Suggestion: Psychology Skills

[FortyPercentTitanium]

Hi devs. I just started playing tonight and am really enjoying the game.

I have one suggestion. I love when a game immerses me so much that I read the lore and every item tooltip. I enjoy even more when some conversations make me laugh with little jokes or whatever here and there. It adds a nice touch and rewards people for reading.

However, my immersion is completely broken when it comes to the Psychology skill names like "Tell Me About Your Mother." I don't really feel like a skill name like that really adds anything to the game, but it does in fact take away. I've even read on Reddit about others who can't even bring themselves to get over that. I just wanted you to know from a veteran gamer who is a little more mature that maybe it's a good idea to keep the "your mom" jokes away from the skill bar.

Thanks for the consideration.

[Greyfyn]

I find that spell funny as hell. It's not offensive. And the things the npcs say when you use it are hilarious. Being able to laugh about motherhood is great. It's natural. The implementation of that spell is fine.

Saying dirty jokes about someone's mother is NOT the same. That sucks. It shouldn't happen. Nor should gender-based harassment or shaming.

I also like that the game isn't trying to have some sort of fake verisimilitude. That is, trying to represent something in the real world so that the game seems more real. Who cares about whether the game follows some sort of real world model. It is its own world and has integrity within itself. That's what fantasy worlds are.

What kind of immersion do you require?

[ShieldBreaker]

What if the ability was renamed "Tell me about your Childhood"?
In a lot of cases the things that are said by mobs wouldn't even have to change. Might also open up new funny things that could be said. It has the same quality of something you would be asked by a psychologist. And removes the impression of it being jokes about mothers.

I personally never had problem with it, and I do like the reactions you get when you use it.

Just thought up, "Tell me your earliest memories" as another possible title for the ability. It lacks a little be of the cliched psychologist question but might appeal to some more.

[alleryn]

Maybe we can get some kind of Project Gorgon apparel line going ala

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigmund-Freud-About-Mother-T-Shirt/dp/B00CKU9V62

[Hood]

It's totally fine. This game has a wild and surreal sense of humor. "Tell Me About Your Mother" is a reference to both Your Mom jokes and methods used in psychiatry. There's another skill called You Were Adopted, which proves that Combat Psychology (the official name of the skill) is meant to be a type of social warfare used on enemies.

You don't like this type of immature humor or behavior and you consider it offensive and annoying. Should it be removed? No, because if everyone gets the devs to remove what they don't like, we won't have a game anymore. The feedback from fellow players in this thread will tell you if your opinion is shared or not.

I think it's fair to note that school yard bullying won't be gone from Gorgon by removing Tell Me About Your Mother or even the whole Combat Psychology combat skill.

[Tsugumori]

^ ? ? ?

Not really a reference to 'your mom' jokes... I mean its psychology, not a roasting skill. I believe its the old therapist trope - "Tell me about your mother". Cue tears, anger and frustration as the patient vents.

Also psychology would be 'psychological' warfare, or even mental. "Social" ha

I don't really know how someone could perceive this as a hindrance to immersion, it's just funny. PG has a zaney kind of humour to it, some of the best lines in the game are given to skellies: "I am one ANGRY skeleton." That's like PG's tagline, it's just amazing.

I mean Psych even has a skill called "But I Love You", I kind of feel that the idea was tossed around a bit and they just ran with it. PG is a blend of so many different things I kind of feel like you have to put aside what you're used to and just embrace it. Makes the whole process easier and more enjoyable!

[alleryn]

^ ? ? ?

Not really a reference to 'your mom' jokes... I mean its psychology, not a roasting skill. I believe its the old therapist trope - "Tell me about your mother".

More specifically, it's a reference to Freud, who, i think most modern psychotherapists would agree, was too simplistic in his thinking that almost all of a person's problems boiled down to their relationships with their parents (most often their mothers), probably because Freud himself had "mommy issues".

[Tsugumori]

More specifically, it's a reference to Freud, who, i think most modern psychotherapists would agree, was too simplistic in his thinking that almost all of a person's problems boiled down to their relationships with their parents (most often their mothers), probably because Freud himself had "mommy issues".

Don't we all. *shudders*

[Trapsin]

I did see some complaints about this on reddit (where I found out about the game) but I'm using psychology as one of my main leveling skills and don't have any problem with it, personally. Not everyone can like everything, so goes the world.

[Eachna]

I've even read on Reddit about others who can't even bring themselves to get over that. I just wanted you to know from a veteran gamer who is a little more mature that maybe it's a good idea to keep the "your mom" jokes away from the skill bar.

Thanks for the consideration.

As a mother who dislikes "your momma" jokes...I never saw that as an attack against "moms". As others in the thread said, it's a reference to psychiatric treatment.

I'd like to see some mob responses that are passionate defenses of these mothers. Lines like "My mother was a saint" (if the word saint is lore appropriate) or "My mother was the greatest warrior the world has ever seen".

And responses like "It's been a while since I talked to her" or "I should really write her a letter". Reactions that could indicate NPCs are distracted but not in psychological distress at the mention of their mother.

[Tsugumori]

As a mother who dislikes "your momma" jokes...I never saw that as an attack against "moms". As others in the thread said, it's a reference to psychiatric treatment.

I'd like to see some mob responses that are passionate defenses of these mothers. Lines like "My mother was a saint" (if the word saint is lore appropriate) or "My mother was the greatest warrior the world has ever seen".

And responses like "It's been a while since I talked to her" or "I should really write her a letter". Reactions that could indicate NPCs are distracted but not in psychological distress at the mention of their mother.

Skeletons seem to be the 'mouthy' mobs in game, (see: "I AM ONE ANGRY SKELETON"), it has happened on occasion where I have used the "mother" skill and the skeletons have responded saying "What did you say about my mother!?"

[Eachna]

Skeletons seem to be the 'mouthy' mobs in game, (see: "I AM ONE ANGRY SKELETON"), it has happened on occasion where I have used the "mother" skill and the skeletons have responded saying "What did you say about my mother!?"

Yeah, the various undead you can summon as a necromancer seem like they've had work put into them. Not connected to psychology, there's one that's something like "I'm too important to be doing this" and another is something like "Let's stop chasing". :D

I also like the Mother responses of the Ranalon lizard people. One is something about players being stupid because they're hatched from eggs and they don't knowing their mothers. The other is them asking excitedly if you knew their egg-layer.

[Moralis]

I don't have an issue with the name myself, i just see it as fun :) All i really wanted to add to this is that i think my favourite response i've gotten out of using "How i met your mother" is when you use it on orcs and they say something along the lines of "I'll not be fooled by your trickery, let me explain why!"