Post by Cal on Aug 6, 2015 3:00:45 GMT -8
Dynamic NPC Dialogue
This topic is here for the sake of discussing the future of storytelling in videogames through the use of Dynamic NPC Dialogue. I hope to bring in people of very different gaming backgrounds who have very different things they look for in a game. I think the more variety of people we bring into the discussion, the more groundbreaking ideas we can brainstorm.
I strongly encourage everybody to share their opinions, and don't worry if an idea sounds crazy, it might just spark the next big thing in gaming and storytelling.
Let's just throw all of out ideas out there and see what kind of awesome experience we can make.
The Goal -
When it comes to interacting with npcs, companions especially, I think there are 3 major things that really draw a player to that character. I think these 3 factors are the main things that should be focused on during the creation of any new npc regardless of what kind of game it is.
These 3 factors are...
1. Does this character have an interesting story? This is pretty straight forward, the story behind a character can make or break any interaction no matter how dynamic you make that interaction.
This is what separates a good companion character or settler npc in a game like Fallout from one of the fully customizable but not emotionally engaging characters in The Sims. An npc with unique quirks in their personality and an engaging backstory for the player to uncover will be much more memorable and much more easy to connect with.
2. How does the player impact the npc? Players like to see that the things they do actually make a difference in that npcs life in the game. That is what makes players begin to emotionally invest in a character and actually care to do more things with/for that companion. The player will want to see progress in the npc whether it is them being more happy or having better equipment or a better home. If what the player is doing makes a difference they will choose in invest more time and energy into it.
3. How does the npc impact the player? Companions can impact the player by giving context to the choices the player makes during the game. When the player does something during the course of the game and the companion adds their commentary and reactions it makes that action seem more real, more dynamic. Players want to be noticed for what they do, and the npcs have the ability to impact everything the player does by doing that.
Companions can also offer the player certain skill sets that wouldn't be normally available. I think it is important to have companions that offer more than just more guns, but skills such as feeding the player, healing the player, making sure the players gun is fixed. They should also be able to help in certain conversations based on areas that particular npc is skilled in. Example - Emma is an expert at robots and technology, so when you are talking to the Reaver Bishop Emma can impact that conversation by inputting information the player would not have, allowing the player more choices in how to deal with the Reaver Bishop.
I believe if you can successfully fulfill these 3 factors you will have an npc that feels both interesting and lifelike that the player will feel drawn to interacting with.
1. Build Over Time -
I hate NPCs that are simply like, "Hello person I never met before, let me tell you my whole life story all in one setting, what do you want to ask?"
It is a total overload of information, too much time spent in the dialogue screen all at once to the point where it breaks the flow of the game. It is also highly unrealistic for a person to share that much about themselves all at once without gaining some sort of trust between them and you.
Fallout is a long game, it can easily get to be over 80 hours and even more when you start modding it and playing through 4 or 5 DLCs. If you just all at once lay all the cards on the table the very first time you meet that NPC, then you will have a drawn out first experience for several minutes, and then absolutely nothing new for the whole rest of the 80 hours game. Nobody wants a companion that has had nothing new to say since 10 hours into the game, and now you are 70 hours into the game and they are still saying the exact same thing.
Having dialogue that changes based on needs and events is incredibly important to keep things from becoming stale and dead. However, just as important is having a slow trickle of dialogue that is uncovered over time throughout the game and not just all at once when you meet them.
Basically, every 6-12 hours that pass inside of the game world, the next short conversation on the list will be unlocked. This way, if that character is hanging out at your settlement then every time you go back to visit that settlement you will be able to go have another conversation with them. It just becomes part of your standard practice when you go back to your settlement to go visit your friends and see what new they have to say.
It isn't all that unlike Mass Effect, where many players are looking forward to returning to the ship after each mission so that they can go through and see what new dialogue each member of the crew has to add or what new antics are going on with such and such character.
This also allows you to break up the monotony of traveling and scavenging around the wasteland by chatting with your companions about new stuff. Each conversation is meant to be short enough to only last a minute or so. That way it will enhance the flow of the game as opposed to break it, you get just enough conversation to break up the long stretches or traveling from town to town, but not so much conversation that you are pulled away from the task at hand.
