I also find this a great idea ! It reminds me of the "virtue system" (as I call it) I heard about from the Ultima games. :9 The way you behave, the consequences are. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
However, I fear that at least a fraction of gamers will not be able to realize the consequences of their deeds for actions that have consequences only in long terms. I believe that a kind of "hint" is there fore a "must" - but not always.
Because I believe as well, that this could be taken as a "learning curve" : In the beginning of the game, consequences are visible rather in short terms, but the longer the game is played, the longer the timer between action & result is. If this is properly made, then it is possible that gamers might learn from it - to be more cautious in their actions later in the game.
However, there is one another (additional) point. In <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> I liked the "moral dilemma" of the ill people in Rivertown (Dr. Elrath and his treatment).
You might call me a fool, but the more immersion a game has on me, the more I feel with the inhabitants of this world. In the case of the ill people it nearly broke my heart to see one of them finally die (because of the limited number of healing potions especially for that particular illness). I guess I'm too much immersed, then. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> However, what I mean is, that I'd like to have some not-obvious-at-all ways of possible solutions for some "moral dilemmas" as well, if possible. In <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> someone actually came up with the idea of actually stealing a health potion after its use from one ill pertson, in order to give it to the third one.That was unexpected, but very much welcome for my own taste of playing. Plus, it was hidden (this kind of solution), and no-one could see it with actually using his or her brains. Another form of challence ?
In general, I'm very much for these "moral dilemma's", but I fear that gamers might not learn from it, if the time span between action and result iis too long. A possible solution for this would be to make these time spans longer and longer in the course of the game, if possible.
(This alwys reminds me of ecology ... There, the effects appears often only decades after the deed(s) ...)
