Making tough decisions - Moral codes? Rules of thumb?

[greenj2]

I'm wondering if people have any general rules or codes of conduct they look to when faced with making a tough decision in a split second.

For example, I've seen people on these boards mention that they generally try to protect women and children first in times of danger.

I myself tend to favour characters that have saved me from danger previously above any other factors. It's the reason I tried to help Shawn before Duck on Hershel's farm and also why I saved Carley instead of Doug at the drug store.

Anyone else?

[MyJillSandwich77]

I've been pretty much been going by a mix of "what would I do in the situation" and "gut feelings" to get myself through it. Now, granted. I have made a few choices that were not quite ideal to my morals. But, hey. Its a zombie apocalypse. Its not all sunshine and rainbows.

Decisions I don't regret: Saving Carly, cutting the guys leg off. Saving Duck over Shawn.
Decisions I regret: Helping Kenny kill Larry (I felt awful for it), lying to Hershel (small thing, but IRL i'm pretty honest about stuff) and agreeing to steal from the car at the end of ep. 2.

Also another key factor in my decisions: Clementine comes first. End of story.
She's adorable and smart! Like my momma-bear instincts kick in with her, lol.

[ZombieGoBoom]

One thing I'm worried about is that I might become a bit like Kenny. He will do anything to protect his family, probably at the cost of someone elses life. Right now, Clem and Carley are the most important characters to me. While I will try to lookout for the group, I will have no trouble in dropping everything to rush and save them over someone else.

The interesting part is that I had no problem in taking the food from that car. The door was opened and the headlights where left on, meeting they took off in a hurry (walkers maybe came along). So, the owners might be dead and if we don't take it, then someone else will, most likely bandits.

[Kaapo]

Moral codes: None

Rules of thumb: Kenny is always right.

[Sisterofshane]

Originally Posted by Kaapo

Moral codes: None

Rules of thumb: Kenny is always right.

Lol, not exactly, but okay...

My rule of thumb is always to put the children's safety above all else. Making sure the next generation survives should be important for the continuation of our species. (That, and being a mommy means that all children tug at my heart strings! Been playing my Lee as someone who looked forward to having a family, but it never worked out for him).

Morals are a bit harder, because they usually come about based on need and influence from the current state of world affairs (an example being vigilantism taking place in the Old West, but nowadays you would never dream of calling executions without a trial "justice"). Right now, I think I would try to hold up as many morals as I can, unless they put more than myself in immediate danger.

[Gennadios]

Rules of thumb:

Keep viable population in mind at all times. Keep the kids fed and watered and try to keep a decent male/female ratio. Part of why I'm fairly worried about the group in my Doug playthrough.

Try to maintain a middle ground if possible and be diplomatic when not, nobody's right in all situations.

Leave as few enemies alive as possible. Cuts down on witnesses and the risk of survivors seeking vengeance.

Avoid leaving people to turn into walkers whenever possible. Kill them myself if necessary.

I don't really know if there's a difference between morals and rules of thumb in this case. Some things aren't pleasant but are for the greater good.

[Lars80]

Make decisions as if i was the one making them.

[skonk]

I'm in agreement with Gennadios. All those points are defo valid. When I decided to take the food from the car, I had hoped after taking two boxes, there was an option to leave a box there, you know, in case those people came back? Obviously, survival is the most important thing, but a conscience is important as well. Ah, well, bet that food tasted great!

[The_Cheshire_Cat]

Rule of thumb: Do what is best to protect Clem

Moral Code: Don't kill any (alive) people.


I figure if Lee doesn't kill any (alive) people then when the truth comes out at the end that he murdered someone then the folks will look kindly on me when they see I have not been going blood thirsty hacking at everyone (alive) that I could. Would make them trust Lee, despite his past.

And protecting the girl is a no brainier. It's really the only think making Lee human and not a freed convict.

[fridaywaits]

Rule of thumb: Leave no one alive
Moral Code: Leave no one alive

[roymartin]

Do you guys go back and change your decisions? I sometimes do. Like I regretted so much stealing from the car I had to rewind and not do it. Felt much better.

That's why I play on two different files, making different decisions on each one, one being my "main" game, the other just to see what happens when I make the other decisions. But I guess it would make it even more intense if I promised myself I wouldn't rewind. There is no rewind-button in real life!

I felt awful when I helped kill Larry, but didn't rewind on that, though. I don't want to side with Lilly.

[gamingafter40]

I haven't used the Rewind to alter a decision in the middle of an episode, but I do have two separate saves going.

My first slot is for initial playthrough -- gut reactions, hasty decisions, emotionally influenced all the way. Usually I make at least one big decision I regret but have to live with.

My second slot is for the replay -- knowing what's coming up, I try to make what I think will be a better or at least a different decision.

[Gregory2012]

Originally Posted by greenj2

I'm wondering if people have any general rules or codes of conduct they look to when faced with making a tough decision in a split second.

Reinforcing loyalty is one method I use. Carley saved the survivors outside the drug store, killed the walker that attacked Clementine, offered to keep Lee’s identity a secret, volunteered to help rescue Glenn at the motor inn, and she was sexier than Doug. Players spent more time with Carley than Doug, so there was more time to bond. When I chose between Doug or Carley, I factored in Carley’s gun and accuracy.

