Prefatorily, this is not a referendum on the Reputation system... which clearly could use an overhaul of its own. It's just a poll regarding the best structure for the Rep system already in place.
When your Rep drops or raises, NPCs have a reaction- or they can. They don't always. As it is there are three possible voiced/text reactions available in BG: 1. happy about it, 2. unhappy about it, 3. extremely unhappy about it... and then you could add, of course, the break-up reaction. So there's not much variety to happy reactions. So given the limitation of game resources, that's what we've got to work with. And that's all we're addressing here: the ambiance of NPC reactions to player actions. Powergamers will be disappointed. ;-)
At present the Vanilla BG NPC reaction system is set up for NPCs to react primarily to the Rep score you end up at. Evil NPCs voice unhappiness if a Rep change ends up in a high Rep situation even if you drop in Rep from, say, 19 to 18. Good NPCs are unhappy if you change to something in a low Rep range, even if you, say, gain from rescuing a dead kitten from Rep 3 to Rep 4. Conversely if the party is at Rep 20 and kills a peasant or something to drop to Rep 16, Good NPCs give happy approval because you still landed in their Happy Rep range. And if you save the Cloakwood miners from the flooding and jump from Rep 2 to Rep 4, Evil NPCs get all chipper and complimentary because your good deed nevertheless was still in the range. In other words, it's entirely counter-intuitive how the NPCs are reacting. And Neutrals, well, when they speak at all, tend to just follow the Good reactions.
This is at once two questions:
1. how should the Good and Evil NPCs react- obviously diametrically opposite one another?
2. how should Neutrals react?
For the latter question regarding Neutrals there have been a number of modded options offered to make them seem more... Neutral... But if you listen to the reactions built into the Neutral NPCs you'll hear that they voice approval and disapproval on ethical grounds and repugnance similar to the Good NPCs... similar but not exactly. None of them is an Ajantis...
And then there are the sorts of virtues they extol when happy mixed in: pride and strength (Branwen), depth of character and admirability (Faldorn), glory and good company (Garrick), capability and maturity (Jaheira), enlightenment and intelligence (Quayle), pleasantry and wise guidance (Safana), camaraderie and decency (Skie), sustainability and hope (Xan). None of those qualities tend to apply as well to Evil actions as to Good, though killing Lord Binky the Buffoon should really be part of Good behavior... Anyway, the NPC reaction system ought to reflect those actual NPC voiced reactions properly.
And to throw another wrench in the works comes the other aspect of Vanilla behavior: Neutrals get muted. As mentioned initially, there is an Unhappy and a Very Unhappy, but there is no Very Happy. Thus there's no way to structure the reactions for NPCs to react more happily to some things than others. Vanilla had it easy with Good and Evil by simply making them Happy at one range, Unhappy at another, Very Unhappy at the extremes. Neutrals end up Unhappy in the same range as Good, but Happy in a range smaller than good. This ends up making Neutrals simply voiceless at particular ranges. I don't know off-hand if Vanilla mutes it at high-range or mid-range, but the main thing it does is remove any reaction at all. So the player ends up not hearing Neutral NPC Happy sounds and thus misses out on that content. This is a consideration to factor into the equation.
From all that jibber-jabber can be delineated the approaches listed below. If you can think of one I didn't mention, do feel free to select the "None of the above" vote and describe an alternative. This is intended as a discussion.
1. Vanilla:
As I described, the only decisive factor is that Good and to some degree Neutral NPCs stay angry while at low Rep and happy at high Rep while Evil stays angry at high Rep and happy at low rep. This one gives rise to all the absurd situations mentioned above- i.e., being able to get approval and disapproval from Evils and Goods despite the nature of the acts themselves. Neutrals are muted for one part of the Rep scale.
