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Here's what I posted over on RPGWatch about a certain point Chris made in this interview:
Less talking in RPGs? Hmm. No, I happen to like dialogue and text exposition in RPGs.
I understand loving the mechanics in Divinity: Original Sin and wanting to interact with the dungeon environments in different ways. That is cool with me.
That idea is not mutually exclusive with talking to NPCs in an RPG.
In fact, I think talking to NPCs in RPGs has already taken a big downturn.
Think about a game like Morrowind, where talking to NPCs was not only expected, it was a huge part of the game. If you wanted to know where a quest destination was, or where to find a specific person you were looking for, you asked NPCs. It was necessary. Sometimes, they didn't even give you the straight answer, or didn't like you and told you to go away. Most times, they let you know directions to where you could find what you are looking for.
That, to me, is some of the best design in RPGs I've played. I love talking to NPCs, piecing together clues, gathering information, etc., rather than following a magical compass or arrow leading me directly to the destination.
I have to invoke Fallout 4 here again. There is a quest where you search an abandoned house, and you have to look for clues there. Well, instead of maybe talking to the fellow you're exploring it with (at the very least), or exploring it yourself, the quest marker leads you directly to the "secret" button underneath the desk.
This is 21st century gaming. The games play themselves!
As new RPGs continue to come out, they are taking away more instances for you to figure things out, gather your own information, talk to in-game characters, explore dialogue, etc., and many are just pointing you exactly where you need to go.
Why have NPCs in the game when you don't need them for anything? Just follow the magical arrow.
So, I would not like to see less talking in RPGs. More talking along the lines of Morrowind and Gothic, please.
But yes, interacting with dungeons and the environment is cool and I greatly enjoyed doing just that in Divinity: Original Sin.
As for "seeing more, talking less", well, I'm just going to go ahead and play a Jeff Vogel/Spiderweb Software game right now.
Less talking in RPGs? Hmm. No, I happen to like dialogue and text exposition in RPGs.
I understand loving the mechanics in Divinity: Original Sin and wanting to interact with the dungeon environments in different ways. That is cool with me.
That idea is not mutually exclusive with talking to NPCs in an RPG.
In fact, I think talking to NPCs in RPGs has already taken a big downturn.
Think about a game like Morrowind, where talking to NPCs was not only expected, it was a huge part of the game. If you wanted to know where a quest destination was, or where to find a specific person you were looking for, you asked NPCs. It was necessary. Sometimes, they didn't even give you the straight answer, or didn't like you and told you to go away. Most times, they let you know directions to where you could find what you are looking for.
That, to me, is some of the best design in RPGs I've played. I love talking to NPCs, piecing together clues, gathering information, etc., rather than following a magical compass or arrow leading me directly to the destination.
I have to invoke Fallout 4 here again. There is a quest where you search an abandoned house, and you have to look for clues there. Well, instead of maybe talking to the fellow you're exploring it with (at the very least), or exploring it yourself, the quest marker leads you directly to the "secret" button underneath the desk.
This is 21st century gaming. The games play themselves!
As new RPGs continue to come out, they are taking away more instances for you to figure things out, gather your own information, talk to in-game characters, explore dialogue, etc., and many are just pointing you exactly where you need to go.
Why have NPCs in the game when you don't need them for anything? Just follow the magical arrow.
So, I would not like to see less talking in RPGs. More talking along the lines of Morrowind and Gothic, please.
But yes, interacting with dungeons and the environment is cool and I greatly enjoyed doing just that in Divinity: Original Sin.