Influence

[Scarlet]

Let me see if I've got it right:

 

In order to influence the party members, I have to do what they want me to do- not what I want to do.

 

If I don't influence them, I don't get them to talk to me and tell me the full story.

If I do try and influence them, I have to go against my will.

 

The whole idea of influencing your party members was awesome, but very badly implemented. I loved it at first just to hate it in the end.

 

Is this a cheap trick to get players to replay the entire game just to get the party members to talk?

 

[Daaave]

yep.

[Haitoku]

If I don't influence them, I don't get them to talk to me and tell me the full story.

If I do try and influence them, I have to go against my will.

 

I'm guessing your a Dark Sider...

 

Are helping people, and NOT killing people on your priority list?

 

Are psychotic impulsis all the drive you?

 

I didn't think I was going against my will gaining influence with the NPCs. I merely said/did what I thought was right.

[GhostofAnakin]

If I do try and influence them,  I have to go against my will.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Technically, that's only half true.

[FaramirK]

Let me see if I've got it right:

 

In order to influence the party members, I have to do what they want  me to do- not what I want to do.

 

If I don't influence them, I don't get them to talk to me and tell me the full story.

If I do try and influence them,  I have to go against my will.

 

The whole idea of influencing your party members was awesome, but very badly implemented. I loved it at first just to hate it in the end.

 

Is this a cheap trick to get players to replay the entire game just to get the party members to talk?

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Is this even worth the time it took to post that complaint? It's not like it really matters who is more vindicated/less used. Its a game.

 

And besides, it IS you influencing them, because your answers can fundamentally alter their soul for Dark or Light. They can't change your alignment just by choosing the right words, can they?

 

EDIT: I'm sorry, it's your first post, I didn't mean to sound harsh. I just left a flame war topic. Can you expand your arguement? Or was it just an expression of disappointment?

[Jellybelly]

FaramirK, even though I adore the game, I have to disagree with you. The influence system isn't very logical. What you do is say to the NPCs what you know they will like to hear, and then THEY for some reason model themselves after you, when it obviously was you who modelled yourself after them. That doesn't make sense. Influence means having your own opinions and standpoints (is that even a word??), gaining respect from others that way.

[Yst]

This tends to be true in real life as well.

 

If you go around killing people and committing deplorable acts of evil in front of your acquaintances, they are unlikely to respond to you the same way they might respond, say, to a nice person who isn't a psycho killer.

 

[Scarlet]

I'm guessing your a Dark Sider...

 

Are helping people, and NOT killing people on your priority list?

 

Are psychotic impulsis all the drive you?

 

I didn't think I was going against my will gaining influence with the NPCs. I merely said/did what I thought was right.

 

Haitoku, from what I understood, as long as you are a light sider everything should be fine. If that is the case, why would players bother to go dark? Why would the developers give players the light/dark choice? Oh, and by the way, you are guessing wrong. I finished the game twice: once in the light side, once neutral. Now I'm planning to do it one more time on the dark side. And I, too, "merely said/did what I thought was right" and never seemed to advance an inch in influence with the darker party members. I would only like to hear what they have to say, but without influence, they stay dark and I stay without answers.

 

Technically, that's only half true.

 

Why?

 

Its a game.

 

Exactly. I play to have fun. Let me explain. My favorite genre in games is the RPG. I consider the alignment a most important feature: the player chooses an alighment, and sticks to it. That's what role playing is about. I love to say the corny light-side things like "I'm a servant of the light now" when I impersonate a light sider, or the psychotic "I"ll enjoy gutting you" when I'm dark. Role playing is fun. You can be what you are not. You ruin that, you'll ruin the spirit of the RPG.

 

They can't change your alignment just by choosing the right words, can they?

 

Not with words, but they can! In order to influence the party members on "the other side" you have to gain some points contrary to your own alignment first! That doesn't make sense.

 

Influence means having your own opinions and standpoints (is that even a word??), gaining respect from others that way.

 

 

My feelings exactly.

 

If you go around killing people and committing deplorable acts of evil in front of your acquaintances, they are unlikely to respond to you the same way they might respond, say, to a nice person who isn't a psycho killer.

 

Good point. Doing things that would upset your party members should drive them away from you, not closer to you. However, the Exile is supposed to be special. In the context of this story, it would be possible, I guess. Maybe this issue should have been explored further.

 

 

I think the real problem about the influence issue in TSL is the fact that they don't tell you the whole story if you don't influence everybody, and you can't influence everybody in one go, so there you go to replay the game one more time....

How do I get Kreia to talk? I guess I'll have to play the game a third time and be her willing puppet, tell her everything she wants to hear, do everything she approves of, to see if now I can extract some major background info on the main story. I love the story, you know. What is an RPG without a good story? I have played this game twice I'm still trying to understand what the heck is going on in this story. Will the loose ends come together if I keep replaying it over and over again? Like I said, is this a cheap trick?

 

[Jeremiah]

If all you want is to open up conversation paths and/or turn them Jedi then there is no need to act contrary to your alignment.

 

JUST DO YOUR BEST TO LOSE AS MUCH INFLUENCE AS POSSIBLE!! Losing a lot of influence works the same way as gaining influence in terms of those gameplay terms. However, to have the game say Bao Dur turns into a Dark Jedi Guardian when his character sheet is radiating blindly with the lightside gave me a good laugh.

[Jellybelly]

It would have driven me nuts... I can't stand logical issues like that.