2. Vanilla, but Neutrals happy in mid-range:
This is the same as Vanilla (1) for Good and Evil, but Neutrals express happiness when Rep falls or raises into a mid-range of maybe 7-15 (dunno) and then have disapproval reactions when your Rep climbs higher or drops lower than that mid-range Rep. This means that not only would you have the counter-intuitiveness of Vanilla's Good and Evil NPCs, but also would you have the Neutrals getting happy for murdering a Flame Fist because it drops from Rep 20 to Rep 10 but also unhappy- even seriously unhappy- for anything you do that wins a Rep above 15, altruistic or no, even so for Gorion's old pal, Jaheira, who has long been his friend and you can trust her. One advantage is that Neutrals do speak their lines as often as Good and Evil, but their lines are simply ridiculously incongruous at times.
3. NPCs react to the direction of the Rep change, not the actual Rep score, Neutrals stay happy at mid-range Rep:
This means that now even though you're at Rep 2, if you rescue the dead kitten, Good NPCs will express happiness about the party's actions while Evil will express repugnance. And if you're at Rep 19 and drop a single Rep point to 18 for innocently telling an Amnish Guard to "DIEEE, POND SCUM," you will get angry reactions from Good NPCs and happy reactions from Evil NPCs. It bypasses the Rep score requirement for the most part, at least when Rep is already out of the "UNHAPPY_SERIOUS" Rep range (1-7 for Good, 15-20 for Evil, or whatever it is). The final Rep score does still count, however, because if you drop from 3 to 2 in Rep, a Good NPC will give their very disapproving reaction. And if you rescue the dead kitten when you're at Rep 18, Evil NPCs will give their own extra angry threats and disapproval. And a move to 1 or 20 will still bring the expected Vanilla break-off behavior for Goods and Evils respectively anyway.
Neutrals still end up doing as in #2, reacting most happily to mid-range Rep with all the incongruity mentioned above. So if you save the Cloakwood miners and go to Rep 18 or so, Skie will interject that she doesn't think it's morally right, Xan may say that keeping up such evil will make your inevitable doom deserved, etc.
4. Same as #3 but now Neutral NPCs simply have the same reaction type as the Good NPCs:
This has the drawback that Neutral and Good reactions are indistinguishable, making Neutrals seems less unique as an alignment at least as far as voiced reactions go, though as mentioned above their actual voiced reactions don't differ much from Good reactions anyway. On the other hand, it has the advantage that Neutrals will speak just as often as Evil and Good when the party makes actions, so the player never misses out on voiced content, and, of course, this approach avoids the incongruity of Neutral voiced lines with actions taken. It's at once the least imaginitive but the most inclusive.
5. Same as #4, but Neutral NPCs are silent up to if/ when you increase in Rep to high-range (15-20ish):
The advantage of regular Neutral voiced lines is sacrificed for giving Neutral NPCs a unique reaction that differs from Good NPCs. In fact, this approach makes Neutrals not speak Happy lines at all unless and until the party Rep reaches a high level, and then it's all the time. The idea behind this approach is that Neutrals are "hard to please" and are less likely to react happily if you're not giving them all they want. Neutrality is equated with high-maintenance personalities with apparently higher expectations for reputation than Good NPCs, unable to be happy unless they're considered heroes of the Sword Coast.
6. Same as #4, but Neutral NPCs are silent when you increase in Rep to a high-range (15-20ish):
Again, the advantage of regular Neutral voiced lines is sacrificed for giving Neutral NPCs a unique reaction that differs from Good NPCs. In this case Neutral NPCs will speak their Happy lines contentedly until you reach high Rep scores, effectively cutting off their Happy speech for the remainder of the time you're a big hero. The idea behind this approach is that Neutral NPCs prefer the good, but also prefer not to be extremists. They want the glory, and yet they not only lack high expectations of acclaim, but also feel less comfortable with it since they're not paladins and rangers, just non-evil adventurers with their own agenda.
