Ethics-Related Debate I've Been Having

Relates to the Freelancer Mod

from GalCiv2 Forums

Recently, me and a friend (who is a fellow Galciv fan) have been having a small debate regarding the ethics of one of the factions I have implemented into my Freelancer mod. Due to a variety of developments, I may in future have the ethics of the Nomad race set to 50/100. He believes the Nomad race is an Evil race, and better fitting at that level.

The Nomads, for background, are an alien race created by an even older (I'm talking Cretaceous era, latest) race called the Daam K'Vosh, who created them as soldiers to guard their territory. The Humans, leaving the war torn Sol system, end up split between many factions and races, but they end up awakening the previously unknown Nomads and learning some of their history, and after a long and hard battle involving Nomads doing Goa'uld esque infestation, they push them back using this hypergate-thing.

Long story short, the only present day Nomads in Sirius are some returning remnants and Das Wilde, a group of Rheinland (the German House) Military Nomad hosts hiding out in the Border Worlds.

The reason why I do not consider the Nomads an Evil race is because;

A. In comparison to another race, the Phantoms (a group of superhumans enhanced by the ancient C'tan Empire in this Discovery mod), who make the Drengin look like the Altarians (they murder people on civilian and, I believe medical shuttles for fun, torture captives for fun, shout "Death, Sin, Hate!" in joy when spreading mental diseases and murdering prisoners of war, and one of their major members boasts at being the inventer of the "deep fried baby") the Nomads lack any of the characteristics of evil (carrying out of cruel or sadistic acts without compunction and with no justifiable benefit, the targeting and slaughtering specifically of civilians and identification with demons)

B. The Nomads, while EXTREMELY militarily aggressive by my settings for mechanics reasons (which, as the game strongly stresses, does not say anyhing about the civilizations alignment), are merely performing a function alloted to them by a superior race and defending what they see as their territory, and would likely leave humans (or any other race) alone if they completely emigrated from Sirius into non Daam K'Vosh territory.

In summary, while the Nomads possess some qualities of an evil race (they use Korath-like yet probably utilitarian tactics against their enemies, they infest other beings for espionage purposes against their will) they also possess properties of a good race (they do not specifically target civilians, according to at least report, a Nomad patrol leader asked humans for help against Phantoms, who's relationship with Nomads is shaky at best and currently hostile, they do not commit violent acts for pleasure, and they refrain from harming innocents despite their hatred of those they view as aggressors), I think they would fit well as Lawful Neutral on a Dungeons and Dragons scale, and as Pure Neutral on a Galciv scale which, to my knowledge, is NOT defined from a Terran model or any race's model of ethics. They merely wish humans to leave their bosses territory, not to exterminate the human race.

 

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Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
And i thought Ethics was simply a flip over instance of extremes having negligeable impacts on certain gameplay conditions - after reading the above, i have to admit that complex storylines can actually define a race and how it MUST re-act during a game, Ai driven or not.

I also had to figure some 'feelings' by instinct when i experimented with the multiple values for each 36 races of X-Worlds; the contrast between Evil (UPON starting) and Good is in fact having huge influence over how AIs interact with each other - not considering the human side, since that one should be perceived more as an emotional quality than a strict logic flop of the coins.

Technically speaking, the main concern is what nearly happens when the real_definitive_destiny Ethic choice is made by anyone.
Which is exactly why Sectoids, Aquatoids and Anthropods HAD to show up as extremely tougher Evils than the presumed human races of the player (X-Coms, ever so slightly evil) right out the gate. Throwing in a few Goods and Neutrals was just icing on the cake.
I think Ethics provide some balance to games -- and unless, it is backed up by seriously documented facts like a storyline, the only point of reference someone has is being attacked by an evergrowing amounts of ships or getting the edge in any trades for mere pennies! ;)

Deep reasons for an accurate measurement of races implied or described 'personalities', indeed. :)
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I have trouble finding a good ethical analogy for the Nomads. The closest I can think of are the Combine Elites from Halo, but they are militarily expansionist, whereas the Nomads are hyperxenophobic isolationists.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Perhaps they should remain Neutral, as your 50/100 suggests.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
That description sounds neutral to me. I mean, the Arceans are neutral, and they tried to trick the humans into being invaded, so clearly there's plenty of wiggle room in "neutral" behavior.