I actually really like the Trooper storyline. The whole corruption on a backwater planet really fits the situation on Ord Mantell well, but you get your chance after that to play a paragon of virtue. I was actually surprised that some choices which are for the greater good or the Republic add to your dark side points, much more than the Jedi Consular which I tried out first

It's actually hard to be entirely light sided as a trooper IMO since if you follow orders, not everything you do is going to be "good" (and you get reprimanded if you don't follow your orders). Still, I think I may make my trooper into an opportunistic dick now that he's on Tattoine.

If my trooper was any more of a hero, dramatic music would play as he entered the room.

Oh wait, it does if you bring 4X.

You're absolutely sure about this? When I hit Coruscant people will be as relieved to see me as they were to see my Consular? (I quit him because I was bored to tears hunting items for others as a SI, and apparently was as a JC as well.) The thing is that I literally lost motivation to go above and beyond the call of duty, my whole intent when playing the Trooper. It's the earliest point of the game. They should have done more to draw you into that role so you'd want to continue and achieve greatness and do away with the corruption.

Dude, the Ethics Officer was a lazy corrupt drunk. Everybody in the Republic Military on Ord Mantell was corrupt. If you listened to the stories of the people you interacted with, you'd realize that. On my trooper I did mostly good and people were amazed and thankful like

It gets better.

Did you stop after that side quest or did you play out the class story to level 10? If you didn't I think you should go back and at least finish the story, as you might be surprised by how things progress.

 

By the way, the missions you mention specifically are not part of the Trooper story line, but are side missions for smugglers too, who are also yelled at. Personally I think it's good that they show that the Republic isn't so nice and noble as it tries to portray itself. Besides, on Corusant you get to do away with all the corruption and bribery if you want to.

 

One of the things I have a problem with is how Black and white the dark side/light side options are, and several of them are just wierd, like the Khatar lady

where you basically doom all the wounded soldiers as a "light side" option.

But then, I didn't expect more from Bioware, as they've done the same in all their other games; KOTOR, Mass Effect, etc.

With regards to the Cathar lady:

-Macheath.

Why I deleted my trooper-

-The companions are straight out of a B level war movie from the 50s (i.e. wooden and 1 dimensional)

-The overall anti-military or "Hollywoodization" of how the military really is factor of the storyline

-The multiple errors concerning how any military operates (officers saluting NCOs; please)

-minor spoiler****

You're a "bad" person for killing a war criminal instead of letting him go free [apparently the hippies writing the script didn't think capturing him was a viable option]. Most military/vets would see "offing" this guy as the choice a "good" person would make given the limited options [dead or let free]

*****

But, I'm a vet so I'm biased/familar with how it is in real life. It might work for someone who has no clue how it really is.

[...]

 

-The multiple errors concerning how any military operates (officers saluting NCOs; please)

 

[...]

Have a pleasant day.

With regards to the Cathar lady:

 

 

It is light to give the medicine to her because you made her a bargain. You promised her the medicine in exchange for the information on where to find them. Your arrangement was: she gives you the location of the insurgents, you bring her back whatever medicine you find. Go back on your word, and get dark side points,

it's that simple.

 

-Macheath.

No, it's actually not that simple. Recall that:

No, it's actually not that simple. Recall that:

 

 

The only reason you make that bargain with her is because the game *forces* you to. Your options are either agree to her extortion (let's not mince words here), or threaten the life of a small child to get the information. If your trooper is the honorable type who wouldn't lie, you get to hold a gun to a child's head and get smacked with 50 Dark Side points for doing so and called a monster, with no third choice. Wonderful.

 

I swallowed this and did it, having to rationalize it as my trooper bluffing. Better than telling the thief who stole medicine from my fellow dying soldiers because Little Timmy had a tummyache that I was caving in to her demands.

 

Funnily enough, I still got Dark Side points for turning the medicine in at the outpost, despite not going back on any "given word". There are no options at this time to put the woman up for prosecution (that *might* arguably be a nasty act) or request if there's anything that can be spared to the refugees. But you are certainly reassured you're saving lives in a very immediate, necessary sense, even as you fall to the Darkness.

 

I will also point out that there are several times in TOR where lying through your teeth is a Light Side option, so Truth vs Lies does not equal Light vs Dark.

 

But most hilariously, I got 100 DS points for saving fellow soldiers' lives, where I got only 50 for taking an innocent child hostage at blaster point.

 

The quest is horribly written and has an irretrievably broken moral message. But this is what happens when you have too many writers with too many personal agendas, I guess. It still bothers me, but eh... I moved along.

The difference is probably because the soldiers have the force of the Republic behind them, they can order more meds. The refugees through no fault of their own have nothing. And from my understanding if you give the meds to the officer the boy you threatened dies.

The difference is probably because the soldiers have the force of the Republic behind them, they can order more meds. The refugees through no fault of their own have nothing. And from my understanding if you give the meds to the officer the boy you threatened dies.

But he does start the quest by telling you that without the medicine several soldiers will die, so I find it hard to accept that they can just order more medicine and everything will be fine. The quest seems like one of those "damned if you do, damned if you don't", but the light side option doesn't give you an update telling you what happened afterwards, so you get to go away with a clear conscious.

As opposed to some other light side options, where I've gotten mail basically telling me they're worse off after I let them go. (The cheater story for empire is one of the first ones, my IA has gotten at least three of these letters as a light side)

I personally liked the Trooper storyline and companion quests once you get deep into them. Sure M1-4X is a caricature(basicly some 80's morning cartoon good guy).

In the end I do like how the story is pretty much about fixing other people's(mostly SIS..) screw ups to prevent a massive catastrophe or basicly saving the day just to have politicians screw you over(final class quest). Playing a Light Side trooper had a nice feel of sticking to your convictions regardless of what Command had to say about doing things(Command sometimes ordering getting the job done at massive costs to civilians or even other republic forces). Sure you get some perks in this since you're Havoc Squad and wont be dishonorably discharged but did get my *** chewed off by Garza more then once

...

 

But, I'm a vet so I'm biased/familar with how it is in real life. It might work for someone who has no clue how it really is.

Unfortunately oldorcguy, they hit some of the things that have been occuring over the last several years, that have disgusted vets like myself, but these are the real life stories, and they are happening. But remember, for every one bad story, there's several good stories that don't get reported as prominently.

I have liked the trooper storyline so far. I have no doubt that someone who has been stationed on Ord Mantell for a few years, dealing with corruption, and lack of support from superiors, may start giving into those basic ideas. Is it that way on other planets? Nope.

You want to play the noble soldier, who wants to end corruption and help the people -- then the Ord Mantell story and quests is right up your alley. I have been playing mine that way, but he has made the hard choices. I've even skipped certain area quests, that i remembered from my smuggler, that were too grey to have a proper outcome, that may send him down the wrong path, such as the "true republic" quest on Coruscant. Its been a blast so far making these types of decisions!