LE The Way of the Voice

[behughes]

I have an idea for a mod, the working title of which would be "The Way of the Voice." It would be designed to improve the role-playing experience and strategic elements of the game by doing the following:

 

1.) Giving the player more opportunities to have a voice and speak their mind.

2.) Making the "Speech" skill more useful, perhaps even crucial.

3.) Giving the player more choice over which quests they receive and accept.

4.) Adding shouts to the existing lexicon that are useful for things other than combat.

 

For more detail, read on.

 

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I thought of this idea while brainstorming my other big mod idea, the Main Quest Overhaul (forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/634471-main-questcivil-war-overhaul). I wanted to rework some quests in the main story so that the character could do more than tacitly accept everything that is happening. I also wanted to use Speech skill checks (persuasion, intimidation, bribery, etc.) in the dialogue in order to make certain unique outcomes possible that would otherwise be inaccessible to characters with low speech skills.

 

So my proposal is as follows:

 

1.) "Giving the player more opportunities to have a voice and speak their mind." There is a precedent for this in the game, with quests like the Love Triangle in Riverwood, where you have dialogue that it more or less 'for dialogue's sake'. It doesn't alter the outcome, but it does give role-players a feeling of having a unique voice. Am I polite or sarcastic? We see it again in the first conversation with FaIengar. Am I mere brute mercenary, or a thinker? Options like this help draw the player in, allowing them to express their perspective and get sometimes-unique feedback. It could also help break up the monotony of NPC info-dumps with quips, interjections, or questions.

 

2.) "Making the "Speech" skill more useful, perhaps even crucial." The Speech skill in Skyrim is severely underused. While I'm glad they consolidated it with mercantile skills, you now have to spend inordinate amounts of time buying and selling gear, or use game-breaking exploits, in order to get fair prices. All the while, the already exiting game mechanics of persuasion, intimidation, and bribery aren't really used all that often. I mean, it would get pretty old if those three were you're only options, but what about others? Reasoning (intellect), charming, joking, complimenting, lying, tricking, confusing, threatening, etc. could all be speech-based dialogue options that unlocks unique dialogue AND unique outcomes for quests. Other skills could factor into dialgoue as well. Fallout 3 did this at times, if I recall, and it made dialogue all the more dynamic, because your other achievements are recognized. When J'zargo asks if you've mastered all the expert level destruction spells, characters with high destruction skill level should get a unique dialogue option like, "I could incinerate you in the blink of an eye, but we're friends so I don't think that'll be necessary."

 

3.) "Giving the player more choice over which quests they receive and accept." This could work in two ways. The player would have to confirm, in dialogue, that the are interested in a quest, before it is added to their journal. There's precedent again for this, with some quests, but others are added simply after asking basic questions like, "So is there anything to do around here?" or "How did you learn to play those two songs so well?" Every radiant quest should work this way. Once your journal gets cluttered with quests that you don't really want to do, you start meat-grinding them until 3 AM just to clear them off. If you say, "No thanks, I'm not really interested," it doesn't mean the quest is lost forever. Just ask about it again. If you do agree to something, you should be able cancel the quest by talking to the quest-giver, or simply hide or remove the journal entry.

 

It may also be possible for the game to track your reputation and give you a sort of "morality score" based on your previous conversations or choices. Some radiant quests could actaully be locked until certain conditions are met. Are you a smooth-talker, a great rhetorician, a crafty deceiver, or an intimidating brute? Do you actually have any combat or magic skills? Have you stolen, or killed anyone in cold blood? Do you commune with Daedra? The answers to these questions should effect which radiant quests are locked or unlocked. Someone who has never committed a single murder shouldn't be mistaken for a Dark Brotherhood assassin. Someone without even one single magic school leveled past 20 go shouldnt be allowed anywhere NEAR the eye of magnus, let alone to become Archmage of the College. A Jarl who favors the Empire should never grant the title of Thane to a Stormcloak supporter, and being the Thane in every hold should be a conflict of interest. By locking and unlocking quests this way, every play-thru would be a unique experience where your choices mattered (which, I should note, is how the game's radiant quest system was advertised by Todd Howard in the first place!)

 

4.) "Adding shouts to the existing lexicon that are useful for things other than combat." While shouts may not seem to obviously fit into this concept, I think I can explain why they are mentioned. The purpose of this overhaul would be to make non-combat skills just as strategically useful as combat skills. Can't fight your way out of a situation? Talk your way out, or be ready to cough up some gold. The shouts in Skyrim are all oriented toward combat. Some are offensive, and others defensive, but none of them are useful unless you're in a fight. I'm not sure exactly what types of shouts should be made, I just wanted to put the thought out there that shouts should play a strategic role on and off that battlefield. One shout could be Hadrim Mey Kron (Mind - Fool - Conquer), allowing you to temporarily take control of a weak-willed NPC (first person), using them to explore hostile environments, unlock doors, set traps, or distract their allies! There could be unique dialogue options accessible just for knowing a shout. Shouts could actually BE dialogue options, and play a role in conversation the same way skill-related dialogue options do. No better way to demonstrate your authority as Dovahkiin than to speak the in the dragon tongue from time to time.

 

This mod could also serve a framework for other mods that involve questing and dialogue too. Let me know what you all think!

Edited April 3, 2012 by behughes