Can <Blank> be saved?

[Jivebot]

Can Mishti, Jonsey and the other Scout be saved or do my choices mean ♥♥♥♥ all? I tried siding with Ella in their argument. I had a successful skill check to tell her not to drink. What's the point of putting something like that in the game if it has absolutely no impact?

[BadAstronaut]

The original intention was for the shock and the impact of her (and two of the other scouts) death to matter so much and be so much more significant.

I believe it was about showing you that this world and this game can be brutal, and that no characters have plot armour.

Did this feel more unsatisfying for you and you actually wanted to keep her with you throughout your entire adventure?

[Jivebot]

I don't mind her and the other scouts death being unavoidable.

What annoyed me was those dialogue options. The one where if you have enough shooting mastery it says "Success" and lets me warn her not to drink which would reduce her aim. There were other skill/background checks in that scene that also seem to be completely pointless and have absolutely no impact, but THAT one stuck out the most once I realized what was going to happen.

Because if me telling her to ease off on the liquor and keep her aim sharp is a "Success" then it should have some impact. It made me think "Oh, Okay. If i've successfully convinced her to stay sharp and not let her guard down(Just like the guy told her before we left Balla Balla). Maybe this lets her perform just well enough to impact the battle. "

Even if that impact doesn't necessarily save her, maybe it saves someone else. Maybe it just means that her and/or Ella's brother are still alive enough to have some final parting words with us like Jonesey got. Or it helps her save Sid/Alanna. There should be SOME sort of meaningful impact to a successful skillcheck A skillcheck should mean SOMETHING. Successful Skillchecks should always matter.

If they're just randomly sprinkled about and mean absolutely nothing regardless of whether they succeed or fail, the only thing I come away feeling from that situation is cheated/mislead, but in a kinda malicious way.