Question about the dialogue in Gameinformer

[Mulatdood]

I'm looking at the diolog on page 45, and it seems that no matter what diolog path you select, you end up at the same place. This makes me wonder. To what extent to the choices you make affect the outcome of the game?

[Humodour]

I'm looking at the diolog on page 45, and it seems that no matter what diolog path you select, you end up at the same place. This makes me wonder. To what extent to the choices you make affect the outcome of the game?

 

Really? I actually assumed they wouldn't do this. So basically you get 3 different tones of conversation but they all lead to the same place?

 

Yeah, that's really "going to make me change the way I think about RPGs".

[Cycloneman]

What happens in the example dialogue is that you talk to Scarlet Lake. Between the two dialogues given, the tone, lines, and her general response to Michael are different, but at the end of each, she basically asks, "What brings you to these parts/what's your job?" In one, Michael is flirty all the way through. In the other, he switches to "huge jerk" mode for a brief moment rather than "cool and professional" like he is the rest of it.

 

Her response in the first is pretty good stuff, funny and intelligent, with a couple nice burns thrown in. Her response in the second comes off as more prying into Mike.

 

The overall flow of each one isn't really comparable, but here's the last line for each:

"So, Mike, when you're not getting shot down, what do you do with yourself that would bring you out to this part of the world?"

 

"If you don't mind me asking, what do you do that would make you want to come out here?"

 

So, yeah, there's probably some overlap so that each conversation doesn't end up having tons of different ways to go. I mean, if you get to choose options ten times over the course of a conversation, that's a little over fifty thousand different ways it could go. Overlapping like that would definitely help keep production values down.

Edited March 21, 2008 by Cycloneman

[H]

What are you talking about? Here's an exact quote:

 

For example, we witnessed Michael's first encounter with a photojournalist named Scarlet Lake on a plane. The conversation can go one of several ways, and unlike many RPGs, the responses you choose affect more than just what your character says - they also affect how the other person responds. That may not sound novel at first, but every RPG fan out there has been disappointed to realize that an NPC was going to say the exact same thing regardless of player input.

Looks like the devs are going after fewer, but more fleshed out choices. Fine by me. The article also states that different stances lead to different results. Mixing stances in the same conversation also yields a different outcome.

[Cycloneman]

Was going to edit this into my last post, but then H

Edited March 21, 2008 by Cycloneman

[Enoch]

I think that the example in the magazine is probably a poor one to highlight for this point. It's an introduction for a new character. Regardless of the stance taken by the player, the devs want to at least get us to the point where we know something about her backstory and personality, which is right where the excerpted conversation left off. The real divergence between the different conversation stances probably comes with the hero's response to her introduction.

[Sand]

What the developers say and what will be in the finished product may be wildly different.

[SteveThaiBinh]

Does the article mention whether the dialogue is voiced yet?

[walkerguy]

Does the article mention whether the dialogue is voiced yet?

 

Looking right now and I don't see anything so far.

[Cycloneman]

Looking right now and I don't see anything so far.

Isn't there something about them not quite having nailed down how often to insert player choices? Wouldn't that probably mean they haven't gotten the voice acting done? I mean, for gameplay-based dialogue (like the article says the game has) you pretty much gotta nail gameplay down before script before voice acting.

 

Oh shoot, I just realized something: in the particular example given, there would probably just be three responses that Michael could make after the "reset" (ie when Scarlet asks "what do you do/what brings you here?").

 

What I mean, is, that the dialogue tree might work like this:

[bunch of free-flowing dialogue]

[specific constant idea conveyed in different ways each time]

[then one answer/response for each mood]

 

So, for the question that's asked at the end of the example conversation, the answers could be the same for each. I mean, being curt in response to one could easily be the same as being curt in response to the other.

 

So, there would actually be just 119 different lines in that method.

[dan107]

Does the article mention whether the dialogue is voiced yet?

 

It didn't mention it specifically, but it's inconceivable to me that they would do a conversation system like that without full VO. I think that they're going for ME style cinematics, and you can't do something like that with just subtitles.

