GameRager: zerg...err zombie rush! Argrhrghrgrl!

GameRager: Sure, I get wounded a bit but it's funnn. :D

Runehamster: I have noticed something interesting that I wanted to share and hear other people's opinions on. I believe that roleplaying in any 'RPG' is sadly lacking, particularly nowadays. That being said, the biggest element of roleplaying is morality. I think that game developers are missing out on one of the most compelling elements of an RPG. I shall elaborate.

1: Illusory Morality
Most games do not permit you any real choice of behavior. You will be the hero that saves the world, or you will not play the game. This is the weakest form of roleplaying, as your only decision is whether to continue the game or not.

2: Optional Morality
This would include such games as Morrowind or Oblivion. You can choose whether or not to complete a quest or perform an action, but you cannot complete a quest to your satisfaction, you can merely choose whether or not to complete it. (In all fairness, my fuzzy memory does recall one or two quests that might have variable paths, but those were probably not in the original games, as I played with heavily modded versions).

3: Scripted Morality
Here, we're getting much closer to true roleplaying. In such games as NWN and Baldur's Gate, you encounter frequent points (most often in dialogue) where you have the opportunity to display your own worldview in your character's actions. However, you are still limited by the choices the developers placed in the dialogue tree, and choosing something that completely matches your worldview is sometimes not possible.

4: Freedom of Choice
I would say the only games I have ever played that even came close to offering this were the Gothic series (I haven't played them all, so take that with a grain of salt) and my most recent acquisition, the original Fable. They aren't perfect, by any means, and often slip back into the previous category, but Fable in particular has floored me with the tremendous amount of roleplaying value. It's a tiny world, yes, as RPG's go, but it feels eminently yours to mold. Even in the prologue, playing as a young child, you're presented with choices that will ultimately influence your character's entire outlook. I am playing as a good-aligned ranger, and I have been impressed with the tailoring of quest options to suit my own tastes (although largely limited to good and evil, there are two distinct options in so many cases) and I was pleased by a recent quest, which ended quite simply with my choice to spare a bandit's life. I am astonished by the influence I am having on NPC's in the game, who have gone from jeering as I pass to cheering me on or gathering around to hear my exploits. I have never before really taken pride in my character's accomplishments, and the opportunity to feel your character take on your own personality as you play is refreshing and, in my humble opinion, revolutionary. Even playing as a purely good character, my decisions have so much more meaning and impact when I always have the opposite available. Save a traveling trader from a Balverine for temporary accolades? How noble! But...you could also wait for it to kill him, and steal the gold! Or kill the trader and the Balverine, and have the gold and the fame! This sort of decision taking place every second of gameplay is what makes Fable so richly rewarding for roleplaying purposes.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? What do you think is necessary or acceptable for roleplaying? Do you have any thoughts as to how developers could expand on these ideas or integrate them into better, more open worlds?