I feel like it's hard to say which is more important since both help each other. Backstory helps us understand the character's motivations for their actions, and certain actions can be given more gravity depending on the character's backstory.
So for example, working with Nate's backstory - it makes sense for him to join up with the Brotherhood. He's a military man and that kind of life is familiar to him. Maybe it's comfortable for him. So he joins up with the brotherhood, and that works. The character is congruent. But what if he doesn't? What if, despite his military background, he opts for the Railroad which is a loosely organized outfit that relies on guerrilla warfare rather than precise and deliberate tactics of the Brotherhood?
Ideology aside, that has a much bigger impact because it makes the player ask "why"? When a character does something different than their backstory might suggest they would do, it adds another fold to that character's personality, it elucidates their thoughts and their feelings, and the character develops further.
Imagine the backstory of a character being like a large empty island, and you - the player - are a land developer attempting to build a city.
On this large island, there are hills, mountains, valleys, craters, rock, grass, dirt, flora, fauna, etc. This is your character's backstory. The natural shape of the land is going to dictate what can be built on it, where, and how well. So if the base island is the backstory, then the city is your character's in-game actions. How the city is built over time - and how stable it is - is directly related to the ground it's built upon. Does that makes sense?
A little bit, yes. This issue comes back to the dialogue, where much of it is based around Shaun. But...actions speak louder than words. Take a look at Fallout 3's, NV's, and even Skyrim's dialogue options - many leave a lot to be desired. I find myself thinking "I would never say that, I don't like any of these options". Which is why dialogue can be largely overlooked in favor of action. Actions speak louder than words! So say whatever dialogue you think is closest or ignore it completely and make up what your character would say in your head. Then, act accordingly.
The big faction choices are the obvious defining moments. The Institution is a personal favorite of mine when playing with the pre-determined back stories because it forces the player into a really tough choice. Remain loyal to your son based on nothing more than the fact that he is your son (ignoring his character and his ideologies), or kill your son for your own convictions? That's heavy. The only other moment I can think of right now is the choice presented at the end of Human Error. I'm hesitant to give any details for spoiler reasons, but it involves the life of Roslyn Chambers.
I feel like it's hard to say which is more important since both help each other. Backstory helps us understand the character's motivations for their actions, and certain actions can be given more gravity depending on the character's backstory.
So for example, working with Nate's backstory - it makes sense for him to join up with the Brotherhood. He's a military man and that kind of life is familiar to him. Maybe it's comfortable for him. So he joins up with the brotherhood, and that works. The character is congruent. But what if he doesn't? What if, despite his military background, he opts for the Railroad which is a loosely organized outfit that relies on guerrilla warfare rather than precise and deliberate tactics of the Brotherhood?
Ideology aside, that has a much bigger impact because it makes the player ask "why"? When a character does something different than their backstory might suggest they would do, it adds another fold to that character's personality, it elucidates their thoughts and their feelings, and the character develops further.
Imagine the backstory of a character being like a large empty island, and you - the player - are a land developer attempting to build a city.
On this large island, there are hills, mountains, valleys, craters, rock, grass, dirt, flora, fauna, etc. This is your character's backstory. The natural shape of the land is going to dictate what can be built on it, where, and how well. So if the base island is the backstory, then the city is your character's in-game actions. How the city is built over time - and how stable it is - is directly related to the ground it's built upon. Does that makes sense?
A little bit, yes. This issue comes back to the dialogue, where much of it is based around Shaun. But...actions speak louder than words. Take a look at Fallout 3's, NV's, and even Skyrim's dialogue options - many leave a lot to be desired. I find myself thinking "I would never say that, I don't like any of these options". Which is why dialogue can be largely overlooked in favor of action. Actions speak louder than words! So say whatever dialogue you think is closest or ignore it completely and make up what your character would say in your head. Then, act accordingly.
The big faction choices are the obvious defining moments. The Institution is a personal favorite of mine when playing with the pre-determined back stories because it forces the player into a really tough choice. Remain loyal to your son based on nothing more than the fact that he is your son (ignoring his character and his ideologies), or kill your son for your own convictions? That's heavy. The only other moment I can think of right now is the choice presented at the end of Human Error. I'm hesitant to give any details for spoiler reasons, but it involves the life of Roslyn Chambers.
