I had a dream

I had a dream about SotA last night, and Lord British was there!

My dream begins with me starting up the current QA build.
I remember entering a new scene, where there is a small fort in a forest clearing.
Standing just outside this fort is a shifty-looking jester!
In my dream, I could click on him
and see that he was carrying three different types of special magical boots in his inventory.
Wow! I haven't seen boots like that before. They seemed very important, very expensive..

The only thought that occurred to me in the dream was to try and kill him to take the loot.
But I was very low level, and he was very high level, I wouldn't stand a chance.
Then my wife looked over my shoulder and said, 'But look, his health is very low!'
It was true, his health bar was nearly empty, he was at 12% health,
and just one good hit should take him out. So I should be able to loot the boots and be on my way!

As I select to attack the Jester, my character draws his sword and walks over to him,
but suddenly the camera changes view putting me in conversation mode!
The Jester has turned into one of the Devs, who starts to speak to me:
"Hmm, so why is your sword raised? Were you about to kill this poor, injured jester?"
Then Lord British, or more accurately, Richard Garriot appears.

Richard talks about how he blames himself for designing games in a way that seem to
encourage, or at least support violent behavior in the gameplay.
Heroes are killing NPCs without consequence, because the game lets them.
He continues to say that he is determined in SotA, to eliminate this practice,
and make it impossible to do bad things, without proper consequence for those bad actions.

You have been warned, O Seeker.

Now I obviously realized I just horribly failed a test of morality.
They were able to see that I inspected the jester, saw he had loot,
and that his health was low, and continued to attack him unprovoked,
without even trying to talk with him first. (or try to heal him for that matter).

All these feelings of regret and disappointment in myself come to the surface,
and I wonder if I will be able to try again, to change my decision..
But it is too late. I must live with this, and my character must continue on,
virtue scarred, knowing the path forward I must take is my one true path.

And then I smile, because this is exactly what I have been hoping for
in a Spiritual Ultima Successor.

(*fingers crossed*)

 

Hear ye the tolls of virtue upon the shores of temptation?