JoKelly Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 (edited) This is not about how to create dialogue, but rather I am interested in how much dialogue do people like or want in game. I ask because I am in the process of rewriting the dialogue for the first part of my WIP and have several long sections that give background on various characters, locations and even history. streamlining the dialogue would make it easier and quicker for who ever I get to do the voice acting but there is the immersion factor as well. so realizing that this is not a novel or an indie movie, I know that there are other ways to get some of this info across up to and including making a slide show with a monologue or having a bik play that shows some of what is or has occured. But this Mod is going to be for the public so I thought I would ask for opinions. and yes I am more than willing to accept help on this project LOL Edited January 13, 2017 by JoKelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iXenite Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Being a massive fan of the Metal Gear Solid games I personally enjoy large amounts of dialogue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubiousintent Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 I think the key question is: "Is this Dialogue or a Monologue?" If it's interactive with the Player (i.e. question and answer), then voice it no matter how long the responses as long as they are pertinent. Immersion is important (crucial to some), but if it's a monologue presenting backstory or just setting the scene, then something the player who doesn't care or has been through it already can skip through without a million key-clicks is preferable: cutscene blk, slideshow, or "journal". And since you want to present the backstory during a dialogue, consider having the character refer the player to a "resource" like a town library or site where the "static" material resides if they are interested. After all, your actor interacting with the player supposedly has a life they need to be getting on with themselves. -Dubious- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladez Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Since you asked and since this is a roleplaying game, I want as much dialogue as possible, as long as it builds character and provides the player with agency and roleplay opportunity. Ideally the PC's lines should be fleshed out as much as the NPC's lines. Many people simply provide one or two options that does nothing but move the conversation forward, but dialogue should be as much about the PC as the NPC. Instead of using dialogue as exposition dumps, which would surely get tedious in the long run, use the opportunity to flesh out your characters and spice up their lines with their own—positive or negative—perspectives on other characters, locations and events. Have multiple characters explain the same things, but make them all different by giving them opinions of their own. Make them biased. The more the better. And if you have characters that are biased towards a certain perspective, make sure that you also have characters with opposite viewpoints to balance things out. All this is crucial for letting the player discover and getting to know their character. Give them an anchor, something to identify with, something to provide stability, but also have that something be opposed or even threatened. Also, since this is FNV, make sure to have some skill checks. They greatly enhance the roleplay by making your character build matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubiousintent Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 THIS! +1, Ladez. -Dubious- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoKelly Posted January 13, 2017 Author Share Posted January 13, 2017 (edited) you will be glad to know that I have already included skill and stat checks.... including Charisma. LOL the most underused stat in the game. just a side note for those who are new at writing dialogue.... write out your dialogue in Word, or in a text file before you ever do the dialogue quest. it makes things so much easier in the long run. Edited January 13, 2017 by JoKelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mktavish Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 7 Did you ever watch a movie called "A River Runs through It " And the father teaches that the art of writing is in thrift. I have found that principal useful all throughout life. Including the geck. Music whatever ... the less is more principal. But then me talking about it is violating the principal ... hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoKelly Posted January 19, 2017 Author Share Posted January 19, 2017 judging by the responses so far, I think splitting up some of the dialogue into random comments, notes and possibly newspapers would be the best bet. yes newspapers, I've been toying with that idea for a couple of weeks now. use a script to count the number of days then have a new edition spawn at specific locations (news stand and a couple of bars). I'm not sure how many editions I want to use, or just dump a lot of old editions to be found laying around in places with only a few new editions that spawn. Less is more is the general rule of thumb when writing in the industry these days, it might also explain the slump in book sales. LOL. on average though I do agree, nothing more boring than sitting there listening to an NPC drone on and on till I save so I can shoot them then reload just to feel better. its like being locked in a room with my ex demon in law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mktavish Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 News papers eh ? Sounds pretty cool. I'm curious what your thoughts on rendering that are ? Messages , Notes , DDS files ? Is there a way to use the LoadScreen items and display them anytime you want for however long ?But with DDS files , I guess you could just place an object with that texture infront of the players view. And this got me thinking ... what if instead of a news paper format ... tell the story pieces with a comic book format ?Would be a less is more approach with telling the story / reporting the news. But not easier to set up of course. I've got a comic book creator program I used to use back when I played evercrack. Would take game screen shots , and weave funny stories out of them. I'll dust it off and see if it's even feasible ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoKelly Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) News papers eh ? Sounds pretty cool. I'm curious what your thoughts on rendering that are ? Messages , Notes , DDS files ? Is there a way to use the LoadScreen items and display them anytime you want for however long ?But with DDS files , I guess you could just place an object with that texture infront of the players view. And this got me thinking ... what if instead of a news paper format ... tell the story pieces with a comic book format ?Would be a less is more approach with telling the story / reporting the news. But not easier to set up of course. I've got a comic book creator program I used to use back when I played evercrack. Would take game screen shots , and weave funny stories out of them. I'll dust it off and see if it's even feasible ... my first thought and the easiest is to use notes. not what I would really like but for ease its the best. something like slide that can be called up from the pipboy or a hot key would be nice, but I am not sure how feasible that would be. some of the news of course could be done with a custom radio channel and a narrator which I am considering as well. and I am back to wishing for a team LOL. Thanks for the suggestions and let me know how your test run on the comic generator goes Edited January 20, 2017 by JoKelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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