Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Media
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Misaos
Forums
Post History
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
GAMEPLAY DIALOGUE
Posts
Pages:
1
LouisCyphre
View playlists
Closetotally made this just so I could say I made the 1,000th thread
An oft-overlooked method of communicating character to the player, "gameplay dialogue" is something many RM games should consider to enhance atmosphere and show off their cast.
For our purposes, gameplay dialogue refers to any text or phrase spoken by a character outside of cutscenes, without taking control from a player. If you have text box pop up when you speak with a merchant, that's a (very brief) cutscene. If you have a window in your shopping screen where your characters say things about how excited they are to be getting new equipment, that's gameplay dialogue.
In the video above, various phrases are spouted as combat one-liners. Combat's an excellent time for gameplay dialogue--everything from witty puns to solemn pleas for forgiveness lend personality to your cast. Battle gets adrenaline pumping for both your player and your characters, and dialogue spoken mid-battle should reflect that!
As stated before, pausing the action for anything beyond a brief moment (to show a close-up portrait with the one-liner, for example) defeats the point of gameplay dialogue. Interrupting the player isn't something to be done without reason. Punctuating the player's powerful spell with a heated word or two makes the player feel confident and strong; but interrupting that same spell with a conversation makes the player feel simply bored.
So, beyond these points, how can gameplay dialogue be best used to spice a cast? It's most commonly seen in battles, especially in RPGs, but there are often many other ways to go about it--your party will banter with one another, unprompted, in Bioware games like Dragon Age, for example. Out-of-combat applications, however, can be even more important. Characters might comment on establishments you pass, on faces in the crowd, on each other, or on the next task facing them. How do you plan on using gameplay dialogue?
An oft-overlooked method of communicating character to the player, "gameplay dialogue" is something many RM games should consider to enhance atmosphere and show off their cast.
For our purposes, gameplay dialogue refers to any text or phrase spoken by a character outside of cutscenes, without taking control from a player. If you have text box pop up when you speak with a merchant, that's a (very brief) cutscene. If you have a window in your shopping screen where your characters say things about how excited they are to be getting new equipment, that's gameplay dialogue.
In the video above, various phrases are spouted as combat one-liners. Combat's an excellent time for gameplay dialogue--everything from witty puns to solemn pleas for forgiveness lend personality to your cast. Battle gets adrenaline pumping for both your player and your characters, and dialogue spoken mid-battle should reflect that!
As stated before, pausing the action for anything beyond a brief moment (to show a close-up portrait with the one-liner, for example) defeats the point of gameplay dialogue. Interrupting the player isn't something to be done without reason. Punctuating the player's powerful spell with a heated word or two makes the player feel confident and strong; but interrupting that same spell with a conversation makes the player feel simply bored.
So, beyond these points, how can gameplay dialogue be best used to spice a cast? It's most commonly seen in battles, especially in RPGs, but there are often many other ways to go about it--your party will banter with one another, unprompted, in Bioware games like Dragon Age, for example. Out-of-combat applications, however, can be even more important. Characters might comment on establishments you pass, on faces in the crowd, on each other, or on the next task facing them. How do you plan on using gameplay dialogue?
...Sorry guys, I took my inspiration for that sort of thing from Earthbound. You generally won't find relevant/serious/dramatic lines from most townsfolk. And anytime my characters pop up in regard to such lines, it's usually just to laugh it off, or prank each other.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/560/aih0.png/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/713/2hlk.png/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/oom2.png/
(Only happens with the even wizard in the party, so I suppose that's what you mean)
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/560/aih0.png/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/713/2hlk.png/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/oom2.png/
(Only happens with the even wizard in the party, so I suppose that's what you mean)
Those are... the opposite of what I mean. In your screenshots, the -only- thing the player is doing is reading text.
I'm referring to text that is shown or voiced while the player is doing something else, without interrupting that other thing.
I'm referring to text that is shown or voiced while the player is doing something else, without interrupting that other thing.
Travio
149
A really good example of these in battle are the ones in the Star Ocean games - not just the calling out of attacks, but the characters actually have conversations and remark about what's occurring during the battle.
If you've never played them before, here's an example of a boss fight in Star Ocean 3. You'll hear a lot of attacks being called out, but there's also a bunch of lines - the boss even has some mid-battle chatter leading up to her specials. This might be a little spoilery for those who still want to play the game... <_< You also have to listen fairly closely, as a lot of the battle effects cover some of the speech (especially the boss').