When your Rep drops or raises, NPCs have a reaction- or they can. They don't always. As it is there are three possible voiced/text reactions available in BG: 1. happy about it, 2. unhappy about it, 3. extremely unhappy about it... and then you could add, of course, the break-up reaction. So there's not much variety to happy reactions. So given the limitation of game resources, that's what we've got to work with. And that's all we're addressing here: the ambiance of NPC reactions to player actions. Powergamers will be disappointed. ;-)
At present the Vanilla BG NPC reaction system is set up for NPCs to react primarily to the Rep score you end up at. Evil NPCs voice unhappiness if a Rep change ends up in a high Rep situation even if you drop in Rep from, say, 19 to 18. Good NPCs are unhappy if you change to something in a low Rep range, even if you, say, gain from rescuing a dead kitten from Rep 3 to Rep 4. Conversely if the party is at Rep 20 and kills a peasant or something to drop to Rep 16, Good NPCs give happy approval because you still landed in their Happy Rep range. And if you save the Cloakwood miners from the flooding and jump from Rep 2 to Rep 4, Evil NPCs get all chipper and complimentary because your good deed nevertheless was still in the range. In other words, it's entirely counter-intuitive how the NPCs are reacting. And Neutrals, well, when they speak at all, tend to just follow the Good reactions.
This is at once two questions:
1. how should the Good and Evil NPCs react- obviously diametrically opposite one another?
2. how should Neutrals react?
For the latter question regarding Neutrals there have been a number of modded options offered to make them seem more... Neutral... But if you listen to the reactions built into the Neutral NPCs you'll hear that they voice approval and disapproval on ethical grounds and repugnance similar to the Good NPCs... similar but not exactly. None of them is an Ajantis...
BRANWEN: (TRUE NEUTRAL)As I said, that is what we have to work with, and it should affect how the Neutral reactions should be structured because otherwise the wrong setup can involve NPCs speaking contrary to how you'd intuitively anticipate it. In some cases the Neutrals express repugnance to evil outright (Quayle, Xan). In others they hint at it- such as Skie's sense of what's "morally right" and Garrick being unable to "stand by" for or "stomach" party behavior. Surely it's incongruous for Skie to state in an innocent voice, "I don't think what we're doing is morally right," when you save the boy in the lighthouse. Garrick too isn't inclined to puke for saving the lighthouse boy as much as by murdering people in the street... as he reacted with horror to Silke's entreaty to kill the bards. Jaheira, Branwen, Faldorn, and Safana don't have such clearcut anti-evil reactions, but, well, Jaheira is married to Good NPC Khalid. She's a Harper. It's difficult to assume she would be just as comfortable with killing a Dryad as with saving the Dryad of the Cloudpeaks' tree. It begs the question of druids having to be True Neutral, but, well, 2E DnD and all that... Branwen mostly emphasizes warriorhood, honor and glory and stuff, but you'd have to really stretch that to consider her feeling just as "proud" and "honorable" when you're killing kids and getting caught stealing ("What kind of cowards are we?") as when you're getting accolades for clearing the Nashkel Mines. If Faldorn is anything like the other Shadow Druids met in the Cloakwood Forest she's more intent on killing anyone not polite enough while passing through the woods, but her voiced lines are a bit less rabid and her own reaction to killing or rescuing the Dryad of the Cloudpeaks is clearly the non-evil one. Safana really has the most neutral reactions of all of them, so it's harder to see how she aligns with either evil or good, but does the "right direction" she prefers for the party extend to low Rep lawlessness and treachery?
HAPPY: I am proud to stand among such strong warriors.
UNHAPPY: Our actions are not those of warrior born.
VERY UNHAPPY: What sort of craven cowards are we?
BREAK: I can no longer honorably work with such as you.
FALDORN: (TRUE NEUTRAL)
HAPPY: We have pleased Oak Father, I sense it.
UNHAPPY: Oak Father would frown on us now.
VERY UNHAPPY: I cannot stand by people of such little character.
BREAK: I will have nothing more to do with your lot.