[Cycloneman]

Does the article mention whether the dialogue is voiced yet?

 

It didn't mention it specifically, but it's inconceivable to me that they would do a conversation system like that without full VO. I think that they're going for ME style cinematics, and you can't do something like that with just subtitles.

Well, obviously the finished game will has voice acting, but the question is, does it have it now?

[funcroc]

I wonder if the Influence System will be implemented in Alpha Protocol.

[Xard]

Unlikely as I don't see how companions could be implemented

[Zoma]

Gaining influence with the chicks similar as how the protagonist does it in Farenheit through love making sessions via quick time events would be yuuuum.

 

Bah. If only Hot Coffee didn't happend.

[Pop]

I wonder if the Influence System will be implemented in Alpha Protocol.

AP looks like a solo game, as Xard pointed out, but why does Influence have to be confined to CNPCs? If there are constantly reccuring NPCs (there might not be) you could easily implement an Influence system with them.

[walkerguy]

Looking right now and I don't see anything so far.

Isn't there something about them not quite having nailed down how often to insert player choices? Wouldn't that probably mean they haven't gotten the voice acting done? I mean, for gameplay-based dialogue (like the article says the game has) you pretty much gotta nail gameplay down before script before voice acting.

 

Oh shoot, I just realized something: in the particular example given, there would probably just be three responses that Michael could make after the "reset" (ie when Scarlet asks "what do you do/what brings you here?").

 

What I mean, is, that the dialogue tree might work like this:

[bunch of free-flowing dialogue]

[specific constant idea conveyed in different ways each time]

[then one answer/response for each mood]

 

So, for the question that's asked at the end of the example conversation, the answers could be the same for each. I mean, being curt in response to one could easily be the same as being curt in response to the other.

 

So, there would actually be just 119 different lines in that method.

 

I was under the impression you pick a mood and it gives the response with it all being voiced. Example:

 

Scarlet: "Why are you in this part of the world?" * of course NPC voiced*

 

>

 

You chose: >

 

Thorton: "None of your bussiness." *actually voiced*

 

Rather than like in KOTOR 2 when you can't speak, only selecting an option.

[Cycloneman]

I was under the impression you pick a mood and it gives the response with it all being voiced. Example:

 

Scarlet: "Why are you in this part of the world?" * of course NPC voiced*

 

>

 

You chose: >

 

Thorton: "None of your bussiness." *actually voiced*

 

Rather than like in KOTOR 2 when you can't speak, only selecting an option.

Right, I'm pretty sure that's it will use a voice actor for Michael, too. But since the question was "Does the article mention whether the dialogue is voiced yet?" And the article says "the development team is still determining the specific points at which the player will input commands." Of course, it's possible that they've got some dialogue already done to help test the engine, but it sure doesn't seem likely that they'd have much of it voiced if they haven't quite figured out how to have the dialogue system work.

[walkerguy]

Yes, what I was starting to elaborate was a bit off topic. I agree at least some voicing has likely been done, even if not by the final voice actors. For example, Halo 2 was voiced by others, the developers I guess, before it was finalized with the actual voice actors. Probably its safe to say all games do it. However, AP can't be close to its final voicing.

[Master Assassin]

Does the article mention whether the dialogue is voiced yet?

 

It didn't mention it specifically, but it's inconceivable to me that they would do a conversation system like that without full VO. I think that they're going for ME style cinematics, and you can't do something like that with just subtitles.

 

I agree; at this stage in the gaming world, written text for dialog would seem 'last year' by comparison with games already being released.

[Shryke]

voice acting for cinematics will surely be in

 

though i do hope they include an option to add written subtitles, because i always read faster than they speak

[Alvin Nelson]

I love Voice Acting in games! Though i never mind that Mario never speaks.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

If only Hot Coffee didn't happend.

 

Yeah, a "BIG THANKS" to Rockstar for that...

[Xard]

...I like coffee

[Xard]

Except I don't, I much prefer drinking tea

 

But what bad did Hot Coffee mod do agai?