This looks like a reason why the face buttons are kept context only in Heavy Rain, you get to move around as you usually would while having a conversation and select topics with the face buttons.
On Dialogue Menus
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
- Start date
The idea would be useful for a limited amount of conversations, but not all of them. That flowchart and scripting you were discussing? Imagine that in EVERY CONVERSATION of Dragon Age. It would be completely nuts.
Plus, I also played that Leisure Suit Larry game, and if you didn't want to have to do the mini-game repeatedly you had to actually try and do it right. As such, my attention went to the mini-game instead of what was being said. While in Leisure Suit Larry that doesn't really mean much, in a game like Dragon Age you'll miss a lot of things. Like "wait, why am I going to save that twerp child that got lost in what is literally the Highway to Hell beneath the dwarven kingdom?"
Used sparingly, it could be a pretty decent tactic. However, there needs to be a few other systems in place as well. Otherwise players would likely get sick of the concept.
Plus, I also played that Leisure Suit Larry game, and if you didn't want to have to do the mini-game repeatedly you had to actually try and do it right. As such, my attention went to the mini-game instead of what was being said. While in Leisure Suit Larry that doesn't really mean much, in a game like Dragon Age you'll miss a lot of things. Like "wait, why am I going to save that twerp child that got lost in what is literally the Highway to Hell beneath the dwarven kingdom?"
Used sparingly, it could be a pretty decent tactic. However, there needs to be a few other systems in place as well. Otherwise players would likely get sick of the concept.
First off there are British accents (a narrow minded term since there are multiple British accents) in DA:O and secondly since most fantasy stories are spins on Medieval Europe, an American accent (again, what kind) would make the least sense.Chipperz said:
As for this dialogue game idea, I'd have to try it to pass proper judgment but so far it sounds like it could overly extend conversations somewhat too much.
Good article. Really made me think. There are some games out there that get around this problem, like Way of the Samurai 3 or Facade (though that game brings up its own slew of problems) but I really am getting tired of the norm, now that you mention it.
My point is that I'd have a better time if the player's dialogue was voiced. I have no idea why you'd think they'd have american accents (95% of medieval characters speak with british accents), but who cares.Chipperz said:
My point was that there are several points in the game where you have to pause and consider the consequences of what you're about to say. You get to decide what happens to the blood mage, for instance. In the gauntlet, you have to answer riddles. Not to mention the times where people demand you introduce yourself, and you'd have like 0.6 seconds to say "Grey Warden", "Ark" or "Mind your business dumbass".
You can't have realistic dialogue in an RPG because the setting isn't supposed to be realistic. What if the NPC you want to talk to is doing something else? Should you stick around and wait for the blacksmith to finish tempering the sword he's working on? Should you leave the computer on and go do something else for a couple of days? How about religious people in the game, would you be ok with them never talking to you because you gave an unfortunate answer one time, and now they consider you a heretic and an asshole?
In my opinion, what Yahtzee said couldn't work (even he said that it would never happen), but the idea of having some evolution in a dialogue tree is great. I really liked geldonyetich's idea
As for comments about Dragon Age. I don't remember all that much talking to people other than my few party members. Although that may have something to do with me picking the [Kill him.] option in nearly every case.
As an afterthought, does anyone find it weird that dialogue is flagged for spelling on this forum?
but even that can be annoying. I like hearing the story and don't really want to have to worry about pressing a button during a story sequence. Maybe story related stuff should just stick to being a cut scene.geldonyetich said:
As for comments about Dragon Age. I don't remember all that much talking to people other than my few party members. Although that may have something to do with me picking the [Kill him.] option in nearly every case.
As an afterthought, does anyone find it weird that dialogue is flagged for spelling on this forum?
I remember an older adventure game, "Douglas Adam's Starship Titanic" tried to avoid the dialogue menu options with a "conversation simulator" thing, where you had to type in your questions and answers to the characters. It was basically a prehistoric chatbox and most of the time didn't work unless you phrased things exactly right, but that was 12 years ago; I'm sure someone could improve on that technology by now.
You know what, |I'm going to break habit and say that was a pretty good idea. It needs a few of the technical details worked out, but I like the idea of being able to move around whilst talking, obviously at just a walking pace. You could circle them whilst they talk, or if there were other actions that you had to perform such as barricading a door (purely as an example), then you could do that at the same time. Multitask, people!
This actually sounds quite a bit like Heavy Rain. Or rather, Heavy Rain is a step in this direction. The context sensitive "dialogue options" in Heavy Rain are not direct sentences but reflections of the character's mood which steers the conversation.
check out the Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines type of optional dialogues:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghzIeZtSyJs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghzIeZtSyJs
Interesting idea, but I was thinking of more typing what you want your character to say and having the machine respond in accordance....but then again it would have to recognize every conceivable bit chat....and that might be hard.
Then again, in the systemo of Leisure Suit Larry: magna cum laude (yay! I remembered the name I forgot on another topic yesterday!) if larry had a few beers the game would get much harder, with a harder to control sperm... Quite realistic, I suppose... Actually, I like this system a lot more than the new idea of yahtze, wich seems a little boring for the player and much more for the developer.swaki said:
while I do like dragon age I have to admit the dialogue system is a bit dated and getting dialogue options that only have the option of:
"On second thought, lets move on". WHHHY was the dialogue tree even there in the first place if there was nothing to say?
Though while I like where Yahtzee is going with his ideas, DON'T expect any sort of radical innovation like that from EA, Ubisoft, or Blizz-Act. They wouldn't risk anything original because they wait for smaller developers to do that, then copy them or buy them up and fire the staff.
"On second thought, lets move on". WHHHY was the dialogue tree even there in the first place if there was nothing to say?
Though while I like where Yahtzee is going with his ideas, DON'T expect any sort of radical innovation like that from EA, Ubisoft, or Blizz-Act. They wouldn't risk anything original because they wait for smaller developers to do that, then copy them or buy them up and fire the staff.