By having a slow trickle of short conversations that don't last much more than a minute, this should allow the npc to have new and interesting things to talk about deep into a game with as many hours of game play that Fallout has.
2. Multiple Story Branches -
One of the things I am looking to do with the dialogue I write is to create options. Characters should not exist in a line where dialogue just moves them from point A to point B with no variations, characters should branch out to many possibilities based on what it is the player does and says.
Based on how you interact with a companion you can move on to higher levels of conversation or be taken to alternate paths where that companion will have a different set of emotions for you.
In some cases you will have 2 paths presented to you at the same time, giving you the choice on how you want to approach those options. You can go all the way down one path or alternated between the two to create a sense of balance, it is all up to you. However, your choices will have consequences in the way that character feels about you. If you only choose flirty options without building trust, they might think you are just a sleaze and not want to continue pursuing you.
Here are a few examples of how different characters might work...
There is a basic structure that I use for all of these characters, but for every single one of them I bend and break those rules that I made to create something different, much in the same way I break up the structures that are my fundamentals for writing individual conversations. I keep to a structure with strong fundamentals and guidelines but then constantly break and bend the rules and alternating different structures often enough that nobody playing the game will ever realize that there is in fact a structure. From the outside the whole thing will seem totally organic in nature.
Kaylee for example has the standard c/f stage choice if you successfully complete her b stage. However, you can take a roundabout way of getting through all of the f stage conversations by making her hate you. By really ramping up that tension while at the same time gaining attraction you can go through z1,z2,f1,f2,f3 to unlock a path only requiring b4 and c2 with a few tidbits of dialogue added to them to get you to the dating stage in a more 'You are such a jerk and I hate you but you are a hot bad boy that I can't resist' sort of way as opposed to the more balanced approach.
Dos breaks the mold a bit more with his, "Have you me Dos?" stage, which takes an approach truly unique to him that replaces some of the more traditional stages. In the end however, the "Have you met Dos?" conversation can have the player end up realizing she likes Dos and doesn't want him to date Karen. This only applies to female characters. For males they can just introduce Dos and help him attract his crush, Karen.
The main idea is that the things the player does sends them off on different paths, but the system will plop back in the important plot point in a different order or unlocking them to get you to the conclusion you are going after, which may be friendship, may be flirting, or maybe you want to dead end with them hating you.
You will always have the option to work your way back from them hating you, but if you are into that, then you can keep it there.
It is all about player choice but at the same time being able to recycle content so that 2/3 of the dialogue doesn't get skipped over, because that is just a non efficient way of doing things.
3. Needs Based Conversations -
I have to give credit to Wowboy23 for sharing this idea with me. This is my personal interpretation and views on how I would make it work for this particular mod.
The basis of the idea is that each npc has certain needs variables assigned to them, not that unlike a game like The Sims. These variables will raise and lower and as a result will have an impact on what that character has to say to you.
The variables I was thinking about using are...
Fed / Hungry: This one is simple, your companions will need food and water and if they cannot get that they will become grumpy as a result. They will take actions like leaving to go get food or not carrying on conversations with you because they have more important concerns.
Happy / Sad: This one is a bit more open ended so that it can mean different things in the perspective of different npcs. Characters can be more happy because they like the environment or more sad because a certain faction lost an important battle.
Social / Lonely: Npcs need a degree of social interaction in their lives, some more than others. If you don't interact with a companion and you don't bring them around other people, they will begin to seek that attention and possibly act up and do annoying things to get it.
Lively / Tired: You might be able to keep running around and doing missions for days and days at a time without rest, but if your companions will start to ware out and need to stop and take a break. They might go sit down while you scavenge around or start complaining that you need to make camp. On the other hand, if they are well rested and you give them coffee or something they might get really energetic and have some different dialogue available as a result.
Entertained / Bored: Npcs want to be entertained to, so take them to go do something interesting or bring them a new comic book to read. Characters that are bored might go out and cause trouble or look for other things to do.
