Kevin VanOrd, a writer for Baldur’s Gate 3, recently spoke with EDGE magazine, shedding light on aspects of the cRPG’s creation. He detailed the game’s innovative reputation system, explaining how non-player characters (NPCs) can either approve or disapprove of the protagonist’s actions. This mechanic directly influences their overall disposition and relationship with the player character.
The developers successfully conveyed character reactions without needing to write extensive additional dialogue for every single scenario. Given the immense freedom offered to players in Baldur’s Gate 3, crafting unique, bespoke reactions for every conceivable choice and event would have been an insurmountable task. To address this monumental challenge, Larian Studios devised the efficient reputation system.
“We can’t have every character react to every single situation — otherwise we’d be developing the game forever.”
These simple yet effective ‘character approves/disapproves’ notifications were instrumental in allowing the Baldur’s Gate 3 developers to effectively communicate character emotions and stances, thereby avoiding the endless cycle of generating new, specific dialogue for countless permutations of player choices.