GARRICK: (CHAOTIC NEUTRAL)
HAPPY: If man is known by the company he keeps, I shall be thought of gloriously.
UNHAPPY: Why did we just do that?
VERY UNHAPPY: I can't stand by and just let this happen.
BREAK: I'm sorry, but I have to leave, I can't stomach what we do any more.
JAHEIRA: (TRUE NEUTRAL)
HAPPY: Perhaps this group needs not quite as much help as I thought.
UNHAPPY: I don't like the way this group is turning out. Better leadership might help.
VERY UNHAPPY: Decide you well your next move! I'll not allow this to continue!
BREAK: You have shown your true nature, and we are henceforth enemies!
QUAYLE: (CHAOTIC NEUTRAL)
HAPPY: This group may be capable of learning after all!
UNHAPPY: 'Tis a wonder your brains can keep you breathing! Try to behave!
VERY UNHAPPY: Only the truly inept would resort to such evil as this! I'll not stand much more!
BREAK: I am getting stupid just being near you! You are unteachable! Goodbye!
SAFANA (CHAOTIC NEUTRAL)
HAPPY: Mm. I keep very pleasant company.
UNHAPPY: I really think this party needs new leadership.
VERY UNHAPPY: To lead this party, we need someone intelligent, preferably female, and most likely me.
BREAK: I've tried to guide this group in the right direction, but I'm tired of trying. Goodbye.
SKIE: (TRUE NEUTRAL)
HAPPY: You're the finest group of friends I've ever had.
UNHAPPY: I don't think what we're doing is morally right.
VERY UNHAPPY: All of you are such pigs.
BREAK: I can't take this any more, I'm going back home.
XAN: (LAWFUL NEUTRAL)
HAPPY: Perhaps we'll survive longer than I had originally thought.
UNHAPPY: This group is especially hopeless today!
VERY UNHAPPY: Keep up this evil, and we're deservedly doomed.
BREAK: I cannot abide by these actions! I must take my leave from this barbaric fellowship.
And then there are the sorts of virtues they extol when happy mixed in: pride and strength (Branwen), depth of character and admirability (Faldorn), glory and good company (Garrick), capability and maturity (Jaheira), enlightenment and intelligence (Quayle), pleasantry and wise guidance (Safana), camaraderie and decency (Skie), sustainability and hope (Xan). None of those qualities tend to apply as well to Evil actions as to Good, though killing Lord Binky the Buffoon should really be part of Good behavior... Anyway, the NPC reaction system ought to reflect those actual NPC voiced reactions properly.
And to throw another wrench in the works comes the other aspect of Vanilla behavior: Neutrals get muted. As mentioned initially, there is an Unhappy and a Very Unhappy, but there is no Very Happy. Thus there's no way to structure the reactions for NPCs to react more happily to some things than others. Vanilla had it easy with Good and Evil by simply making them Happy at one range, Unhappy at another, Very Unhappy at the extremes. Neutrals end up Unhappy in the same range as Good, but Happy in a range smaller than good. This ends up making Neutrals simply voiceless at particular ranges. I don't know off-hand if Vanilla mutes it at high-range or mid-range, but the main thing it does is remove any reaction at all. So the player ends up not hearing Neutral NPC Happy sounds and thus misses out on that content. This is a consideration to factor into the equation.
From all that jibber-jabber can be delineated the approaches listed below. If you can think of one I didn't mention, do feel free to select the "None of the above" vote and describe an alternative. This is intended as a discussion.
1. Vanilla:
As I described, the only decisive factor is that Good and to some degree Neutral NPCs stay angry while at low Rep and happy at high Rep while Evil stays angry at high Rep and happy at low rep. This one gives rise to all the absurd situations mentioned above- i.e., being able to get approval and disapproval from Evils and Goods despite the nature of the acts themselves. Neutrals are muted for one part of the Rep scale.