So, what happens is, when a certain character is very hungry and you try to talk to them, they will say something a bit different than if they are very lonely. A lonely npc will probably be very eager to talk to you and share with you and as the player you can use that to your advantage. A hungry or tired npc might not want to talk at all. Every time you can help them meet that need, it makes them feel more comfortable around you.
Part of the reason this is so important is because how long of a game Fallout can be, especially since Bethesda just announced there will be no level cap or hard ending. Some players might be playing the open world and build em up elements for 100+ hours. There is quite simply no way for me or anyone else to write that much dialogue to keep a character interesting for that much time.
By having a needs based system that is automated behind the scenes it will keep the character more interesting even when all of the scripted dialogue is all done. You will still have to interact with the character and make sure their needs are met and that they are happy long after you are done with the story.
The other reason I feel it is incredibly important to have this runs into my next topic about Investment in the character, so I will save it for my next point so you wont have to read it twice.
4. Investing in the Character -
So this in one of the big ones, the more you as the player do to help that npc, the more you emotionally invest in them.
I cannot overstate how important this is when making npcs in a videogame. When you invest your time into that story, helping that character solve their certain problem and making their life better, it isn't making that character like you any more... No, on the contrary it is making you as the player like them more each and every time.
If you do a quest to help out that character you are going to want to know more about that character. If you see that the same character is hungry you will want to take the initiative to go get them some food so you can see them happy. Through meeting their needs it creates a dynamic of not just talking to a character because of what you can get out of it but about what it means to THEM.
When you realize that your companion is getting bored or lonely so you spark up a conversation, then the game has just subtly turned everything on its head because you are now no just thinking, "what benefits me and what can I get from talking to this character", but you are talking to that character because THEY want to talk to you.
Players want to see that what they do makes an impact, that it makes a noticeable difference in the life of that character. Players want to see the standard of living for that character improve because of what he/she did. Basically, the things the player does should take that character from a low point and bring them up to a noticeably better place.
The more you work to make someone happy, the more you are going to care about them and what happens to them.
Just like in the real world, you fall in love with those that you do stuff for and not those that do stuff for you.
5. Impacted by the Player -
6. Realistic Social Responses -
The number one thing I see that videogames get totally backwards is the totally upside down and over simplified social responses you get from different kind of behavior, this is most apparent when games try to have characters you can romance.
Basically, in every videogame I have ever player, having a successful relationship with a character consists only of always clicking the top option. All you have to do as the player is continually agree with the npc and continually say what they want to hear and you will have a successful romance.
Obviously in the real world things do not work like that. If you were to go around just always agreeing with someone and always trying to please them you would come off as a very weak and needy person. Interpersonal relationships are far more complex than just always saying yes, and as such I try to base each npc in my mod around a different aspect of social interaction and make it a challenge in the balancing act that comes with getting close with another human.
For example, a character like Kaylee will examine the push and pull factor that comes with relationships. If you are too overly nice to her she is going to think you are needy or that you are trying to manipulate and get something out of her. She is not going to trust you unless she starts to earn that attention you are giving her. As a result you must use a certain degree of pushing her away so that she will be put in the position where she is chasing your approval and not the other way around, then you have to balance that by pulling her in by giving her some of that approval, just to push her away a bit more when she starts being a brat again.
If she is being a belligerent jerk, don't just take it, you have to call her out on it and put her in her place. Take away your approval when she isn't treating you with respect. Then when she sees you as strong and confident she will want that attention back and try to earn it.
Another example is Emma, who is the kind of person who is constantly searching for common ground to connect with someone. She is the kind of girl that will sit there and talk with you for hours and hours about a topic you both are interested in, but if you want to be anything more than her nerd buddy you will have to break that pattern through the conversations you have, otherwise you end up being friendzoned by a videogame... Which will kind of be a new low point in your life I would assume... (Don't hate me, I'm just being realistic...)
So, since I am making the dynamics more complicated, it is only fair to have a character there that can help guide you when you start messing things up. As a result the dynamic of Cal is that he gives the player advice on what makes each npc tick, what to do to be successful in a romance, and what you are doing wrong and need to adjust.
