OK. Let's PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE try to keep this civil. Please select your option, state your beliefs and opinions, and PLEASE don't attack anyone's beliefs or opinions.
The options:
1. None - This means that you like BG3 as it is presently. It has no alignment at all, and you are happy with that. You really don't want there to be any alignment in the game at all.
2. Static - This means that you want Larian to add alignment into the game, but you want it to remain unchanging throughout the game. A good example of this is Solasta. You choose to be Lawful Good and regardless of your actions you remain Lawful Good. Your alignment never changes no matter what actions you take.
3. Dynamic - This means that you want Larian to add alignment into the game, and you want it to change depending on your actions and decisions in the game. A good example of this is Pathfinder and/or the original BG games. You choose to be Lawful Good, but if you start making too many Chaotic or Evil choices your character shifts towards new alignments.
4. Dynamic (You Decide) - This is the same as Dynamic except that the game doesn't shift your alignment. YOU can choose to shift your alignment at certain points. There would need to be some sort of limitations to this, of course, but the idea is that the game clearly defines when you will have the ability to shift alignments. So, if you start as Lawful Good and decide to legit join the Absolute, you could have an alignment shift at that point from Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil or Lawful Evil or whatever. This might be difficult to implement, but the point of this option would be to have some way for you, the player, to be the one to pass judgment on your own character's actions so that if you decide to shift alignment, you could. However, it would need to be restrictive enough so that you couldn't just constantly shift alignments whenever it suits you.
I made it so that you can choose your primary preference (only 1 option), a secondary preference (only 1 option) and a third preference (only 1 option). In this way, you can let Larian know what you'd really prefer, what you'd like to have if they can't do that or don't want to do that, and what you'd settle for if nothing else.
My beliefs and opinions on the subject (the reason for this post and something to make you think):
This topic came up because I was playing Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. I created a Lawful Good Paladin of Iomedae before I even realized that the entire game was about Iomedae. lol. My personal beliefs align more with Lawful Good - or so I thought. As I was playing the game, my alignment suddenly shifted to Neutral Good, and my paladin lost his ability to use his powers. This did NOT sit well with me at all. I had been selecting Good and Lawful options for dialogues, but mostly Good. So the game passed judgment on what I believe is Good and Lawful, and it basically decided that I was not Lawful. Then I HAD to choose Lawful options in order to get my alignment back to Lawful Good to regain my powers - and I didn't really agree with the Lawful options I had to choose from.
I believe that God's Law is Good and Right. He established and defined what IS Good and Evil. If everyone obeyed His Law, everyone would live in peace and harmony. It is because people disobey His Law that chaos and disunity and war occur. This is what the Bible teaches. It also teaches that God respects Man's Law except when Man's Law is not good. When Men (meaning the race of Adam, for his name literally means "Man" and not referring to gender here) create laws that are not good, God does not respect those laws and teaches that you should not obey them. An example of this was Pharaoh ordering the murder of the baby boys of Israel, demanding that they all die. God rewarded and blessed the midwives for breaking the Law of Pharaoh because it was evil.
This is because the Bible teaches that the Law was made to serve people and not people made to serve the Law. So, Jesus Himself gave examples of how individuals in the Bible even broke God's Law because they needed to in order to accomplish the greater good. God Himself knows that there are Changing Laws and Unchanging Laws. Unchanging Laws are those that are universal. "Love your neighbors as yourself," is a universal, Unchanging Law. God will NEVER want a person to not love their neighbors. He wants people to love and respect one another always. A Changing Law is one that He created that He knows doesn't necessarily fit every situation. An example of this would be, "Do no work on the Sabbath." Jesus Himself said, "If a person (or animal) fell into a pit on the Sabbath day, wouldn't you help them even though it is work? Of course you would, because it is good to help someone in need. The Sabbath Law, therefore, would not apply in that circumstance because what is Good supercedes what is Lawful." Another example was David went into the Temple of the Lord, which was unlawful for him to do, in order to survive. He also ate bread from within the temple, which was also against the Law. According to the Law, he should have been stricken dead, but God excused his behavior because at that point obeying the Law was not going to accomlish the greater good. David was more important to God than the Law.
So what shall we say? Is God Neutral Good? The one who created the Law actually isn't Lawful Good but Neutral Good? Are we to then say that Lawful Good ISN'T the epitome of all good?
This does not sit well with me because of my beliefs. What also doesn't sit well with me is that Lawful Good is about obeying law regardless of whether the law is really good or not. Whether the law is serving people or not, a Lawful Good character must obey the law or they might slide towards a new alignment - at least that's how it was for me in Pathfinder (how Owlcat translated Lawful Good).
Basically, what I'm saying is, I don't like that Pathfinder and games like it judge my actions as to whether the devs think something is Lawful Good or not. I actually would prefer BG3's current non-alignment system than to have someone who doesn't believe what I believe judging my actions and having me shift alignments because I'm not playing the way THEY think I should play based on my alignment.
Therefore, what I'm saying is that I'd prefer a Static system like Solasta's where I choose my alignment and it doesn't shift. If I get items that have a Lawful Good prerequisite, then I know I can give them to my Lawful Good Paladin because he isn't going to suddenly have an alignment shift. I also know that because of alignment, not everyone can use said item, which I think is cool. The evil sword of a demon lord should not be usable by my Lawful Good Paladin while my Paladin's Angel Sword shouldn't be usable by someone like Lae'zel. My least preference is the Dynamic system where I can start as a Lawful Good Paladin and have the game force me to shift to something else.
I might like a Dynamic (You Decide) system if it is done well, because then I could create a scenario where I might start good but choose to fall into temptation and join the Absolute. My problem with it is that I highly doubt it could be done in a way that I would approve. This is why I have chosen the Static option. It's easier to implement and there is less of a chance that I will be unhappy with it.
So, I know that was long, but I wanted to give people things to think about BEFORE they make a choice. I mean REALLY think about it. Will you be in the same boat as me if Larian develops a Dynamic Alignment system? Will you enjoy such a system that passes judgment and shifts your alignment based on what Larian thinks is Good or Lawful or whatever? Would you trust Larian to create a Dynamic (You Decide) system? Will they provide the right opportunities to shift your alignment as you see fit at the right times? Would you rather not have any alilgnment at all and just be done with such things?
Please feel free to share your beliefs and opinions, but again, PLEASE refrain from attacking other people's beliefs and opinions. I'd rather have the mods shut this post down right away then have people attacking one another's beliefs and opinions. However, this post is important to me, and I'd like to see it remain open to get people's true opinions on the matter. This post is 100% about what you believe and your opinion. There is literally no right or wrong answer or need for debating someone's personal thoughts and feelings on this. Please state your own opinions and beliefs without arguing with others about there's.
Thanks.