2. Vanilla, but Neutrals happy in mid-range:
This is the same as Vanilla (1) for Good and Evil, but Neutrals express happiness when Rep falls or raises into a mid-range of maybe 7-15 (dunno) and then have disapproval reactions when your Rep climbs higher or drops lower than that mid-range Rep. This means that not only would you have the counter-intuitiveness of Vanilla's Good and Evil NPCs, but also would you have the Neutrals getting happy for murdering a Flame Fist because it drops from Rep 20 to Rep 10 but also unhappy- even seriously unhappy- for anything you do that wins a Rep above 15, altruistic or no, even so for Gorion's old pal, Jaheira, who has long been his friend and you can trust her. One advantage is that Neutrals do speak their lines as often as Good and Evil, but their lines are simply ridiculously incongruous at times.
3. NPCs react to the direction of the Rep change, not the actual Rep score, Neutrals stay happy at mid-range Rep:
This means that now even though you're at Rep 2, if you rescue the dead kitten, Good NPCs will express happiness about the party's actions while Evil will express repugnance. And if you're at Rep 19 and drop a single Rep point to 18 for innocently telling an Amnish Guard to "DIEEE, POND SCUM," you will get angry reactions from Good NPCs and happy reactions from Evil NPCs. It bypasses the Rep score requirement for the most part, at least when Rep is already out of the "UNHAPPY_SERIOUS" Rep range (1-7 for Good, 15-20 for Evil, or whatever it is). The final Rep score does still count, however, because if you drop from 3 to 2 in Rep, a Good NPC will give their very disapproving reaction. And if you rescue the dead kitten when you're at Rep 18, Evil NPCs will give their own extra angry threats and disapproval. And a move to 1 or 20 will still bring the expected Vanilla break-off behavior for Goods and Evils respectively anyway.
Neutrals still end up doing as in #2, reacting most happily to mid-range Rep with all the incongruity mentioned above. So if you save the Cloakwood miners and go to Rep 18 or so, Skie will interject that she doesn't think it's morally right, Xan may say that keeping up such evil will make your inevitable doom deserved, etc.
4. Same as #3 but now Neutral NPCs simply have the same reaction type as the Good NPCs:
This has the drawback that Neutral and Good reactions are indistinguishable, making Neutrals seems less unique as an alignment at least as far as voiced reactions go, though as mentioned above their actual voiced reactions don't differ much from Good reactions anyway. On the other hand, it has the advantage that Neutrals will speak just as often as Evil and Good when the party makes actions, so the player never misses out on voiced content, and, of course, this approach avoids the incongruity of Neutral voiced lines with actions taken. It's at once the least imaginitive but the most inclusive.
5. Same as #4, but Neutral NPCs are silent up to if/ when you increase in Rep to high-range (15-20ish):
The advantage of regular Neutral voiced lines is sacrificed for giving Neutral NPCs a unique reaction that differs from Good NPCs. In fact, this approach makes Neutrals not speak Happy lines at all unless and until the party Rep reaches a high level, and then it's all the time. The idea behind this approach is that Neutrals are "hard to please" and are less likely to react happily if you're not giving them all they want. Neutrality is equated with high-maintenance personalities with apparently higher expectations for reputation than Good NPCs, unable to be happy unless they're considered heroes of the Sword Coast.
6. Same as #4, but Neutral NPCs are silent when you increase in Rep to a high-range (15-20ish):
Again, the advantage of regular Neutral voiced lines is sacrificed for giving Neutral NPCs a unique reaction that differs from Good NPCs. In this case Neutral NPCs will speak their Happy lines contentedly until you reach high Rep scores, effectively cutting off their Happy speech for the remainder of the time you're a big hero. The idea behind this approach is that Neutral NPCs prefer the good, but also prefer not to be extremists. They want the glory, and yet they not only lack high expectations of acclaim, but also feel less comfortable with it since they're not paladins and rangers, just non-evil adventurers with their own agenda.