Basically, instead of just clicking the top option every time, there is an actual game dynamic with all the strategies and challenges that come with it.
This topic is here for the sake of discussing the future of storytelling in videogames through the use of Dynamic NPC Dialogue. I hope to bring in people of very different gaming backgrounds who have very different things they look for in a game. I think the more variety of people we bring into the discussion, the more groundbreaking ideas we can brainstorm.
I strongly encourage everybody to share their opinions, and don't worry if an idea sounds crazy, it might just spark the next big thing in gaming and storytelling.
Let's just throw all of out ideas out there and see what kind of awesome experience we can make.
The Goal -
When it comes to interacting with npcs, companions especially, I think there are 3 major things that really draw a player to that character. I think these 3 factors are the main things that should be focused on during the creation of any new npc regardless of what kind of game it is.
These 3 factors are...
1. Does this character have an interesting story? This is pretty straight forward, the story behind a character can make or break any interaction no matter how dynamic you make that interaction.
This is what separates a good companion character or settler npc in a game like Fallout from one of the fully customizable but not emotionally engaging characters in The Sims. An npc with unique quirks in their personality and an engaging backstory for the player to uncover will be much more memorable and much more easy to connect with.
2. How does the player impact the npc? Players like to see that the things they do actually make a difference in that npcs life in the game. That is what makes players begin to emotionally invest in a character and actually care to do more things with/for that companion. The player will want to see progress in the npc whether it is them being more happy or having better equipment or a better home. If what the player is doing makes a difference they will choose in invest more time and energy into it.
3. How does the npc impact the player? Companions can impact the player by giving context to the choices the player makes during the game. When the player does something during the course of the game and the companion adds their commentary and reactions it makes that action seem more real, more dynamic. Players want to be noticed for what they do, and the npcs have the ability to impact everything the player does by doing that.
Companions can also offer the player certain skill sets that wouldn't be normally available. I think it is important to have companions that offer more than just more guns, but skills such as feeding the player, healing the player, making sure the players gun is fixed. They should also be able to help in certain conversations based on areas that particular npc is skilled in. Example - Emma is an expert at robots and technology, so when you are talking to the Reaver Bishop Emma can impact that conversation by inputting information the player would not have, allowing the player more choices in how to deal with the Reaver Bishop.
I believe if you can successfully fulfill these 3 factors you will have an npc that feels both interesting and lifelike that the player will feel drawn to interacting with.
1. Build Over Time -
I hate NPCs that are simply like, "Hello person I never met before, let me tell you my whole life story all in one setting, what do you want to ask?"
It is a total overload of information, too much time spent in the dialogue screen all at once to the point where it breaks the flow of the game. It is also highly unrealistic for a person to share that much about themselves all at once without gaining some sort of trust between them and you.
Fallout is a long game, it can easily get to be over 80 hours and even more when you start modding it and playing through 4 or 5 DLCs. If you just all at once lay all the cards on the table the very first time you meet that NPC, then you will have a drawn out first experience for several minutes, and then absolutely nothing new for the whole rest of the 80 hours game. Nobody wants a companion that has had nothing new to say since 10 hours into the game, and now you are 70 hours into the game and they are still saying the exact same thing.
Having dialogue that changes based on needs and events is incredibly important to keep things from becoming stale and dead. However, just as important is having a slow trickle of dialogue that is uncovered over time throughout the game and not just all at once when you meet them.
Basically, every 6-12 hours that pass inside of the game world, the next short conversation on the list will be unlocked. This way, if that character is hanging out at your settlement then every time you go back to visit that settlement you will be able to go have another conversation with them. It just becomes part of your standard practice when you go back to your settlement to go visit your friends and see what new they have to say.
It isn't all that unlike Mass Effect, where many players are looking forward to returning to the ship after each mission so that they can go through and see what new dialogue each member of the crew has to add or what new antics are going on with such and such character.
This also allows you to break up the monotony of traveling and scavenging around the wasteland by chatting with your companions about new stuff. Each conversation is meant to be short enough to only last a minute or so. That way it will enhance the flow of the game as opposed to break it, you get just enough conversation to break up the long stretches or traveling from town to town, but not so much conversation that you are pulled away from the task at hand.
