How greedy are you? Do you ever ask NPC's for more money after you complete a quest? Etc.

[ZedClampet]

There is an article on PCG right now about a new CRPG called Black Geyser in which greed is frowned upon. Being greedy can even change the world around you. So how greedy are you in games? Do you ask for more money after finishing quests? Do you loot everything in sight? What about if getting the loot is considered stealing? Do you even take the time, when a game has this feature, to pick-pocket NPC's? Maybe you refuse to give beggars money? What else do you do in game that can be considered greedy?

I'm a loot everything kind of guy, but if something is labeled as "stealing" I'll avoid it. Once I played a Bethesda RPG and had the whole town trying to kill me for stealing a cup, I gave up my life of crime. For pick-pocketing, I usually only do that if there's a reward for it, like getting a skill point. And for reasons I can't really explain, I never ask for more money after finishing a quest. I guess I just feel guilty about it.

What about you all? I love hearing about the mean playthroughs some people do even though I can never manage to make myself do one.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Depends on the situation, poor beggar who's lost his dog, probably not. Rich merchant who wants me to take out a rival, probably yes.

At the same time if the game lets me I've probably already rifled through their belongings for anything of value regardless. I wont normally pickpocket friendly NPC's though, I'm not a monster.

 

[Brian Boru]

I'm a loot everything kind of guy, but if something is labeled as "stealing" I'll avoid it

That's me too, let's form a PCG GTS club!

if there's a reward for it, like getting a skill point

I'll give guys money as long as I'm not saving for something important like a better weapon, so I guess I'm selfishly generous… Selerous? Genfish? Yeah, genfish, that's me.

PS—GTS = Goodie Two Shoes

 

[Pifanjr]

I usually steal anything valuable, even if I have to save-scum for half an hour to do it. In my defence however, it's not always just about the greed, sometimes it's about the challenge of seeing whether I can do it. For example, I almost never pickpocket in Elder Scrolls games, as it isn't challenging, it's just a matter of being lucky. However, I love pickpocketing in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

I used to also just pick up everything I could, but I quickly switched to only grabbing those things with the highest value to weight ratio, at least in games that have item weight.

As for demanding extra rewards or handing out money to NPCs, that entirely depends on how much they manage to make me care about the character. I don't mind not getting any reward if I like the NPC enough, nor do I mind killing an NPC and looting everything on their person and in their house if they're a dick and I feel like they skimped on the quest reward.

 

[Colif]

So you are the people who steal all the cheese? ES & Bioshock games have got a lot to answer for... although Fallout is also up there. Steal all the things... but in FO4 at least most of the owners were dead. Collect all the bobble heads, you can even make a stand.

It depends on if you need to do it to proceed in the story or not.
Never asked for more money... that I can think of. depends on if its a skill choice, if its available why not.
I may have pick pocketed in wow... a long time ago when the character I got my name from existed. He was a rogue, it was a skill we had... stealth and all.

 

[Brian Boru]

character I got my name from existed. He was a rogue

Still is.

 

[Zloth]

Depends on the game. Some clearly expect you to take everything not nailed down. Some make a game of it, like Elder Scrolls. Some make it outright impossible.

I only ask for extra money after a quest in extraordinary circumstances. Developers generally give you a bigger reward down the line if you aren't greedy, so that's hardly altruism. Same goes for beggars most of the time.

 

[PCG Jody]

I like to play thieves and rogues, and when I do I loot every barrel and crate I can.

But I don't usually haggle when it comes to quest rewards, even in The Witcher where it seems kind of appropriate to demand fair pay for hard work. I come over all goody-two-shoes, except for the rare occasion where you have to help some rich jerk or someone who deliberately holds back information and makes a quest harder than it should be. Then I'll try to bargain the price up.

 

[Brian Boru]

Developers generally give you a bigger reward down the line

One thing which annoys me about the Far Cry series since loot appeared in FC3 is that it's all the same reward.

You stumble across loot, it's a packet of bubble gum. You make a big effort climbing some cliffs, and it's a packet of chewing gum.

Same when you take out a real tough target, you loot his body and it's the same as any other trooper you take down on the road.

Rewards should increase with difficulty & effort.

 

[Johnway]

Depends on the game and context i suppose. In Mass Effect series i was always the paragon so i would politely ask them as opposed to aggressively demand it. In Skyrim, I went around stealing stuff because i was part of the thieves guild and i dabbled in bartering because it was good exp. In assassins creed i would go slowly crazy trying to collect/open all the chests in each location. Mercifully, its a lot fewer in the later games and/or they're marked on the map. if they're not or are not important ignore.

In the Witcher 3 i didn't steal from anyone's homes. But i did go to the POI and nick all the stuff so i guess that's stealing. Didn't bother with haggling as it felt like i was asking for smaller amounts that were insignificant and i was flush with cash anyway. I think in Fallout 3, NV, 4 i didn't do it because you lost karma and the wasteland/bandits provided all the goods i needed.

