The Video Game Caring Potential Thread.

Here's a place (outside the Troper Tales section) to share your stories about Video Game Caring Potential.

Crusader Kings is normally known for the opposite, but it is possible to be a nice person. In my latest game, I've had to let Northumbria and Lancaster go as England, and I've been focussing on peacefully developing the rest of England while trying to minimise warfare to the absolute maximum, which includes letting vassals go if they break away instead of calling up my own vassals to crush them. I've ended up with a demesne of 2 provinces due to falling intrigue; I've given the lands to Williams many sons and daughters instead to make up for it; at least the land stays within the family. I've also saved Deubarth in Wales by vassalising it, declaring war on Gwynedd, and then paying tribute (after a brief invasion of my own) to get them to back down, expanding my kingdom while minimising the bloodshed. (I could've, of course, forced Gwynedd to recognise me as king, but thats sort of missing the point.) I've also refused to go on crusade... my example seems to be holding as a mere duchy has answered the call so far!

Bump.

Seriously, no one has any stories relating to video game caring potential?

I ended up reuniting England when the Scots invaded and I persuaded Northumbria to be vassalised again. I even got Brittany, who quit France and accepted an offer to come over to my side (I'm taking the "protector of the smallest" role, expanding by voluntary declarations of allegiance. One of my most common tactics is to vassalise a small duchy at the mercy of a kingdom or emirate, banking on them being desperate enough to seek help, and then using money, threats and then finally all out force to push for a white peace. I stop the war in the minimum amount of time and gain a vassal without having to force the issue, expanding my kingdom and keeping the peace at the same time. So I guess I've gone from idealistic flower child to cynical enforcer of the peace.

I've also been actively developing my vassals lands by giving them gifts of money that they then invest in buildings. I've got the tax rate down to 30 for burghers and peasants, could probably lower it more now that I've got more vassals. (Seriously, I'm pulling in 30 gold per month which isn't bad considering its not even 1100 yet.) The economic, peace-focussed approach is really paying off; my lands are way more advanced than France and I've left Scotland and Wales in the dark. William is still alive, he's 65 for heavens sake and still pumping out children right left and centre.

I... stopped my last session because something grandly pissed me off. Namely, I made peace with the emirate of Jerusalem after they'd invaded Gwynedd, meaning to simply drive them off the British Isles, when I realised my vassals were charging off to fight in the holy land instead of doing the sensible thing and fighting off the invaders of Wales and costing themselves (and me by proxy) a fortune in the process, not to mention, you know, getting thousands killed, the exact opposite of my goals. Problem is, after I stopped fighting, my vassals continued, and for some reason some of them declared independence. No announcement or explanation, they just seemed to glitch out of my kingdom. I didn't even get a claim on their lands!

Call me a cheater but I feel that if there's a game mechanic that isn't properly explained, the games producers can't exactly expect me to just roll on like nothings happened when it puts me in the metaphorical dung-heap. I lost 2 years of progress.

edited 12th May '11 3:08:31 PM by GameChainsaw

In Fire Emblem, no matter what, I won't let anyone die. Even if I'm not using them, or even if I hate them as a character, I won't let them get killed by an enemy.

This. This is the reason it takes me forever to finish a FE game. I can't let any of them die (it doesn't hurt that most of the death quotes are equal part Tear Jerker and Player Punch). It's one of the reasons Shadow Dragon got some flak from fans; you could only obtain some of the better (and new) units by having a certain amount of your troops die.

Also, the dog in the bear trap. Not only does it come back to help you during a certain boss battle, but I LOVE DOGS. Can't let a poor pup like that wallow in pain.

During the time when Soul Nomad wasn't broken, I usually take care of my units. They need to level up, and I do not want to see them die in battle.

Turn-Based Strategy games in general has a LOT of Video Game Caring Potential.

Also, Knights In The Nightmare. I only made ONE transoul in the entire game, and I have to make sure that Maria or Mellia / Meria lives at all costs. They're just that cute!

This. Even if I'm just going to blow away El Gigante with the infinite rocket launcher, I will always help the dog.

In strategy games with no permadeath, the units I generally give lots of upgrades to are the ones that are getting their asses kicked time and time again. Not because this makes strategic sense, but because I start to feel bad for them given their losing streak. Doubly so if they have special quotes when they are defeated.

Interestingly enough, I also do the whole "don't let anyone die" thing with Fire Emblem... but on (Sacred Stones) that one Ephraim-route ship chapter where you can recruit L'Arachel and Dozla if you can fight past the hordes of enemies in time to reach them (>_>), L'Arachel ended up getting defeated before I could reach her (and Dozla was an idiot)... and I ended up letting it go, since L'Arachel only gets "critically wounded" and is still active in the story (and I already had a healer in full use). So maybe I'm not the most caring player out there...

edited 12th May '11 5:54:38 PM by stardf29

The sentry turret in the turret redemption line in Portal 2. How can you NOT feel sorry for that poor thing? Only thing is I accidentally missed throwing it to safety, instead throwing it into the infinite abyss.

Oops.

edited 13th May '11 5:46:57 PM by Player2isDead

Mass Effect 2: I will never bring pick the Renegade option at the end of Overlord. Ever.

