Shops are a good gameplay element.
Oh, I'm not trying to argue that shops aren't a good gameplay element. I've never had a problem with that. I'm just saying in the context of the urgency of certain situations in some games, it seems really shitty that people who want the world/hometown/galaxy/whatever saved as much as you do put making a quick buck as a higher priority.
I think another example that sticks out like a sore thumb to me is Killing Floor's trader. Why doesn't the paramilitary group just equip their strike teams with the best weapons instead of just sending them into hellspawn nests with nothing but a dinky pistol? I guess there's a couple explanations - maybe it's a sick and twisted way for them to 'prove' them that they're capable of handling the threat at any cost, or maybe they're in short supply and the trader is divvying the gear evenly so it isn't wasted, but... I don't know, these just seem kind of flimsy. I get that those games aren't really meant to be taken seriously either, but it's still funny to me.
In RPGs I often think of it as if the shopkeepers and the like don't actually believe that you're the chosen one. It's frequently clear that the populace doesn't fully believe in you because many people try to get in your way or stop you. Maybe the shopkeeper isn't going to send guards after you like a scheming lord, but he isn't necessarily going to give you stuff for free just because your companions think you're the chosen one. He probably sees 10 "chosen ones" a week!
That doesn't necessarily apply in something like Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where pretty much everyone acknowledges Link as the best chance to fight Calamity Ganon. Even if some shopkeepers don't believe in him you'd think other people would pool some cash to buy him some damn arrows!
I suppose so, but again, I think it really depends on the context of the story. Maybe Skyrim is a little more lax in this regard, but like you mentioned, the commonfolk pretty much witness firsthand Link's conquering of the divine beasts, and with my Xenoblade example, practically everyone knows of Shulk's ability to wield and contain the powers of the Monado - maybe not to the degree of previous owners right away, but it's still the sword that's slept for hundreds of years - and I suppose not every NPC has heard from word of mouth about his deeds, but it's funny to me how NPCs that are definitively allied with you still charge you, such as the soldiers in Dickson's battalion that sell you the equipment that you need in order to damage Mechon, while in one of the Mechon's largest strongholds.
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