NPC's, whether they be human, or in this case in game, are obviously an important and integral part of a games atmosphere and plausibility. Without realistic interaction they are just placeholders. In GRB, in the case of civilians , they mostly seem like placeholders. Case in point is the accidental killing of one. In my case, once I had to make the choice that one was going to die because he wouldn't budge from beside the truck of which my mission was to blow up. In a couple of cases, they were caught in a firefight, when my attempt at stealth resulted in the firefight. In still another case I offed one by pulling the trigger too fast, not checking the target. Another was a casualty of my poor driving.

The game in several cases, the clearest is the big red mouse-over "must not be killed", makes clear that civilians must not be killed. However, there has not been, in my 160+ hours, any consequences to any of the deaths. I think one lady sobbed after one I ran over (while taking a car that wasn't mine), but that is about it. Shouldn't there BE consequences? For example, a greeting like "Oh gee, here's that scumbag killer" (like next time I get intel from two guys working on the drone that exploded and alarmed the base I was about to enter). Further "accidents" on my part could elicit running away. Or in extreme cases they could try to report me, or some form of escalating violence (the physical kind, not the snowflake word kind). The running around of civ's in a firefight could be a real immersive feature. Some will die, some will live.

It is rather disconcerting to be escorting a young, scared, on the run for her life doctor/scientist/inventor or whatever type of work, to their destination while dodging interception, while being told to "leave me alone" or some such. Only in a couple of cases was the dialogue notable, like with a faction leader (can't remember her name). In the middle of a base elimination, after slaughtering 20 people around her, for someone to just stand up and say "the place your looking for is right here" is possible, but so is the flight or fright response of creating a non-dry spot on the floor, or staying silent in sheer terror.

We don't spend a lot of time talking in the game, and rightly so. But when we do, the circumstances surrounding it (stealth, surprise, fully armed men approaching) should have some bearing, as should our reputation. Besides, we can always leave them with the usual "take care of yourself".