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-Reputation is what drives your interactions with other characters throughout the game. It is also the basis of your character's personality and has an effect on the decisions your character makes in game. Reputation starts before the game with a background and biography sheet. It will consist of things such as your job, what you were doing before the start of the events of the game, and some of the choices your character has made before gameplay starts. This will be the basis for your character's interactions. There will be many different scripts and different reactions to different people based on your reputation. The actions you make, the missions you choose, how others perceive you, and your personality directly influence how people act with/around you. Your reputation will spread based on the characters you inteact with and how those non player characters interact with other characters and how they describe you. Basically soon in the game, people will know a lot about you possibly before you meet them in game. This will not be a good vs. evil system used in other games but rather based on your reputation you would be put on a designated track. This is not a fixed track but certain cutscenes and certain non player characters will act differently around you depending on what your reputation is.Also the character's apperance will factor into reputation and what other characters' initial reactions of you are. Basically based on reputation people in game could do stuff for you cause they like you, cause you pay them, or you might press a gun to their head and make them. This would have effects on loyalty of other characters towards you. As mentioned before, there are no dark/light points, just you.

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I think with the topic you are about to read, it is safe for me to say: "Bow before me and prepare to suck it!" Oh yea. This, I think, will be a milestone in the game and, if programmed correctly, will be epic!

The concept of “Collective” Reputation

(I elaborate more in next post below, though it will be easier and less confusing to read if you go with this one first)


Inside Players’ Faction City:

For the NWC, bad reputation on the “inside” could result in increased riots, increased rebel attack within the city, or eventually, ultimate political loss of that city to Rebel forces, and also, decreased personal reputation on the player. On the other hand, good reputation on the inside could result in less Rebel presence within the city, fewer riots, and stronger political power for the NWC, even increased personal reputation for the player.

For the Rebel faction it will be much similar. A bad perceived reputation within the city will result in possibly less supplies for the Rebels, increased NWC attack (as the people may be voluntarily giving NWC information), and decreased reputation for the player. And, again, likewise, a good reputation will result in more supplies for the rebels, increased support, and fewer NWC attacks.

I do not see, yet, how this will be a factor for the player if they choose to go neutral.The only faction they may have, if not only themselves, is a gang or the "outlander" populations they can befriend. They wont be part of a faction.

*Note: This only deals with "Collective" Reputation. There is a provision for personal reputations, which deals more with personal relationships... (read on)

Outside:

For the NWC, a bad reputation in the “outer lands” could result in more attacks from these “outlanders”, increased gang presence in opposition to the NWC, more opposition to the NWC’s movements outside the city, and less cooperation on missions that need to be undertaken in these outside areas from the indigenous populace. Bad rep. in the outside could also allow Rebel forces to move closer to NWC territory. Good reputation, again, will have the opposite effect; movement outside the NWC’s territory will be easier and will be less of an issue, gang presence in opposition to the NWC will be less, and movements outside the city will be easier.

For the Rebel faction, the results will be similar. Bad reputations will hinder Rebel movement in these “outer lands”, hinder raising support from the “outlander” populations in support of their cause, and result in increased gang presence in opposition to the Rebel faction, and allow NWC forces to move closer to Rebel territory. Whereas good rep. would allow easier movement, more support, and less gang activity in opposition to Rebel cause.

Again, not a factor if neutral, which, if that is the case, then they may predominantly be living in the "outer lands" anyway, thus, it would be relative, and this would be their "Faction" ...location.

Inside Players’ Opposition City:

For the NWC, bad reputation in the Rebel city would make it harder to politically remove rebel presence from that city, will strengthen the Rebel cause and support for Rebel forces in that Region. Likewise, good rep. could make it easier to achieve political victory in that area, weaken support for the rebel cause, and could make military victory easier as well. How the player treats the Rebel forces in combat my effect how the local populace within the Rebel city perceives the NWC faction, making political victory and ultimate takeover of the city easier or harder depending on “collective” perception.

For the Rebels, again, just like all the others; it will be represented in, somewhat, how you treat the NWC forces in battle, how easy or difficult it will be to achieve a political victory, and how much internal support you can get from the other side’s population.

Again, no so much an issue with neutrality.

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“Personal” Reputation:

          These will be specific in relating the players’ relationships with every other character in the game as well as applicable to the factions’ relationships to all other factions in that area. They will be influenced by the players’ actions in the present and influence, but not necessarily limit, the players’ options in the future. Both will be incredibly dynamic and may or may not directly influence each other.

           “Personal” reputation will be determined by more deliberate actions from the player. This could be: Helping break up a riot inside a major city, if on the NWC side, or acquiring resources for a farmer, if on the Rebel side. These will be specific to the people around him. Essentially this is the basic aspect of what individual reputation is in the traditional sense of the word, and is specific to the individuals around you and how they perceive you (more or less, a smaller scale “Collective” Reputation. Just read…)

          “Collective” reputation will be relative; one good act in an area might cause an equal bad effect in another area, or may have a good effect, or may have no effect at all. This will be more of a dependant variable and will be seen on the grander scale; yes, somewhat dependent upon “Personal” Rep., by how the player handles various situations that they encounter but also it can affect “Personal” rep.

         Say, the player shoots a civilian who is partaking in a riot against NWC presence in an “outlander” area, outside a NWC city. This ultimately breaks up the riot and allows NWC presence to remain. This will earn good NWC “Personal” rep, for the the player ended the riot thus allowing NWC forces to stay, but will ultimately, however, earn bad “Collective” rep as news feeds of NWC forces shooting civilians could be leaked out. This would thus change the overall perception of the NWC in the eyes of the “outlanders” in that area. Or, the player ends the riot by bribing, negotiating, or some other means, with the people in that area; this will earn both good “Personal” rep and good “Collective” rep. as the player resolved the conflict and both sides walked away having benefited. Or, the player could refuse to resolve the conflict, thus prohibiting the NWC forces to stay in the area, earning bad “Personal” rep with the NWC but not necessarily effecting “Collective” rep as the player would have not acted in favor of the NWC but at the same time the civilians in that area would be indifferent to NWC pulling out. Or, even, the player attacked the rioters in such a way, prompting a return of aggression, and ultimately NWC forces end up pulling out because they are outgunned and outnumbered. This would earn both bad “Personal” rep as well as bad “Collective” rep. As the NWC pulled out and “outlanders” were killed in fighting with the NWC

        “Collective Rep.” will also be more aligned with the demands of the faction that the player aligns with. Meaning, successful completion of a mission, even if conducted perfectly, may have consequences on collective rep. (This will make more sense if you read “Inside Faction/Outside/Inside Opposition City sections)

         This ties into the 3 “civilian” bodies that will be relevant to the player, the civilians living inside the NWC cities, those living in the “outer lands” between Rebel and NWC territory, and those living in the Rebel cities.

         How each of these groups perceives the faction the player is on, as a whole (again, dependant largely on how the player behaves with that associated faction), depends on the level of cooperation or resistance that will be shown in the game.

          Just as the NWC is an independent entity form the US “puppet” government and military fighting the Rebels, the “Civilians” in these cities cannot be categorized generically as being a part of that ruling side, they can be swayed in their choices and in their preferences; this is the whole idea behind the Political victories.