Loyalty vs. Friendship/Rivalry - A Discussion

[mechapotatoalex]

Just a heads up - this will contain general spoilers for Dragon Age II. Nothing specifically plot-related, but I'd recommend you stay away if you're trying to remain completely spoiler-free.

I nearly didn't write this up - it's very easy to get excited about DA2 and want to share it with the ME crowd. However, this is a subject I think is ripe for

Comments

[vilkacis]

Honestly, much as I've enjoyed ME2, the loyalty system is full of fuck and basically anything would be better. Oh, what's this, the biggest bunch of badasses in the galaxy can't focus on the mission unless I solve their daddy issues? And the returning characters not being "loyal" after we saved the galaxy together in the last game. And the magic red/blue "make everything good" options.

The friend/rival thing is interesting, but it has another problem - a "rival" is someone you disagree with but respect (or so they say), but what about someone I don't respect? How does that work within that system? DA2 at least begins at a much lower level (get money, buy house) so having companions leave if they don't like your face actually makes sense here, as opposed to Origins where you were doing Really Important Shit. (What's that, Alistair, I'm an asshole so you quit the Blight? Well fuck you too, buddy!)

Rivalry also doesn't seem to make sense if we have to get it up to make characters "loyal" (because I guess if you disagree with me just a little bit more, you won't sell me out in the end).

...so far, I think Alpha Protocol did this best. You had "like" and "dislike" much like Origins, and then you got bonuses on both sides. The "dislike" ones were stuff like "your stamina increases because you know it would please this person if you died, and we can't have that". And sometimes they would throw shock traps at you. It was awesome.

[mechapotatoalex]

Well as far as rivalry goes, they say they respect you for being consistent. I guess Hawke's actions are still worthy of respect, whatever you think of him/her.

I think they point they're trying to make with it is that so long as they know what to expect from you, they'll be more trusting of you. If you're unpredictable and stay in the middle, they're less likely to follow you or help you, because they don't know what you're going to end up doing.

And with DA2 you do indeed get bonuses on both sides. Varric for example becomes better at aiming if he's a rival because he's trying to prove himself.

[irvys_sefie]

omg I loved making people hate me in Alpha Protocol! Reading the descriptions for the bonuses you got from handlers cracked me up so much. SIE had some of the best ones:
There's something about SIE's androgynous voice over your earpiece that makes you less inclined to die - it's probably the fear that if you were wounded on your mission, she'd rescue you and lick your wounds.

and

Like it or not, you're working with SIE for this mission. At least her annoying accent and awkward innuendos distract you from the pain of injury.

I love that game XD

[fifmeister]

*spit-take* I never saw any of that in my Alpha Protocol playthrough! Maybe because I went with professional responses all the time. I just finished my first run the other day, but now I want to run to my XBox and start up a sarcastic/aggressive playthrough immediately, haha.