I'm not really having fun with the favor system right now. I feel that not only does it take too much time to give gifts (due to not being able to give stacks of gifts and having to click give gift, drag the item and click again each time you want to give a gift), but it seems like giving gifts and performing favors is such an artificial way to make someone like you.
It seems more in tune with reality that as long as a person isn't a complete jerk that over time people will gradually like them more regardless of what they are doing directly for them. Only becoming friends with someone when they do favors for you or give you gifts seems so cartoonishly mercenary that is certainly shouldn't be the standard for character interaction. I suggest that merely existing in the same area as an NPC and doing anything generally beneficial (killing evil creatures, collecting items, talking, etc) should raise their favor by some differing amount based upon how the NPC feels about that particular action, i.e. Ivyn likes when a character farms more than when they kill skeletons. Of course doing something an NPC feels is detrimental to them should lower their favor.
I guess the discussion really is: How do you feel about the way relationships with NPCs are currently handled?
It seems more in tune with reality that as long as a person isn't a complete jerk that over time people will gradually like them more regardless of what they are doing directly for them. Only becoming friends with someone when they do favors for you or give you gifts seems so cartoonishly mercenary that is certainly shouldn't be the standard for character interaction. I suggest that merely existing in the same area as an NPC and doing anything generally beneficial (killing evil creatures, collecting items, talking, etc) should raise their favor by some differing amount based upon how the NPC feels about that particular action, i.e. Ivyn likes when a character farms more than when they kill skeletons. Of course doing something an NPC feels is detrimental to them should lower their favor.
I guess the discussion really is: How do you feel about the way relationships with NPCs are currently handled?