 

[mainer]

There is an article on PCG right now about a new CRPG called Black Geyser in which greed is frowned upon. Being greedy can even change the world around you.

I wish listed Black Gyser after reading that article, doesn't mean I'll buy it, but I do want to follow it so I can see how they develop that "greed" mechanic. Visually, it reminds me a lot of Pillars of Eternity which I loved, so I'm definitely open for a new RPG.

As far as how greedy I am in a game, it really depends upon which game I'm playing. As a general rule, I usually play a good-type person: always Paragon in the ME series (never punched the reporter, but I did push some guy through a plate glass window in ME2), usually Chaotic Good in D&D games, and even when I play a rouge/thief character (like in Oblivion or Skyrim), I tend to be a benevolent soul.

I don't blindly steal from others if a container is marked as owned or pick pocket NPCs, unless it's quest related, and never ask for more gold for completing a quest (although rarely I may shake down a quest giver if he/she's a real scum bag). Unowned containers, I'll open and loot everything I can find. Finders keepers. So I have a bit of greed I suppose, but I try not to indulge that at the expense of others.

Normally in most of the games I play, I find that by the 3/4 mark or so, I'm usually swimming in gold and/or expensive equipment. A lot of wealth can be gained by crafting (if that option exists) and questing. I find very little need to steal everything and pick pocket everyone.

What I don't like, is when a game just completely ignores the "ownership" flag on NPCs belongings. Where I can just walk into any NPCs home and say, "Um, don't mind me, I'm just going through your bookshelves, chests, and underwear drawers to see if you have anything of value". That kind of kills the immersion of the world a bit.

 

[ZedClampet]

What I don't like, is when a game just completely ignores the "ownership" flag on NPCs belongings. Where I can just walk into any NPCs home and say, "Um, don't mind me, I'm just going through your bookshelves, chests, and underwear drawers to see if you have anything of value". That kind of kills the immersion of the world a bit.

There's a bad faction of NPC's in Fallout 76 that live in a large compound. Even though I'm playing as the "good guy", they tolerate me being there for some reason, and I have robbed that place blind a ridiculous number of times. Nothing there is labeled as "stealing" even though the game does have that mechanic. It's funny because in Fallout 76 you need everything, so I'll be stealing their beer, their pool balls, etc. and they'll be making snide remarks as I do it. Just watching me take all their stuff.

If I loot that place and then go loot another large building that has no one but friendly robots in it, then all the stuff at the compound respawns. Thing is, you really have to constantly loot in that game or you won't be able to play it, so I don't feel guilty, particularly since this compound is owned by a "bad" faction and the other place is uninhabited by humans. But, usually, I just don't think about it unless it's specifically labeled as being owned by someone or as stealing.

 

[Krud]

So how greedy are you in games?

Honestly it totally depends on the game, and/or how I've decided to play it.

Do you ask for more money after finishing quests? No.

Do you loot everything in sight? Technically no, not usually. Again, it depends on the game. But I will say that my kleptomania is mostly tempered by either my weight capacity or the inventory system. If "taking everything that's not nailed down" is going to make it next to impossible to find something later when I need it, I might take a more conservative approach to my yoinking. I also have a rule (in object-littered games) that I only take something if I either need it, or can sell it for a certain amount per pound. (In Skyrim, I won't grab anything whose value ratio is less than 10 gold per pound. Unless it's something magical or life-saving.

What about if getting the loot is considered stealing? It depends on how stupid the guards are (though that can become its own challenge), as well as whether there's some sort of karma system in place. I generally avoided thieving in the Fallout games, for instance, because it was a ding to my karma and I was trying to be Apocalypse Messiah or whatever. (I don't remember if this was the case in Fallout 4, but most of the stuff in that game was largely unclaimed anyway.)

Do you even take the time, when a game has this feature, to pick-pocket NPC's? I find most pickpocket mechanics to be not worth the save-scumming necessary to stay alive afterwards when you inevitably fail before you're good at it. That said, however, I used to "pickpocket" people just to see what was in their inventory, and then not take it.

Maybe you refuse to give beggars money? Beggars ask for so little, it seems needlessly d*ckish to refuse, plus it usually gives you a slight skill bonus for a while (again, depending on the game.)

What else do you do in game that can be considered greedy? I have been known to "borrow" a follower's inventory before dismissing them from my service... o_o

Once I played a Bethesda RPG and had the whole town trying to kill me for stealing a cup, I gave up my life of crime.

YOU MONSTER! Okay, but seriously though, Bethesda games are the worst about that sort of thing.

In Morrowind, during the main questline I went to check in with... Caius Colaides? I forget his name, but he was my main contact with the Blades, and I was at his house, and I wanted to rest in his bed (which might not have been allowed either, I don't recall offhand), but INSTEAD I accidentally "stole" his pillow, which pissed him off SO MUCH, I fled his house, which had the unfortunate side effect of autosaving over my last autosave, and I went back in, which autosaved again, and he wanted to murder me for pillow theft even though I had dropped it, and I defended my self, and killed him, and Broke The Prophecy or whatever. So that sucked. (I only lost maybe an hour of gameplay by backtracking, but still.)

