Dialogue Mechanics thread

Sept 5, 2016 11:04:40 GMT coldsteelblue said:

I've got mixed feelings on this one; yes removing it is a good thing as it won't leave us feeling as though we are shoehorned into one way of playing, but I also feel that removing it takes away a feature of the franchise.

I would prefer in all honesty to have the P/R system there but 'fully unlocked' for dialogue, that way I'm not having to play the game purely one way & I can interchange when I need to, as sometimes, there are people that just need a punch.

Finally; I can't remember where I read/heard it, I'm sure it was in a discussion about the nature of relationships (both sexual & non-sexual) in ME:A & that they were going to take a more 'organic' approach to Ryder's choices in the game, that says to me that maybe ME'A's crew are going with a DA style approval, but my info on that could be completely wrong, so slap me if so.

Anyhoo I've said me piece for now.

I don't think the morality meter really affected anything outside of "unlocking" dialogue options with the exception of minor and rather inconsequential details;

Mass Effect 1:

"At the end of Mass Effect, Shepard's morality will affect the tone of the ending conversation, regardless of whether the Council was saved or killed. If Paragon, the Presidium will be brightly-lit and the background music will be Vigil's theme. If Renegade, the Presidium will have a darker lighting, with Sovereign's theme playing in the background. The closing shot of Mass Effect always shows Shepard, but varies according to morality choices. If the commander is a Paragon, Shepard is standing empty-handed against a blue-hued planet with an unknown space station in orbit. If the commander is a Renegade, Shepard is standing against a silhouetted planet in a red nebula, holding an assault rifle."

Mass Effect 2:

"At the end of Mass Effect 2, when Shepard is having the final discussion with the Illusive Man, the star in the background will change color depending on the choice made regarding the Collector Base. If the Paragon option (destroy the base) was made, the star will be blue; if the Renegade option (to keep the base) was made, the star will be red instead. However, if Shepard died on the suicide mission, the star will be its regular red/blue color no matter what choice the Commander made."

There was how the morality meter affected Shepard's face in Mass Effect 2 but I don't recall finding the explaination to make much sense. Again, in a universe like Star Wars where the force is established including as being able to corrupt or revitalize things, this would have made sense but I don't recall the morality meter having been established as anything of such.

TL:DR: I can't see how the morality meter has any function outside of locking dialogue options. You can still have the interrupt prompts in the game since they have a function outside of the morality meter.

In regard to the section abot using the Dragon Age's approval system, that is speculation as far as I know as I think I may have been the one or one of the people who started talking about that. They've only said that they're trying to make the relationships more organic and I think not have romances be decided by flirt options alone.  I thought that presented the possibility that they intended to have relationships be affected by an approval system either like Dragon Age's or an approval system that was affected more directly by certain events and decisions.

Sept 5, 2016 14:22:57 GMT heathenoxman said:

I'm hoping for dialogue options that are sarcastic, dorky and I'd love an option for the player character to be silent from time to time. I love that in Telltale's games.  

Sept 5, 2016 14:56:00 GMT Monk said:

Sept 5, 2016 14:27:16 GMT shechinah said:

I'm hoping for dialogue options that are sarcastic, dorky and I'd love an option for the player character to be silent from time to time. I love that in Telltale's games.

What would be cool if they allowed a silent option on occasion and with it, a means to unnerve/irritate the NPC the PC's talking to. Maybe even throw in some emoted silent options as well such as frowning or scowling. One of the encounters following this could have an NPC ask Ryder if they think they're in (some RPG name referencing DAO) or something.

In Telltale's games, it can fit a lot of situations; my character might be too stunned or scared to say anything, my character might genuinely feel like they have nothing to say or add, my character might neither want to speak in favor of something nor speak in disfavor of something, my character might be defiant and my character might want to see how the other person reacts or what that person chooses to say. When done right, it is very wonderful option I feel to have when roleplaying a character.  

It was also a nice option to have when you were stuck feeling like all of the other dialogue options were either just stating the obvious or were just plain bad. I also loved choosing to be silent during defiant moments because I seldom have the chance to be badass that way. There didn't need to be a word of defiance; all of that came across plain as day in that expression. It was especially enjoyable when the playable character had an expression that basically said; "Bitch, please."

Now that I think about it, it was also nice to not have to talk to characters who were trying to get under your skin. You were not able to ignore them exactly but being silent was a nice alternative rather being forced to have a conversation with them.   

And now for the "Silence is a valid option" compilation: