Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
ANOTHER APPROACH
A completely different approach is to think of the conversation mechanism not as
something that moves from one menu to another with each response (as in Figure
7. 5 ) , b ut a s a fl e x i b le l i s t o f o p t io n s t o w h ic h d i f f e r e nt e xc h a n ge s m ay b e a d d e d
or deleted at different times. In this approach, instead of creating menus of
exchanges, you write each exchange separately, as an individual item, and give it
its own name or number. Remember that an exchange consists of a player dialog
choice and a response from the NPC that the avatar is talking to. After each
exchange, instead of drawing arrows leading to a new menu, you would indicate
which new exchanges should be added to the current list, and which should be
deleted. This way you can easily add certain exchanges that remain in the conver-
sation permanently, without having to document them in each new menu. For
example, you can add a “That's all I wanted to know” exchange, which ends the
conversation, to the menu at the very beginning, and never delete it no matter
what else is said. That would enable the player to end the conversation at any
point. Once a subject has been raised for the first time, you could add a “Tell me
again about…” exchange to the menu, and until it is deleted, the player could
always ask to hear about that subject again.
Here's how the first few lines of the conversation in the sample dialog tree would
look using this approach. A conversation-ending dialog option, which was not in
Figure 7.5, has been included; it is Exchange 5.
Beginning Action:
Add exchanges 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 to the menu.
Exchange 1:
Player:
[Polite] “We need your help to solve a crime. Were you on 3rd Street
last night?”
Response:
“Yeah, I was coming home from a bar.”
Action:
Delete exchanges 1, 2, 3, and 4. Add exchanges 6, 7, 8, and 9.
Exchange 2:
Player:
[Neutral] “What were you doing on 3rd Street last night?”
Response:
“Getting drunk, what's it to you?”
Action:
Delete exchanges 1, 2, 3, and 4. Add exchanges 6, 7, 8, and 9.
Exchange 3:
Player:
[Direct] “We think you were involved in the shooting on 3rd Street
last night.”
Response:
“Hey, no way! Violence is not my thing, man.”
Action:
Delete exchanges 1, 2, 3, and 4. Add exchanges 10 and 11.
Exchange 4:
Player:
[Accusatory] “Keane got shot last night. We know you did it, so
start talking.”
Response:
“That's garbage, and I'm saying nothing.”
Action:
Delete exchanges 1, 2, 3, and 4. Add exchanges 12 and 13.
