NPC Dialogue

dergon darkhelm · Post by **dergon darkhelm** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 6:53 pm

I would very much like to see an incresed number of options in dialogue boxes with NPCs that incorportae skill checks as well as perhaps alignment/ class specific dialoge.

Particulary: Intimidate, Bluff, Persuade, and Appraise (and other appropriate skills) would be helpful.

Overfilled Cup · Post by **Overfilled Cup** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:03 pm

Easily done. Just takes the convo creator to put that stuff in.

Fionn · Post by **Fionn** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:18 pm

Easier if we make a default global script to call as a token based upon the NPCs skill. Far fewer scripts need written and compliled that way :) It's also easier than writing 10+ initConvo() scripts for each NPC.

Overfilled Cup · Post by **Overfilled Cup** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:23 pm

we do not have that now correct?

Grand Fromage · Post by **Grand Fromage** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 6:14 am

Easily done, yes, but very time consuming. It'd be nice to have a lot of this stuff but it's a lot of man hours that can be put into more important things. Maybe after servers are mostly finished up, this sort of thing can be attached to some more important NPCs.

Overfilled Cup · Post by **Overfilled Cup** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 7:16 am

Or even to more obscure static/delivery type stuff. Always good to see you run across a city to try and deliver some hamhocks only to have the buthcher tell you hes got plenty of stock. (roll persuade). Theres use for it. But yes its not a top layer item.

Thangorn · Post by **Thangorn** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 10:08 am

Dergon Darkhelm wrote: I would very much like to see an incresed number of options in dialogue boxes with NPCs that incorportae skill checks as well as perhaps alignment/ class specific dialoge.

Feel free to step up to a server team to write and script them. Every server team would like to have more of these sorts of things I am sure..

dergon darkhelm · Post by **dergon darkhelm** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 6:59 pm

More than 1 year since last post .....

but I had a long chat about this in chat the other and wanted to bring it back again.

I very much would like to see more skill checks incorporated in dialogue with NPCs for statics.

I think it would help to both increase the value of charisma and charisma based skills (which are woefully underutilized in ALFA at present imo) and would increase the believability and immersion of dialogue.

For the record ---I have no building skills, but would be happy to type dialogue (at a grade 8 reading level

)for anyone who would like it.

_____

As a separate but related topic, I would like to encourage as much as possible for builders to take meta-knowledge out of NPC dialogue.

As an expample:

Some servers have their NPC good aligned priests only extend healing/store dialogue options to similarly aligned PCs. I presume this is done through some alignment check in the code. But in most cases (ie unless said priest cast detect evil *and* the PC happened to be an evil cleric or outsider).

The priest says "Your beliefs are affront to the teachings of Lathander" somehow meta-knowing.

However, any rogue with a few ranks of bluff/ persuade might be able to fake his way as a Lathandrite by quoting a little scripture etc. (Hell ---I've been faking my way as a christian for years and I have no ranks in bluff!

) [persuade] "But good sir, doesn't The Book of Morning Dawn teach that healing brings renewal to *all* creatures?"

Perhaps even a thuggish type might bully the priest with an intimidate check etc.

Anyhow ---can't remember who it is, but some member has a 'save the Charisma' signature.....I agree whole heartedly.

Viva la Charisma!

Edit:

Easier if we make a default global script to call as a token based upon the NPCs skill. Far fewer scripts need written and compliled that way It's also easier than writing 10+ initConvo() scripts for each NPC.

--Fionn. I have no idea what that means, but if it would help........

ballonger · Post by **ballonger** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:38 am

You have my yay for this. More dialogue for the win. Personally I like to read through dialogue when speaking to NPCs since (probably/hopefully) the builder/writer put time into it, and me just number-key pressing my way through the conversation wouldn't be very thankful, plus I might miss something and not to mention talking to someone actually takes more time than pressing "3" on the keyboard normally, so taking my time gives bystanders a chance to read too. Standing in a store and someone comes rushing in and talks to the merchant:

-"Hello-to-you-my-good-man-Good-day-saer-I-would-like-to-see-what-items-you-have-for-sale-Certainly!.. ..Good bye then."

Then rushes out. Kinda makes the foundations of immersion tremble.

Slooow dooown people. It's not a race.