxy games could learn a whole lot from that (e.g. GTA:SA which anchors access to the games features to the progress of the main story).

P.S. Hi brkl!

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If you kill an important plot character, the game continues but informs you with a text message that you've broken the chain of destiny, but that you may 'persist in the doomed world that you have created'.

Which is ten kinds of awesome.

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I guess that works if there's already room for magical destiny rhetoric.

Morrowind is, at some level, about a statist plot to consciously manipulate the power of prophecy. The introduction is a weird dream where the protagonist is addressed by an important figure of prophetic power, and is then woken up by a creepy-looking elf. (there is a video here but the speech seems to be disabled* (which sucks). As an aside: I find it a very effective introduction to the game (Bethesda seem to do the start of their games quite well, but the endings not so well).

This kind of thing really appeals to me (and makes it obvious that Ken Rolston** has a history that involves Glorantha).

* The Imperial Library has the words spoken:

"They have taken you from the Imperial City's prison,

first by carriage and now by boat,

to the east to Morrowind.

Fear not, for I am watchful,

you have been chosen."

** Anyone else remotely excited about the idea of that BHG/THQ rpg that he is steering?

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