NPC communication is flawed.

[Rageburst]

NPC communication:
While I\'m sure that some people enjoy typing \"How are you\" \"I would like a sword\" and so on, I personally feel that this communication feature will get old very quickly to the point that it will be tiresomely redundant to type this stuff.

I\'d prefer a simple dialog box that pops up once you click an npc giving intuitive button choosing interaction.

For example, once you click a blacksmith, a dialog box pops up.

In the box, you see \"Good day, need any weapons or armor?\"

Under that question are buttons:
\"Yes, I\'d like to see your weapons.\"
\"Yes, I\'d like to see your armors/shields.\"

It\'s more implementation than a proximity chat with npcs, but is this game gonna be of professional quality or what?

You already have some sort of chat box. It\'s likely you\'ll know how to implement some npc communication interface that\'s better than chat proximity.

[PkEddie]

I like that idea, it would make communication with NPC far less complicated

[Xandria]

Although the dialog box option is a bit simpler for the day-to-day tasks of your character\'s life I can see how it would make something else a lot more difficult: questing.

Just think about it, how interesting would it be if all you had to do to complete a quest was talk to NPC at point A then talk to NPC at point B and then return information back to the NPC at point A.  This new alternative would actually make you have to think about questing.  When you are given a quest, you must think about it and figure out who you should talk to.  Sure, you could do this with the dialog method, but with the way I have seen it implemented in some games it doesn\'t leave much room for flexibility, especially if you\'re working in a group.  Most of the time you are forced to talk to everybody in order to continue on.  If you are forced to figure it out on your own, you can take more interesting measures to get things done.

You could get a quest, find a group, and delegate tasks to each person.  Then each person could go do their part, and everyone could come together at the end to solve the puzzle.  With the standard \"pick and choose your dialogue\" method, the game wouldn\'t know that you have acquired this information from other players (possibly, but not likely).

It\'s hard to say, because there hasn\'t been enough of this questing in the game yet to judge how well it works, methinks.

[Wormtail_]

I agree with Xandria about the fact that Planeshift\'s method of NPC-Player communication is fine as it is. Like Xandria already said, the method requires people to think, not mindlessly click. Or push buttons. The method suggested, while many RPGs have it, does have its limitations, many of which are major. Wizardry 8 had you type in something to talk to a NPC, and it was interesting doing that, in my opinion.

Anyway, limitations of the suggested method are all too obvious. One, you can only say certain things to certain people. Not realistic. For another, you can\'t ask anyone for recent news, what\'s happening, where you are if you\'re lost in a city, and so on. I\'d rather have a smith give me directions if I were lost than have him/her force me to buy a copper knife.

So maybe you don\'t want to talk to loads of NPCs looking for a quest to do and only 1 out of 100 has one for you. Neither do I. However, there is this really cool thing called \'asking.\' Here is how it would work. You ask for a quest. NPC does not have one for you, but knows where you can get one. You ask where you can get one, and NPC answers. Also, perhaps there can be tones of voices, like threatening, polite, angry, drunk, and so on.

Also, speaking with NPCs with the chatbox thingamajig can be used for asking how you do a certain thing. I remember in RS I could not figure out a way to milk a cow. I tried using a jug, but it failed every time. I was too embarresed to ask anyone else. Perhaps NPCs can help out with things that you can\'t get the courage to ask other players about. Of course, there is always the chance the NPC will point and laugh at you...

Just my confused thoughts on, erm, paper.

[logan_dugenoux]

If you in any shop, maybe there could be a button \"show me your weapons\", because players are mainly here for that, but that doesn\'t forbids you to chat freely with the shoptender. So quick and common actions are easier to do, and you can still talk.
You click on the man and then a box
\"Would you like to ...
1- See weapons ?
2-See potions ?
3-Take my wife upstairs ?
else, simply tell me what you want\"
so the player types 1, 2 or 3 in the chat for example, or he can still say \"what about the wolf that kills sheeps around ?\" to gather info about his quest.
It\'s very flexible.
Don\'t forget that simple actions should be simple. So why not offer \"templates\" instead of typing hundreds of time \"show me your weapons\"

[Rulzern]

Have any of you played The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall?

Poifect!

EDIT: another thing, if you get a quest to ask some dude about some evil wolf who has eaten a village, you get a button to do that, no matter if the person is the correct person to ask or not, since you will ask everybody about that anyway.

Oh, and if you\'re to chickenshit to ask other players how to milk a cow, IMHO, you have a self-esteem problem

[logan_dugenoux]

Yes, but in the RPG style, it\'s nice to \"chat\" with NPC. For now, there are quests, and this is the only aim of a player, but imagine a world where NPC are intelligent and thy can tell you where is the church, or what\'s gonna be the weather tomorrow ?
it\'s far from being implemented, but it could be so realistic ! it\'s a important point for me, the game should be realistic...

[elminster]

Originally posted by logan_dugenoux
...
You click on the man and then a box
\"Would you like to ...
1- See weapons ?
2-See potions ?
3-Take my wife upstairs ?
else, simply tell me what you want\"
...
Don\'t forget that simple actions should be simple. So why not offer \"templates\" instead of typing hundreds of time \"show me your weapons\"

THIS should be done! Keep simple things *simple*! While if you need compicated speech, then have it too!

[Decaying Angel]

Why not click on the NPC to get normal things done, like buying weapons, asking directions etc. There would still be the option of just talking to the NPC.

IMHO today\'s techniques aren\'t good enough to succesfully implent this method of talking to the NPC\'s. If you look at Neverwinter Nights for example, where you get dialogue boxes, but you can also set listening patterns in special cases. (perhaps also a good suggestion)

Maybe as long as technology is failing, we shouldn\'t change a winning formula.

PS. I do like they way they\'ve done it. Sure, it isn\'t perfect, but I haven\'t seen any RPG that even dared to really have a go at it. Thumbs up for PS crew!!!

[Rulzern]

You COULD get a pretty good speech system, but it would require A LOT of work to feel even semi-natural, the current system is useless from the foundation up, as far as i\'ve understood.

[acraig]

Originally posted by Rulzern
You COULD get a pretty good speech system, but it would require A LOT of work to feel even semi-natural, the current system is useless from the foundation up, as far as i\'ve understood.

That\'s a pretty bald statement to make at this point.  Sure it is hard to get NPC\'s to understand what you are saying sometimes but you have to realize that this is very EARLY npc\'s with only a limited vocab.   It\'s like trying to talk to a baby.  We keep track of everything that a NPC doesn\'t understand and we will periodically update their vocab to understand this.   I believe that this is a good system but need to give it a chance to grow first.