Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Ludonarrative Dissonance in Conversations

I love the game so far, especially the world and how it feels so close to my experiences with D&D.

The conversation system however feels a bit too game-like. As it is now I find it a little frustrating that the player character and companions have pretty much the same options in dialogue and I can pick whatever I want. It feels very weird and immersion breaking when I can have Astrion say all life is equal when before he seems to really only care for himself. I know there's the reputation you can build with the companions but it's jarring when I could make a character say something they then could "disapprove" of.

Does anyone else get the same feeling I do?

I understand what you mean but thats kind of a problem tied to 'the player controls the npc's and gets to pick what they say'. That said, rben the evilst of characters will know that it usefull to appear to be nice. He might not believe what he says or does believe it, but with a caveat attached that he isent adding.

In your example Astrion saying that he loaths human but loves to suck them dry of blood would get....mixed results in that case. While appearing to care about a life would not.

If you don't think a given choice fits a given character then don't bloody well pick it. Don't advocate for removing choice that other players may want. Also who the hell are you to mandate what character should or shouldn't say? Why couldn't someone play Astrion on a redemptive path freed from his master he begins to regret his past action and starts down a path of redemption? Or why not play an Astarion as a vindictive asshat that isn't just self centered but vindictive to the living because he was a slave for decades and now that he is free he is turning into yet a different kind of monster? Who the hell are you to dictate other players' approach to their characters? Astarion doesn't have to be played in the way you think he should be played. Sure it is perfectly viable to play as you suggest but i just gave too equally viable reaction based on what we know about psychology of how someone could react to their situation.

Why do so many gamers feel if a player doesn't play the way I play or doesn't like something I like or dislike what I dislike they are doing it wrong? Ever heard of live and let live?

Because....Astarions not my character? He's an NPC with his own thoughts and motives. *shrugs*

That's very true, it could all be an act. I hadn't thought of that before.

Yep. There's also a matter of playing the character as an origin or having it as a companion. I like the idea of being able to speak as one of the companions, but it's weird when you could say something that would make that same character disapprove. It is a very good point that there are ulterior motives, fake kindness and so on, but in such case, companions shouldn't disapprove of you saying something they could say as well. For all they know, you could have been just as dishonest.