It feels like NPCs in side quests are too nice and reasonable

[Sjol]

I've done pretty much all the side quest content and it generally feels like all the NPCs are super nice and reasonable, which removes a lot of tension and also is very unbelievable. It's one thing when you're opposed to someone or something and you come to understand their point of view but stay opposed to them, but it's quite another for everyone to always come to agreement. Sometimes people just can't agree, and the game seems to really want everyone to all get along. It's made a lot of the side quests boring for me and something that I find myself speed-reading through more and more often. I was wondering if it was only me.

[Jeeqbit]

They do overdo it compared to what is realistic, but also...

People are actually reasonable if they aren't taking things, within their own narrow logic. A really diplomatic person can actually find themselves creating common ground with people a lot.

The Warrior of Light is meant to be the best diplomat in the universe, getting warring nations to become allies and develop trade relationships with eachother. It happens with the dragons. Then in the First, unifying everyone to work together after being conquered. And well it always happens. We put a lot of focus on the fighting ability of the Warrior of Light, but a big part of it we don't talk about is how extraordinarily diplomatic their silence and mannerisms (nods and dances) is.

[Ancalagon_Blacktalon]

I've done pretty much all the side quest content and it generally feels like all the NPCs are super nice and reasonable, which removes a lot of tension and also is very unbelievable. It's one thing when you're opposed to someone or something and you come to understand their point of view but stay opposed to them, but it's quite another for everyone to always come to agreement. Sometimes people just can't agree, and the game seems to really want everyone to all get along. It's made a lot of the side quests boring for me and something that I find myself speed-reading through more and more often. I was wondering if it was only me.

IMO too often games fall into the exact opposite end of this spectrum. I think one can like, count on one hand how many quests don't end with the quest-giver and/or their friends betraying you in Skyrim, or dying for arbitrary reasons. Because it feels like the writers can't imagine the player being okay with splitting loot or not being the leader of a faction. Fallout 4 was like this too, and Witcher 3 to a similar extent, even though yeah, the logical thing is to not turn on the literal demigod/person with a nuke/monster hunter and get immediately turned to giblets.

[Sjol]

IMO too often games fall into the exact opposite end of this spectrum. I think one can like, count on one hand how many quests don't end with the quest-giver and/or their friends betraying you in Skyrim, or dying for arbitrary reasons. Because it feels like the writers can't imagine the player being okay with splitting loot or not being the leader of a faction. Fallout 4 was like this too, and Witcher 3 to a similar extent, even though yeah, the logical thing is to not turn on the literal demigod/person with a nuke/monster hunter and get immediately turned to giblets.

I'm all for people not challenging the god-killing character, but they're also way too understanding with other NPCs. It's a little too "power of friendship" will fix everything. Things work out too easily and side quests always seem to wrap up with things being better than they started. A lot of powerful people try to fix things and make them worse instead or even more common, make them different but just as bad.

Amazing diplomats exist in real life, too and cannot necessarily bridge the differences between people that built up over literal generations. People aren't reasonable a lot of the time and history is replete with many instances of people sticking with their side at the detriment to the whole.

While I don't expect for the protagonists to spend 7 months real time working out trade deals, I do expect more friction. The number of complex problems we've solved with a few minutes of work breaks my suspension of disbelief more often than not. That's not good story telling if you're in the story and you realize that this isn't how people actually behave. Again, this is mostly about the side quests instead of the MSQ (though that's had more problems recently).

I remember when we got to Ondo Cups after having drained their ocean and thinking about how reasonable they were about the fact that we did it and how we still haven't fixed it. I'm not talking about betrayal. I'm talking about obstinance and disagreeableness. One can chose not to agree to help others without aggressing on the god killer.

[Burmecia]

IMO too often games fall into the exact opposite end of this spectrum.

This is my experience too.
I think grimdark for the sake of grimdark is banal af.
No point, no meaning, wow!
But each for their own. If this is your or anyone's favourite way to catharsis - now that angle I can actually undertstand, even get behind sometimes.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Sjol]

This is my experience too.
I think grimdark for the sake of grimdark is banal af.
No point, no meaning, wow!
But each for their own. If this is your or anyone's favourite way to catharsis - now that angle I can actually undertstand, even get behind sometimes.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I think my and, by the accounts of a few others on here, issue is that the game introduces grimdark material, but then NPCs don't behave in a way that's even remotely realistic. Half my town is dead, my husband is dead, our neighbors are dead, but "everything is going to be okay". If the game is going to have such high stakes and injuries to the populace at large, shouldn't the people we meet be more messed up?

[TaleraRistain]

How far along are you? There are definitely some side quests where even a people person like the Warrior of Light gets a frosty reception. You may not be seeing them yet. And I don't mean just current expansion. I just went through Stormblood on an alt and there are plenty there.

[Sjol]

How far along are you? There are definitely some side quests where even a people person like the Warrior of Light gets a frosty reception. You may not be seeing them yet. And I don't mean just current expansion. I just went through Stormblood on an alt and there are plenty there.

I've done all the side quests that aren't locked behind Eureka progression. And initial reception isn't what I'm necessarily concerned about. It's more that all problems are resolvable with the power of friendship and/or murder. Real people hold grudges and are inconsolable. Real people have unfixable trauma. The MSQ deals with those themes, but the side quests generally don't, with the exception of the raid series sometimes. But I'm mostly thinking of the side quests where the resolution isn't murdering a weapon of war.

[Hazama999]

I agree. Though I can't point out specific instances out of memory, I do vividly recall experiencing the feeling of "well, that went way too smooth..." a few too many times.

[LordMcMutton]

To be fair though, my own narrative brainstorming has run into an issue with this- there's a point where you have to move on from this sort of thing, or it'll heavily bog down the pacing as it gets stuck in the minutiae of it all