By having a slow trickle of short conversations that don't last much more than a minute, this should allow the npc to have new and interesting things to talk about deep into a game with as many hours of game play that Fallout has.
2. Multiple Story Branches -
One of the things I am looking to do with the dialogue I write is to create options. Characters should not exist in a line where dialogue just moves them from point A to point B with no variations, characters should branch out to many possibilities based on what it is the player does and says.
Based on how you interact with a companion you can move on to higher levels of conversation or be taken to alternate paths where that companion will have a different set of emotions for you.
In some cases you will have 2 paths presented to you at the same time, giving you the choice on how you want to approach those options. You can go all the way down one path or alternated between the two to create a sense of balance, it is all up to you. However, your choices will have consequences in the way that character feels about you. If you only choose flirty options without building trust, they might think you are just a sleaze and not want to continue pursuing you.
Here are a few examples of how different characters might work...
There is a basic structure that I use for all of these characters, but for every single one of them I bend and break those rules that I made to create something different, much in the same way I break up the structures that are my fundamentals for writing individual conversations. I keep to a structure with strong fundamentals and guidelines but then constantly break and bend the rules and alternating different structures often enough that nobody playing the game will ever realize that there is in fact a structure. From the outside the whole thing will seem totally organic in nature.
Kaylee for example has the standard c/f stage choice if you successfully complete her b stage. However, you can take a roundabout way of getting through all of the f stage conversations by making her hate you. By really ramping up that tension while at the same time gaining attraction you can go through z1,z2,f1,f2,f3 to unlock a path only requiring b4 and c2 with a few tidbits of dialogue added to them to get you to the dating stage in a more 'You are such a jerk and I hate you but you are a hot bad boy that I can't resist' sort of way as opposed to the more balanced approach.
Dos breaks the mold a bit more with his, "Have you me Dos?" stage, which takes an approach truly unique to him that replaces some of the more traditional stages. In the end however, the "Have you met Dos?" conversation can have the player end up realizing she likes Dos and doesn't want him to date Karen. This only applies to female characters. For males they can just introduce Dos and help him attract his crush, Karen.
The main idea is that the things the player does sends them off on different paths, but the system will plop back in the important plot point in a different order or unlocking them to get you to the conclusion you are going after, which may be friendship, may be flirting, or maybe you want to dead end with them hating you.
You will always have the option to work your way back from them hating you, but if you are into that, then you can keep it there.
It is all about player choice but at the same time being able to recycle content so that 2/3 of the dialogue doesn't get skipped over, because that is just a non efficient way of doing things.
3. Needs Based Conversations -
I have to give credit to Wowboy23 for sharing this idea with me. This is my personal interpretation and views on how I would make it work for this particular mod.
The basis of the idea is that each npc has certain needs variables assigned to them, not that unlike a game like The Sims. These variables will raise and lower and as a result will have an impact on what that character has to say to you.
The variables I was thinking about using are...
Fed / Hungry: This one is simple, your companions will need food and water and if they cannot get that they will become grumpy as a result. They will take actions like leaving to go get food or not carrying on conversations with you because they have more important concerns.
Happy / Sad: This one is a bit more open ended so that it can mean different things in the perspective of different npcs. Characters can be more happy because they like the environment or more sad because a certain faction lost an important battle.
Social / Lonely: Npcs need a degree of social interaction in their lives, some more than others. If you don't interact with a companion and you don't bring them around other people, they will begin to seek that attention and possibly act up and do annoying things to get it.
Lively / Tired: You might be able to keep running around and doing missions for days and days at a time without rest, but if your companions will start to ware out and need to stop and take a break. They might go sit down while you scavenge around or start complaining that you need to make camp. On the other hand, if they are well rested and you give them coffee or something they might get really energetic and have some different dialogue available as a result.
Entertained / Bored: Npcs want to be entertained to, so take them to go do something interesting or bring them a new comic book to read. Characters that are bored might go out and cause trouble or look for other things to do.
