Alkarl
Learned
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2016
- Messages
- 472
This is why I like text prompt dialogue, in theory. As a first time player, you can only ask and say things you know about. When it comes to most dialogue trees, skills typically only allow you to bypass/trigger certain encounters, increase rewards, or learn extra expository information which may or may not be remotely useful to the player later on.
Let me say, though, that I do enjoy New Vegas. I think its perfectly serviceable for what it is, and achieves, within the confines of its engine, most of what it set out to achieve.
As far as dialogue goes, and interactions of this sort, measuring effective speech use through skill and charisma makes the most sense.
However, if I were to change it, I'd give players a codex that collects topics that can then be linked to during conversations. Worst case scenario, that npc doesn't have info about that topic. Mix this with a prompt to allow players to learn/use information organically, and then provide lore checks via how much info you've collected on a topic. The info can come from books, conversations, etc.
So, for instance, you meet an npc and enter dialogue. Some sort of UI would appear with all the terms your character knows about, organized in category, along with a text prompt. Once you pick a topic, provided the npc has knowledge of the topic, then you enter the standard:
1.)
2.)
3.)
pick from a list convo that allows for lore/skill checks.
Lets say, in another rpg that doesn't exist (yet), you are investigating a village trying to figure out if someone is secretly a werewolf. You enter a conversation with a particular npc and ask about werewolves.
Since you've read a couple books, learned from experts, and first hand slew a few, an option appears in dialogue to accuse this person of being the werewolf based on info your character would have.
Idk, could work if done right.
Let me say, though, that I do enjoy New Vegas. I think its perfectly serviceable for what it is, and achieves, within the confines of its engine, most of what it set out to achieve.
As far as dialogue goes, and interactions of this sort, measuring effective speech use through skill and charisma makes the most sense.
However, if I were to change it, I'd give players a codex that collects topics that can then be linked to during conversations. Worst case scenario, that npc doesn't have info about that topic. Mix this with a prompt to allow players to learn/use information organically, and then provide lore checks via how much info you've collected on a topic. The info can come from books, conversations, etc.
So, for instance, you meet an npc and enter dialogue. Some sort of UI would appear with all the terms your character knows about, organized in category, along with a text prompt. Once you pick a topic, provided the npc has knowledge of the topic, then you enter the standard:
1.)
2.)
3.)
pick from a list convo that allows for lore/skill checks.
Lets say, in another rpg that doesn't exist (yet), you are investigating a village trying to figure out if someone is secretly a werewolf. You enter a conversation with a particular npc and ask about werewolves.
Since you've read a couple books, learned from experts, and first hand slew a few, an option appears in dialogue to accuse this person of being the werewolf based on info your character would have.
Idk, could work if done right.
