History Headscratchers / SaintsRowIV

* What happened to the feature where the player could make choices that affected the game? It's teased at when the player chooses between ending hunger or cancer (I didn't expect that to impact gameplay or anything), but then it's dropped. It was a pretty cool feature in the third game and could have been improved in this one.

What happened to the feature where the player could make choices that affected the game? It's teased at when the player chooses between ending hunger or cancer (I didn't expect that to impact gameplay or anything), but then it's dropped. It was a pretty cool feature in the third game and could have been improved in this one.

** It's to break his victims until they lose any will to fight back against him. Once that's done, he conscripts them into the Zin Empire.

* What's the in-story explanation for why Zinyak keeps some people in simulations? Is it just because he likes to study and mess around with them?

* What's the in-story explanation for why Zinyak keeps some people in simulations? Is it just because he likes to study and mess around with them?

** I'm afraid he literally is ''that'' overconfident. Any genre-savvy antagonist would've snapped Boss's neck during their first encounter were they as strong as Zinyak and had all of his abilities. Kinzie pretty much summed up his character when she said, "Oh look, an alien with a superiority complex. Surprising." For goodness' sake, he's so overconfident that even [[spoiler: up to the last few seconds of his life]], he think he'll still win over the puny human that is the Boss.

** CID calls SR2 Shaudi "Fake Shaudi" if you pair them together in the simulation, and SR2 Shaudi seems both offended and confused by his meaning of "fake", so I assume they just pretend they're real out of both respect.

** I'm afraid he literally is ''that'' overconfident. Any genre-savvy antagonist would would've snapped Boss's neck during their first encounter were they as strong as Zinyak and had all of his abilities. Kinzie pretty much summed up his character when she said, "Oh look, an alien with a superiority complex. Surprising." For goodness' sake, he's so overconfident that he thinks he'll win [[spoiler: even when you're seconds away from killing him.]]

* If Zinyak is powerful enough in the simulation to troll you while singing Biz Markie, [[spoiler:abduct both Keith David and Kinzie]], and more, why can't he just step in at anytime while you're fucking around with the simulation? I mean, wouldn't be as easy as a snap, crackle, pop? Surely Zinyak isn't ''that'' overconfident...?

*** That still makes little sense, as Zinyak wanted to abduct the best and brightest from the planet. Oleg was both and didn't get abducted when he was at the White House.

** The White House doesn't get blown up, it gets attacked but is still standing when Zinyak captures you. From the looks of it once you're held prisoner he leaves the Earth alone since he has more or less won already. They're also aware of the invasion, they're just kicking back and passing the time until The Boss comes back and gives them marching orders.

* How the hell did Oleg and Josh get to Camp David? Zinyak blew up the White House about two minutes after Josh made the offer. Infact, Josh and Oleg don't even seem to be aware of the invasion, which again makes no sense.

* What's with the default stock faces for [[spoiler:rescuing Asha from her simulation]]? From a programming explanation, sure its easier to make an alternative version of something when you know what you're working with. But what's their in-setting explanation? It looked like they were [[spoiler:giving you Stock-Face so 'evil-you' could use your normal look, thus preventing Asha getting you mixed up. But then they went and made evil-you just Stock-Face with a beard.]] What's up with that? All Matt says is 'some specific concerns she has for you'; I don't get how that's supposed to explain anything.

* What's with the default stock faces for [[spoiler:rescuing Asha from her simulation]]? From a programming explanation, sure its easier to make an alternative version of something when you know what you're working with. But what's their in-setting explanation? It looked like they were [[spoiler:giving you Stock-Face so 'evil-you' could use your normal look, thus preventing Asha getting you mixed up. But then they went and made evil-you just StockFace with a beard.]] What's up with that? All Matt says is 'some specific concerns she has for you'; I don't get how that's supposed to explain anything.

** I always figured they know that the simulated people are not real, but they take the chance to vent their anger out on the specific ones that had wronged them in the past/talk with those they admired.

* Why are the simulated versions of people from the past treated like they're actually the original people? I don't mind them being treated like people, but what's weird is that they act, and are spoken to, as if they're the real thing. For example, Fun Shaundi is obviously not the real Shaundi, only a virtualized version of her past self, but everyone acts like she really is Shaundi from the past. Another example is people criticizing the actions of Cyrus, Maero, Tanya, and Veteran Child as if their deeds were really their own when, again, they're only programs with the memories of the originals. The President even points this out when fighing Maero: "The real Maero's dead and you're not even his ghost!"

* Why are the simulated versions of people from the past treated like they're actually the original people? I don't mind them being treated like people, but what's weird is that they act, and are spoken to, as if they're the real thing. For example, Fun Shaundi is obviously not the real Shaundi, only a virtualized version of her past self, but everyone acts like she really is Shaundi from the past. Another example is people criticizing the actions of Cyrus, Maero, Tanya, and Veteran Child as if their deeds were really their own when, again, they're only simulations with the memories of the originals. The President even points this out when fighing Maero: "The real Maero's dead and you're not even his ghost!"

** StoryAndGameplaySegregation. You could do that in the last two games, but it was never acknowledged that anything ever changed about you. So as far as the plot is concerned, if you changed your appearance in the simulation that was always what you looked like.

* So my character can change bodies, even genders, while in the simulation, ok fine. One blonde bombshell with Nolan North's voice coming up. But shouldn't my character still have his original body in the real world? I mean, I don't get to take my costume or superpowers out with me. Does the Matrix pod change my real body then? Seems like a needless feature.

** That, or Kinzie was worried about [[spoiler:time paradoxes]].

** Stop spoiling Saints Row V! *grin*

* In the good ending of the game, Zinjai says that [[spoiler:Zinyak's promise to restore the Earth was only a half-truth, in that Earth has been completely disintegrated]]. Fair enough, but [[spoiler:afterwards he states that the Zin have perfected time travel]], which the Saints use for their own antics. The question is, if the majority of the game's plot is centered around [[spoiler:getting revenge on Zinyak for Earth]], couldn't the Saints have used the knowledge they gained from the rest of the game to [[spoiler:travel back in time, find their missing friends quicker, sabotage the Zin empire, and kill Zinyak before he could destroy the Earth]]?

** It's because Jonny is housed in an extra secure sim since he is a threat to the Zinyak. now at this point they do not know that (alltohugh the commentators of Murderbowl do mention an "Alien Warlord" that MATCHED Zinyak in all his chalenges which forced him to lock the warlord somewhere deep. I do *wonder* who could that be) Zinyak considered Jonny a prime threat. On the other hand when Kinzie found him she probably saw higher security around Gat.

* In the mission where you [[spoiler: save Johnny Gat]] there's a disagreement onboard the ship where both Kinzie and Matt Miller think saving [[spoiler: Johnny Gat]] is a terrible idea, reasoning that by doing so, they'd have to tap into his mind and that would be signaling to Zinyak exactly where they were. My question: If entering the minds of your homies to free them from the simulation acted as a beacon for Zinyak, why are the pair suddenly so worried about going through with this? Keep in mind that by this time, you've already rescued five of your homies and each time that didn't send Zinyak to your ship.

* In the mission where you [[spoiler: save Johnny Gat]] there's a disagreement onboard the ship where both Kinzie and Matt Miller think saving [[spoiler: Johnny Gat]] is a terrible idea, reasoning that by doing so, they'd have to tap into his mind and that would be signaling to Zinyak exactly where they were. My question: If entering the minds of your homies to free them from the simulation acted as a beacon for Zinyak, why are the pair suddenly so worried about going through with this? Keep in mind that by this time, you've already rescued five of your homies and each time, that didn't send Zinyak to your ship.