My evil playthrough [SPOILERS]

[Bronze Dragon]

I promised everyone I'd post at the end of my evil playthrough, and I have to say it wasn't what I expected. Most of the gut-wrenching was of my own doing - the stress and tension of expecting reprisals. But in the end, angry recriminations from the Constellation crowd notwithstanding, there were way fewer consequences than I expected. To the point where it was even anticlimactic.

For one, I expected to get a huge wanted level across all factions for betraying Ikande and the crew of the vigilance, but nary a peep. You do come across some wayward Sysdef ships who will attack you and that's about it. Also, the final fight on the Vigilance itself was way more engaging and fun than the final fight at the Key when you side with the good guys.

One thing I found annoying is that when you side with the Crimson Fleet, the hunt and kill side missions for the UC and Freestar that involve the fleet are no longer an option, because not only do the Crimson Fleet guys not resist you (at first) because you're on their side, but you can't progress any stealth skill challenges against them (they always know you're there) and, eventually, you get a bounty from the Crimson Fleet. This is annoying because that revenue stream is essentially gone.

Lastly, piracy is not as fun as you think it'll be. Most ships give up without a fight, and those that don't can't put up much of one. And you really don't get much in salvage either way - just more junk and resources you then have to turn around and find some place to sell.

Finally, the denouement at the end before you enter the unity is rather bland and equivocates on the consequences of your actions on the galaxy. Yeah, the Crimson Fleet become a scourge, Ryujin controls the minds of those who get the implant, and Ron Hope presides over an ever increasingly corrupt corporate ecology, but no surprises or earth-shaking results. No collapse of civil society or utter destruction of Jemison, etc.

TLDR:

So overall, my evil run really wasn't anything all that special. Just some added drag on my ability to make money or advance my skills, and that's about it.

Going back to being a (relatively) good guy in my NG+3 run. Going to concentrate on advancing some of the skills I've neglected and to seeing how I can disrupt some of the missions (like doing an end-run around Londinion and killing the Terrormorphs before the mission even starts...heheheh).

UPDATE: Oh, I almost forgot: In your NG+ run after going evil, your Starborn spacesuit comes with a rather cool, tattered-looking outer wrap that kind of hangs like insect wings at rest. It's called Starborn Spacesuit Locus, which is suggestive of Locust. It's fun to watch your character run around in that. So that's a plus.

[cattivision]

I think the spacesuits, in the first few NG+ at least, are fixed, not sure after NG+6 onwards as I've only gone up to NG+11 or 12 in two saves and wasn't paying much attention to this in the first save.

[SasheCZ]

So, by "evil playthrough" you mean siding with the pirates? That's only evil from the viewpoint of UC and some of the more lawful of the freestar.
When I did my evil playthrough, I killed everyone I had the chance to kill during quests, which led to some funny dialogs with my Ryujin bosses and other quest givers.
I also accumulated like 800k bounty with UC, Freestar AND Crimson fleet.
The most evil in a lawful society is not caring about consequences of your actions, not following stories that sound evil.
You have much to learn about the dark side, young padawan.

[Bronze Dragon]

Originally posted by SasheCZ:

So, by "evil playthrough" you mean siding with the pirates? That's only evil from the viewpoint of UC and some of the more lawful of the freestar.
When I did my evil playthrough, I killed everyone I had the chance to kill during quests, which led to some funny dialogs with my Ryujin bosses and other quest givers.
I also accumulated like 800k bounty with UC, Freestar AND Crimson fleet.
The most evil in a lawful society is not caring about consequences of your actions, not following stories that sound evil.
You have much to learn about the dark side, young padawan.

Yeah, I did all that, got all the recriminations, etc., etc., etc. Nothing new under the sun, my child.

[cougarshamn]

I am currently doing my first "evil" run as well, and agree with much of what you said. Pirating the pirates is much more rewarding than actual piracy. Having access to the Key doesn't make up for losing access to Akila, Neon, New Atlantis etc due to bounties. Taking the Vigilance is a slightly more interesting fight than taking the Key.
My "evil" run is in a nonstandard universe, so I didn't have Sarah and the others griping about things

[cattivision]

It reads to me that they took the least ethical decisions in the options of most quests, e.g. allowing Ron Hope to bribe them, so not just siding with Crimson Fleet. Those would have bearing in the state of the universe, as strange as it seems (game logic) mass murder would not.

[Krash Megiddo]

Even in my "good" runs, I go in guns blazing, skipping the dialog. Of course, that means leaving my companion behind so there's no witnesses.

[Jase]

Not a fan of the NG+ spacesuits, except the unadorned version. The ones with cloth attachments look like they were decorated with old rags found in an abandoned dumpster and make you look like a vagrant. I keep stopping passerby and asking for loose change.

[Bronze Dragon]

Originally posted by Jase:

Not a fan of the NG+ spacesuits, except the unadorned version. The ones with cloth attachments look like they were decorated with old rags found in an abandoned dumpster and make you look like a vagrant. I keep stopping passerby and asking for loose change.

LOL! I like the alt-aesthetics, including the tattered one (I like the way that one flows around you as you move) but to each their own.