If you've never played them before, here's an example of a boss fight in Star Ocean 3. You'll hear a lot of attacks being called out, but there's also a bunch of lines - the boss even has some mid-battle chatter leading up to her specials. This might be a little spoilery for those who still want to play the game... <_< You also have to listen fairly closely, as a lot of the battle effects cover some of the speech (especially the boss').
Star Ocean and Tales of .... are common games that use
lines or scenes during battles. In Tales games you can usually
press the select button during certain portions of the game
to read a dialogue (And there are a lot to read.)
author=kory_toombs
Star Ocean and Tales of .... are common games that use
lines or scenes during battles. In Tales games you can usually
press the select button during certain portions of the game
to read a dialogue (And there are a lot to read.)
Battle lines are fine.
The Tales of __ thing is... a cutscene. It's not -during- something. Show me a game where you have shopping dialogue!
I know that Tales of Vesperia has a conversation during the start of almost every boss fight, usually continuing on from the pre-battle dialogue. I thought that was a nice touch. It's a shame that you don't see people doing more of this kind of thing, and I honestly can't even think of one example of a game on here that includes it. Even more so, I can't think of any game that has shopping dialogue.
You've gotten it into my head now, so I may try to do something with it. It's a little more difficult to pull off well without voice acting, though.
You've gotten it into my head now, so I may try to do something with it. It's a little more difficult to pull off well without voice acting, though.
Darken
3952
These things usually make the characters more stale for me honestly. Mainly because they're often repeated to the point where you notice it, and the one liners generally come off as something to make fun of if they're ridiculous enough. Idk just seems like something for a typical power level anime RPG to do, which makes sense.
For cut-scene dialogue there's usually brand new things for people to say so it usually makes the characters have more to explore even if the game is linear. So there's less of that TV show one liner thing the character is known for. I mean I guess it's possible to have one liners happen in a non repeatable way by writing a lot of it, or not having it happen every time you cast a skill or w/e. But I haven't seen it done in that way yet.
edit: Actually shit. I did see it used in The Way's plunge system. Characters will say things depending on how far into the battle you were in and they were usually very relevant almost as if part of a cutscene. But there's a unique nature to the plunge system (no not the shittyness of its gameplay) in that it's very good at creating drama within gameplay more than a regular rpg battle system.
For cut-scene dialogue there's usually brand new things for people to say so it usually makes the characters have more to explore even if the game is linear. So there's less of that TV show one liner thing the character is known for. I mean I guess it's possible to have one liners happen in a non repeatable way by writing a lot of it, or not having it happen every time you cast a skill or w/e. But I haven't seen it done in that way yet.
edit: Actually shit. I did see it used in The Way's plunge system. Characters will say things depending on how far into the battle you were in and they were usually very relevant almost as if part of a cutscene. But there's a unique nature to the plunge system (no not the shittyness of its gameplay) in that it's very good at creating drama within gameplay more than a regular rpg battle system.
Avee
5794
I don't mind having dialog interrupting an action scene as long as it provides useful information, like in-game tips or lines that help develop the characters. But I agree it is best when the dialog does not interrupt what I'm doing. Gab windows can be an alternative to voice acting.
Useless dialog feels more like annoying, unneeded filler than anything else and either distracts me or "pollutes" the scene. But the repetition of very short lines like attack calls, grunts and shopkeeper comments (see Castlevania games for examples of those) are fine with me.
Useless dialog feels more like annoying, unneeded filler than anything else and either distracts me or "pollutes" the scene. But the repetition of very short lines like attack calls, grunts and shopkeeper comments (see Castlevania games for examples of those) are fine with me.
We're doing something similar to that in Vacant Sky Awakening. It keeps from being repetitive since every battle in the game is manually authored (i.e., no random or touch encounters), so each one can have dialog custom-tailored to it. I originally got the idea from Persona 3 and what I felt was one of its biggest missed opportunities: characters always say the same thing no matter what your relationship is with them. If I'm at rank 10 with Yukari, for example, I would expect her to behave a little more emotionally when something bad happens to me.
In VSA, every pair of characters has a relationship, and the things they say to each other are based on what relationship they have and how strong it is. Furthermore, each character also has personality stats that evolve with your choices, so the idea is that it feels very personal and intimate. In theory, every player should experience something different.