This was also when I learned to not rely on Autosaves.

 

[Krud]

Do you loot everything in sight? Technically no, not usually.

I will, however, steal every single sweet roll I see.

 

[Zloth]

So YOU'RE the one!!

 

[Research_Account]

There is an article on PCG right now about a new CRPG called Black Geyser in which greed is frowned upon. Being greedy can even change the world around you. So how greedy are you in games? Do you ask for more money after finishing quests? Do you loot everything in sight? What about if getting the loot is considered stealing? Do you even take the time, when a game has this feature, to pick-pocket NPC's? Maybe you refuse to give beggars money? What else do you do in game that can be considered greedy?

I'm a loot everything kind of guy, but if something is labeled as "stealing" I'll avoid it. Once I played a Bethesda RPG and had the whole town trying to kill me for stealing a cup, I gave up my life of crime. For pick-pocketing, I usually only do that if there's a reward for it, like getting a skill point. And for reasons I can't really explain, I never ask for more money after finishing a quest. I guess I just feel guilty about it.

What about you all? I love hearing about the mean playthroughs some people do even though I can never manage to make myself do one.

If there is an option to try and get more money before completing the quest I'll try that, but if I've agreed a price and finished it I'll go with what was agreed. If its a Bethesda game I'll generally steal as many items as I can that are worthwhile (so no cups and plates for me).

 

[WoodenSaucer]

In Skyrim, I love the Thieves Guild storyline. It's probably my favorite. So I do spend a lot of time thieving and sneaking. In the beginning, I'm careful and don't steal as much until I get my skills up. But I'll take everything I can for free that's helpful until I start getting weighed down. Later in the game when I start getting into alchemy and creating health potions, I don't end up taking as much food, other than recipes I can cook that give you a lot of HP.

 

[Research_Account]

My main memory of the thieves guild is realising one of the gems for the crown I had missed was supposed to be acquired during the Thalmor Embassy quest so I had to glitch my way back up a small cliff face to get back in.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

My main memory of the thieves guild is realising one of the gems for the crown I had missed was supposed to be acquired during the Thalmor Embassy quest so I had to glitch my way back up a small cliff face to get back in.

That sucks. I finished the main Thieves Guild storyline, but I didn't complete all of the side quests for it. I don't think I ever got all of the gems for the crown. I don't think that was part of the main TG storyline, was it?

 

[Frindis]

When possible, I'll pick up anything that looks useful. I don't always ask for rewards after finishing a quest, but that does not mean I won't sneak into their house later. It's not stealing if you are not caught. At times I play a bit nobler, but it is hard to say no to shiny items. It did backfire once though while playing Divine Divinity:

I was walking around the world when I suddenly noticed a breadcrumb of gems. Surely enough, I picked them up and they all led me to an old wooden house. For obvious reasons I thought this was some type of trap, so I readied my sword and went inside. Inside there were even more gems of different types of color and I picked them all up thinking I was going to be rich! Then I noticed a letter and it said something like that: "Not everything that glitters is gold" I thought, "OK then!" and went outside and then it happened: Instantly over-encumbered! All my gems had been turned into bloody stones!.​

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[Research_Account]

That sucks. I finished the main Thieves Guild storyline, but I didn't complete all of the side quests for it. I don't think I ever got all of the gems for the crown. I don't think that was part of the main TG storyline, was it?

No, I don't think it was, but my play style is to try and complete everything, including treasure maps and collectible items (the worst is the Batman Arkham Games Riddler Trophies imo).

 

[Withywarlock]

This comic speaks the thousand words I inevitably would on morality in video games, quest rewards, and theft mechanics:

 

[WoodenSaucer]

No, I don't think it was, but my play style is to try and complete everything, including treasure maps and collectible items (the worst is the Batman Arkham Games Riddler Trophies imo).

I don't think I've ever tried to 100% anything. Especially something as big as Skyrim. That would take forever.

 

[Research_Account]

I don't think I've ever tried to 100% anything. Especially something as big as Skyrim. That would take forever.

Sometimes it isn't worth it and I give up, other times I'm just being stubborn even though it is no longer enjoyable lol.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Sometimes it isn't worth it and I give up, other times I'm just being stubborn even though it is no longer enjoyable lol.

I hear a lot of people talking about the stubborn side of it. But I don't have enough time in my life to waste on playing a game that I don't enjoy. I usually like to get the main story done in a game, and if I'm really enjoying a game, then I'll do a lot of side quests, too. But if a game becomes a chore, I'll drop it even before I finish the main story. My Steam, Epic, and Ubisoft accounts are full of games that I played for a short time and then ditched because I ended up not liking it. I don't care about the notion of trying to get my money's worth. My time is more valuable than that.