Moral delimnas...what's the point?

OK, I'm new and I may not have the description right, but I am talking about those screens that come up every once in a while about landing on a planet. You know, where there is some other race and we could do A) Which is morally correct but hurts us in some way, B) Which is not so morraly correct, but does not hurt or help us or C) Which gives us great bonuses but screws someone.

What's the point? I guess if you were role playing you could pre-choose a path before beginning the game and play based on those decisions, but I am playing for the strategy aspect, and I know I don't want to be seen as evil, so I always choose B. But maybe I am missing something that happens later? Or there is more than meets the eye here?

Can anyone explain why I shouldn't always choose B?

~SDC~
622 views 15 replies
Reply #1 Top
The choices affect your empires standing (good neutral evil etc). Your standing then affects how you are perceived by other empires. Chosing A) raises your standing towards good, chosing B) keeps your standing exactly where it is and chosing C) lowers your standing towards evil
Reply #3 Top
to demonstrate the strategic implications of the moral choices, make all but one of the civs good or pure good. next, choose all evil choices in the random events to get the maximum bonuses. have fun...
Reply #4 Top
both paths allow you to research some interesting and highly beneficial techs. you get nothing for remaining neutral - except maybe slightly easier relations. you should only ever pick the neutral choices if you're going for "good" but the drawbacks are too harsh for that specific event.

cheers

h
Reply #5 Top
OK, so if I always choose C I will be percieved as "evil" but how does that effect my civilization? Do I get different techs to research based on my alignment? Or does it only affect my diplomatic standings with the other races?

Thanks!

~SDC~
Reply #6 Top
You'll get evil specific techs and good races will tend to dislike you severly.

~SDC~
Reply #7 Top
good races will tend to hate you - alliances with them will become next to impossible and they will attack if they have any kind of military advantage.

but you get access to "evil" techs like "The Dark Side" and all the obvious benefits of choosing C.

cheers

h
Reply #8 Top
How do I know what is an evil tech? I have the tech tree, but are there any other lists with the techs on them? I can't seem to figure out how to get a frigate.

Thanks.

~SDC~
Reply #9 Top
frigate is an evil tech. that's why u don't get it. LOL (just kidding).

I don't know what are good/evil techs, but you should have an idea by the name. "The Dark Side" sounds evil. Maybe Javascout's tech-tree website has them listed.

~SDC~
Reply #10 Top
JavaScout's site does have them listed. If you haven't gone there yet, it can be found at http://webpages.charter.net/trevorpowdrell/

On the left you'll find Research for Good Civilizations and Research for Evil Civilizations hyperlinks.

~SDC~
Reply #11 Top
You also get a nifty looking change in the user interface after a while. I was really hoping for something a bit different, such as citizenry rebellions if you continued to make evil moral choices. But, then again, I suppose that constrains the game to making a judgement that evil = bad and good = um, good. I suppose the point is that you can play as an evil ruler ruling over evil civilians. Knee deep in evil.
-Anxiety
Reply #12 Top
the civilians arent evil. they are just brutally suppressed and terrified into doing whatever you want them to.... :d
Reply #14 Top
I like JavaScouts site, but I gotta say I like ZaH's tech tree much better. He made the Excel file available, and I was able to mess with it even more. LOL

His tech tree at least, indicates which are 'evil' and 'good' techs, as well as the level of 'good' or 'evil' you must be to obtain those techs. Yup.. if you are not eyyyvl enough, you can't have some techs! So get crackin' and kill all those sea critters and snag those slaves! muwahahaa..

I am actually going to try a new huge game with a warlike race that is going to be all good. I shall be the new crusade! Anyone try this yet? If you choose all good choices, and go to war with races.. what happens? :D

fleabitfox
Reply #15 Top
Anxiety,

". I was really hoping for something a bit different, such as citizenry rebellions if you continued to make evil moral choices"

This can happen in a BIG way if you go evil, certain random events are linked to your alignment. I nearly lost a game due to losing 1/5 of my planets right in the middle of a darned war.