In Spore, I created a peaceful race of shamans, with no violence towards anyone thoughout the entire game.

edited 13th May '11 6:43:05 PM by Locoman

Minor one, but in Uncharted 2 you can play with kids and pet yaks in the Tibetan village.

If there's an option to make things better for people in a game, I always take it. I don't remember all of my stories, sadly, but there's a lot of them.

In New Vegas, I helped a rape victim get therapy.

Then took a chainsaw to said rapist, dismembering his limbs and taking his head. Then tossed his carcass in a fire barrel.

Did the same, only I killed Cook Cook by shooting him in the crotch.

In Overlord II, I was willing to sacrifice Lifeforce to bring back high level minions with awesome hats. I wanted my own ugly little Praetorian Guard, dammit.

Strange Journey, when taking on Jack's crew, you find out what they've done to the demons... and it was horrifying. Every encounter after that, I promptly shot the humans, negotiated with the remaining demons and let them go free or simply ran. And then when I hit Captain Jack, I literally would not put the game down until I had him beaten and it took a damn long time and a rather unorthodox strategy, but I got it done.

I eventually cottoned on in Ristar that the creatures I was killing were under Mind Control. Cue Pacifist Run on Super Mode.

As a young boy playing Final Fantasy VII, I had convinced myself that because choosing certain options throughout the game had an effect on some aspects of the plot, that there had to be some way to stop sector seven from collapsing and save Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. I spent a lot of time playing through the slums and the wall market over and over, thinking that I could find a way to save the slums. I don't know what convinced me so thoroughly that it would work.

In Final Fantasy Tactics, not only do I not let any of my characters die, on playthroughs since the first, I dismiss all nonessential party members right before the Point of No Return, and steel myself against their pleading so that they don't have to follow me into the world of death, and sacrifice their lives for the cause.

edited 14th May '11 8:06:19 AM by Desertopa

When I chose a dwarf noble for Dragon Age, I couldn't get to the dwarf part because that choice was too hard to make.

In Dishonored, I always sit in the shadows to listen to the idle mook banter. One time, I found a maid and guard talking about how they were to be married soon. Normally, I would find some out of the way place to hide unconscious mooks, but for these two, I cleaned up a nearby bed room and set them down on a fancy bed. After admiring the cuteness of the two mooks sleeping in each other's arms, I remembered that I'm supposed to get that rat viscera to go poison a potion brewery.

edited 8th May '14 6:14:23 AM by Kipdon

Bioshock and Bioshock 2: SAVE. THE. LITTLE. SISTERS. I've only played each game once, but I have never, ever, forsaken a Little Sister. Dem good endings...] T_T

Persona 4: max out as many Social Links as possible. Even if it's the first playthrough and you don't think you can max them all, still get as many as possible. Yes, doing so gives you a massive power boost when fusing new Personae of the associated Arcana. But more to the point, you can seriously tell that, comparing the first few events to the final event, you have improved that person's life for the better. So far, the most triumphant examples of this in my current playthrough are Heirophant (your uncle finally re-learns that "ohana" feeling) and Temperance (you take a young stepmother and a son who are awkward and reserved with each other, and then eventually work through their dysfunctional relationship until they start becoming closer as well). (current number of Maxed Links: Heirophant, Justice, and Temperance; Devil and Sun are probably the next few to get Maxed)

ANY raising sim game. i CANNOT intentionally harm anyone and must make sure everyone is happy.

edited 8th May '14 9:31:24 PM by lalalei2001

Two examples:

1. In Medieval Total War II: Britannia, I started playing as Ireland. I managed to quickly conquer the handful of English bases on the island, but then I negotiated peace with England, and just camped out on the island, maintaining peaceful relations with everybody, building up my cities' civilization level, and ignoring all the prompts that tried to push me into going to war with people.

2. Not a videogame example, but I was in a game of Call of Cthulhu, playing as, essentially, a PC cultist. I had managed to establish quasi-friendly relations with the local cultist circle, and their leader had asked my help with a minor problem. They had kidnapped a local girl with the intent of sucking out her soul and taking her considerable magical power for themselves. Unfortunately, she had locked away her soul behind a mental barrier, one the cultists couldn't figure out how to breach. Their leader thought that I would know how to crack open the girl's mind, and he was right, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that to the girl. I tried to rescue her, but the attempt was a dramatic failure, and I ended up having to kill both the girl and then myself to save us from the cultist leader. I did get a happy ending though. I'm not sure if our Narrator had planned for this to happen or made it up as a reward for my heroism, but upon my death, I learned that I was under the influence of a spell cast by my parents decades ago. This spell pulled my soul sideways into a brand-new reality, one over which I would henceforth rule as a god. So, I freaking WON Call of Cthulhu! By accident!

See, I know it's not much, but in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Series, I tend to.. Well, go a bit overboard on the recruiting teams aspect. I downright refuse to not let a Pokemon join my team—they just seem so damn heartbroken if you say no. Not to mention, in the games where people are able to run around and be dicks to each other (excluding GTA, because GTA is GTA), I try my best to not be an idiot. It's kind of weird, but I actually care for the little NP Cs, you know?