In VSA, every pair of characters has a relationship, and the things they say to each other are based on what relationship they have and how strong it is. Furthermore, each character also has personality stats that evolve with your choices, so the idea is that it feels very personal and intimate. In theory, every player should experience something different.
author=LouisCyphre
Those are... the opposite of what I mean. In your screenshots, the -only- thing the player is doing is reading text.
I'm referring to text that is shown or voiced while the player is doing something else, without interrupting that other thing.
Well, it's not really a cutscene. It's more, you're talking to someone anyway, and there are added lines if you have certain party members.
Character dialogue generally isn't interrupting anything that you weren't doing anyway (talking to people, preparing for the quest, taking a break). You just get an added bonus for having the right members in the party. So, no, I don't believe that constitutes a break in character control, unless you have a full-blown cutscene.
What you're talking about is probably called a "voiceover". I've played Rogue Galaxy where they did that while walking/standing still, and it was terrible. Absolutely mind-numbingly annoying ("Are we lost?" "I'm pretty sure we came here before." "We should really get a move on" if standing still, etc), and this was even given the fact that these lines actually updated with the plot. Still annoyingly terribly annoying.
"Gameplay dialogue" as you put it, is an intrusion even though it's not technically interrupting anything. Except in battle, and after winning battle while experience is calculating. I actually liked winning battles in this game just to hear the silly lines.
Chloe occasionally says stuff like "Leave it to me" or "Thanks for the help" mid battle, or warns you to use magic conservatively, and if you have Norma in battle, after the battle is over, Norma will sometimes hug Senel causing Chloe to get jealous (Senel doesn't know why she's upset).
In order for this thing to be done well, it must characterize participants in the task, and because of that, I don't view there as any difference between a single added line and a voiceover. There's a huge difference on the other hand between talking/battling/buying/reading books and having them do it, and having it pop up while walking around (SHUT UP JASTER!)
I'd write this off as a feature that can only be done well with VA work. I played and beat Warriors Orochi 3 which only had Japanese VA and I despised trying to read what everybody was saying while also trying to play the game. I'll take the awful / campy / YOU FLAMING IDIOTS * VA work of Dynasty Warriors 3 again before trying to read every character line in battle again. Plus it lets your ears do something besides listen to music / audio cues to perform frame precise tricks.
* read: Glorious
Nier did this kind of banter perfectly. None of Darken's issues apply because there are no repeated one liners or "Lighting Bolt! Lighting Bolt!" / "Time to get serious!" / "I'll get you next time Gadget!". Its all written and said for one specific moment in the game. Starting a side quest, finishing, fighting a boss, or exploring a place for the first time. The nop notch writing and VA work helps a lot too.
Also there's this:
Personally for a text game I'd bite the bullet and go for short mid-battle cutscenes like Legend of Cao Cao. Meet a trigger requirement, usually getting two characters adjacent to each other, and they'll talk for a bit. Or more! Sometimes to your benefit (Xiahou Yuan vs Liu Pi), sometimes not (Xiahou Yuan vs Huang Zhong or Pang De vs Zhou Cang).
* read: Glorious
Nier did this kind of banter perfectly. None of Darken's issues apply because there are no repeated one liners or "Lighting Bolt! Lighting Bolt!" / "Time to get serious!" / "I'll get you next time Gadget!". Its all written and said for one specific moment in the game. Starting a side quest, finishing, fighting a boss, or exploring a place for the first time. The nop notch writing and VA work helps a lot too.
Also there's this:
Personally for a text game I'd bite the bullet and go for short mid-battle cutscenes like Legend of Cao Cao. Meet a trigger requirement, usually getting two characters adjacent to each other, and they'll talk for a bit. Or more! Sometimes to your benefit (Xiahou Yuan vs Liu Pi), sometimes not (Xiahou Yuan vs Huang Zhong or Pang De vs Zhou Cang).
Personally, I was thinking about "floating text" from the older Fallout games, but the newer ones have people say random stuff without being prompted.
Darken
3952
Ah yes Nier. One of the few games where the characters actually talked about the sidequest they were on rather then it feeling more like a filler thing because the character just remains silent unless you do something important.. I think it helps that you have a sidekick as a floating book as conversations can be done while running and doing stuff.
Still need to beat that game though.
Still need to beat that game though.
Pages:
1