I also reinforce loyalty with Clementine. Clementine saved you once. She could do so again. Keeping her safe is a priority. Plus, everyone tends to be sympathetic towards children, so any neglect of them will probably anger the group which is a bad idea.

Kenny offered you the ride to the pharmacy and saved you at the end of episode 1. Whether you like him or not, I try not to alienate him.

Being nice is important. There will be ethical dilemmas that will upset group members, so I want to build group morale very high so it can take some hits.

I killed the St. John Brothers because they tried to kill me and to stop them from coming back to haunt me in a future episode whether alive or as walkers.

Episode 2 was a lesson in skepticism of strangers. I will be nice to the newcomer Ben Paul, but I will keep an eye on him, in case he is not as innocent as he appears. The group, except for Carley and Larry, doesn’t think Lee is dangerous because the group doesn’t know his past.

Originally Posted by The_Cheshire_Cat

I figure if Lee doesn't kill any (alive) people then when the truth comes out at the end that he murdered someone then the folks will look kindly on me when they see I have not been going blood thirsty hacking at everyone (alive) that I could. Would make them trust Lee, despite his past.

My Lee killed the St. John Brothers and offered the girl at the motor inn the gun, so my Lee’s turning into an efficient killer. Interesting to see how that is viewed when his past is revealed. Praise, scorn, indifference? I am curious what the group reaction will be.

[phoray]

Originally Posted by greenj2

I'm wondering if people have any general rules or codes of conduct they look to when faced with making a tough decision in a split second.

For example, I've seen people on these boards mention that they generally try to protect women and children first in times of danger.

Anyone else?

My code of conduct is what's sane. Duck is easiest to save, therefore I'm more likely to get to Shawn sooner. Duck saved, and the rest didn't work out for some stupid reason.

Ok, Lilly is kind of right, they took a risk letting us come into the drug store. Duh.

No, Larry, I am not throwing the kid out with the bathwater till I see teeth marks.

No, Kenny, I don't think we should try to start a physical altercation with the big beefy man. They might kick us out, so yeah, I'm reasoning with him.

I'm going for Carly, because her gun moves faster than my feet, and after saving herself, she should be able to pivot and save Doug. Carly was too slow; that sucked. Overall, I keep her, because I like her. Doug is kind of meh and I think that line about thinking Lee is a great guy is the writer's last ditch effort to form an emotional connection with the player. It sucked, and it was weird.

And so on and so forth.

[phoray]

Originally Posted by roymartin

Do you guys go back and change your decisions?

My computer got accidentally shut off right after I stabbed Danny in the barn with a pitchfork. Because of that, I got an accidental rewind. And I used it; didn't want Clementine to see me being a passion killer like that, cuz honestly, only his goading about how I couldn't do it, made me do it.. Sort of odd, because although I regretted helping smash Larry's head in, I wouldn't have done different. I felt more torn and cold concerning that possible murder.

I chose not to off Andy for the same reason. They are no longer a possible risk, walk away. Although his calling out for me to finish it was more heart wrenching than the Larry decision. I believe in mercy killing a broken man, and boy, did we break him.

[Death689God]

I play my Lee as a Honest, brutal man that's been slightly hardened by the world (even before Z-Day). He's as Direct, Honest, and Blunt as I can be allowed to play him... Especially when it comes to Clem-Clem, for her own good though, never to be cruel or cold.

Here's a slight code he goes by:

Put the group first. (Except when it comes to Clementine.) What this means is making logical choices that increase the survivability of the Group. Even if that means being "monsters that came out of the woods" to ruin someone other persons life. (Final hard choice of episode 2) However, my Lee remembers the reason the group matters to him: Clementine.

Prioritize the Women. In the long term, if Humanity is to survive, it will need future generations. And it'll come faster, and safer if there are more women to men. With complications that come with child birth, death of the mother during labor is a realistic problem. The more women, the safer and more secure the future of your Tribe, so to speak.

Prioritize the Useful. If you're going to survive in this world, you need to make sure to take care of the more reliable, courageous, and skilled members of your group. (Which is the biggest issue my Character has with Kenny. He's only reliable if he's attached to you somehow... It's also my characters problem with his Son and Larry, Duck got Shane Killed by being Stupid and Larry tried to kill you.)

Keep the Peace when possible. Try reasoning and Diplomacy when possible, when it comes to interactions among your group at least. Reserve drastic measures for last, or when it will be more detrimental to the group to "Sit on the Fence".

DO NOT KILL YOUR OWN! This is something my Lee's only added after the events on the Dairy Farm... He tried to save Larry, a man he thinks the group would be better off without, because of it. And I was quick enough to see Larry start to come back to us, just before Kenny dropped the salt lick, firmly planting this idea in his mind.

Remove Outside Threats. Jolene, The Brothers and their Momma, any Bandits that come along down the road... This is for them, this keeps the group safe. Even if it's hard to do with Clementine watching (Danny), even if you feel Pity (Andy after telling him his brother and mother are dead) or Sympathy (Jolene and what happened to her and her daughter.)

Honesty Policy. Like Hershel said, we're relying on the honesty of others now. There's no more room for secrets, or BSing, be as honest as the game will allow. A true man Says what he Means and Means what he Says.

[CapnJay]

Protect Clementine at all costs. If we go to woodbury and someone even so much as looks at her funny BAM