So, what happens is, when a certain character is very hungry and you try to talk to them, they will say something a bit different than if they are very lonely. A lonely npc will probably be very eager to talk to you and share with you and as the player you can use that to your advantage. A hungry or tired npc might not want to talk at all. Every time you can help them meet that need, it makes them feel more comfortable around you.
Part of the reason this is so important is because how long of a game Fallout can be, especially since Bethesda just announced there will be no level cap or hard ending. Some players might be playing the open world and build em up elements for 100+ hours. There is quite simply no way for me or anyone else to write that much dialogue to keep a character interesting for that much time.
By having a needs based system that is automated behind the scenes it will keep the character more interesting even when all of the scripted dialogue is all done. You will still have to interact with the character and make sure their needs are met and that they are happy long after you are done with the story.
The other reason I feel it is incredibly important to have this runs into my next topic about Investment in the character, so I will save it for my next point so you wont have to read it twice.
4. Investing in the Character -
So this in one of the big ones, the more you as the player do to help that npc, the more you emotionally invest in them.
I cannot overstate how important this is when making npcs in a videogame. When you invest your time into that story, helping that character solve their certain problem and making their life better, it isn't making that character like you any more... No, on the contrary it is making you as the player like them more each and every time.
If you do a quest to help out that character you are going to want to know more about that character. If you see that the same character is hungry you will want to take the initiative to go get them some food so you can see them happy. Through meeting their needs it creates a dynamic of not just talking to a character because of what you can get out of it but about what it means to THEM.
When you realize that your companion is getting bored or lonely so you spark up a conversation, then the game has just subtly turned everything on its head because you are now no just thinking, "what benefits me and what can I get from talking to this character", but you are talking to that character because THEY want to talk to you.
Players want to see that what they do makes an impact, that it makes a noticeable difference in the life of that character. Players want to see the standard of living for that character improve because of what he/she did. Basically, the things the player does should take that character from a low point and bring them up to a noticeably better place.
The more you work to make someone happy, the more you are going to care about them and what happens to them.
Just like in the real world, you fall in love with those that you do stuff for and not those that do stuff for you.
5. Impacted by the Player -
6. Realistic Social Responses -
The number one thing I see that videogames get totally backwards is the totally upside down and over simplified social responses you get from different kind of behavior, this is most apparent when games try to have characters you can romance.
Basically, in every videogame I have ever player, having a successful relationship with a character consists only of always clicking the top option. All you have to do as the player is continually agree with the npc and continually say what they want to hear and you will have a successful romance.
Obviously in the real world things do not work like that. If you were to go around just always agreeing with someone and always trying to please them you would come off as a very weak and needy person. Interpersonal relationships are far more complex than just always saying yes, and as such I try to base each npc in my mod around a different aspect of social interaction and make it a challenge in the balancing act that comes with getting close with another human.
For example, a character like Kaylee will examine the push and pull factor that comes with relationships. If you are too overly nice to her she is going to think you are needy or that you are trying to manipulate and get something out of her. She is not going to trust you unless she starts to earn that attention you are giving her. As a result you must use a certain degree of pushing her away so that she will be put in the position where she is chasing your approval and not the other way around, then you have to balance that by pulling her in by giving her some of that approval, just to push her away a bit more when she starts being a brat again.
If she is being a belligerent jerk, don't just take it, you have to call her out on it and put her in her place. Take away your approval when she isn't treating you with respect. Then when she sees you as strong and confident she will want that attention back and try to earn it.
Another example is Emma, who is the kind of person who is constantly searching for common ground to connect with someone. She is the kind of girl that will sit there and talk with you for hours and hours about a topic you both are interested in, but if you want to be anything more than her nerd buddy you will have to break that pattern through the conversations you have, otherwise you end up being friendzoned by a videogame... Which will kind of be a new low point in your life I would assume... (Don't hate me, I'm just being realistic...)
So, since I am making the dynamics more complicated, it is only fair to have a character there that can help guide you when you start messing things up. As a result the dynamic of Cal is that he gives the player advice on what makes each npc tick, what to do to be successful in a romance, and what you are doing wrong and need to adjust.
Basically, instead of just clicking the top option every time, there is an actual game dynamic with all the strategies and challenges that come with it.
