1st February 2005, 6:54 PM
(This post was last modified: 1st February 2005, 7:05 PM by Dark Jaguar.)
Ya know, I see what you mean ABF. Actually, thinking a little further, I think I idolized the whole conversation method in MGS2 a bit much, that is, the lack of control of anything except IF you talk. Conversation options are always nice, and honestly that COULD have been done in MGS2 now that I think about it. The end results of the conversation options would need to end in pretty much the same way, that is, the person you are talking to can't be controlled via conversation in any way. As for cinemas, I mentioned this before but I'm seeing more places where it would work in MGS2, being able to control the main character at least a lot more in those would be nice. That is, when Snake is escaping the sinking ship, I should be the one doing the escaping.
In a game with any other story, dialog options I do believe are always nice when done right. For example, Zelda, starting with LTTP, made a habbit out of fake choices. OOT had the worst offenses :D. You know, things like "Do you have that shining stone?". You are given the choice, while staring into that hopeful shining face :D, of saying yes or no. Now, if you answer no, she just basically repeats herself until you say yes. That's not a REAL choice. A real conversation option would have had special consequences based on what you select. Selecting "No" could have led to a different story thing taking place. Instead of Impa showing up and escorting you out, for example, Zelda could have kept talking to you about Ganondorf, not really revealing much new info, but during it you are led, oh I dunno, into the castle through some secret passage. Selecting "no" gets you a nice secret passage, while selecting "yes" gets you another secret passage out of the castle. A REAL choice with real consequences. Also, with things like that, some serious replay value.
PC RPGs have LOTS of converstation options. So do a number of PC adventures. Sometimes this is appreciated. Sometimes, it's a little annoying when nothing you say to them really effects anything else. For a good example, talking to some NPC you may get the chance to ask about a lot of topics. Now, beforehand the NPC tells you they can only tell you a little and after that they have to go or risk getting caught. Each option includes some key password you need, for example info about the guard's outpost, or info about the tavern down the street. Once you pick something, the guy is gone and you are stuck with that choice. Or, for something a lot deeper, a conversation wherein you have a LOT of choices of responses. For example, you can ask about a lot of things, but as you ask you start setting that NPC's opinion of you, like if you ask about a lot of people and upon them asking you if you want to know more you keep saying "I have something else I want to ask you", they start getting nervous. Or, if you keep selecting rude options, or like for example you ask some key question that makes them lie to you if you ask another question. For example, if you ask a question that reveals you are an outsider, when you ask later about the commander's room they lie to you and an ambush is set up in that false room, but if you ask about the room first, they tell the truth.
Those are good examples. A bad example is having a lot of choices but you can just say whatever you want in whatever order with whatever followup response with no effect at all. However, if that NPC is revealing THAT much information, at the very least it's good that you can choose to only have to go through the info heading you want instead of having to click through a whole lot of info you didn't want on top of it.
In a game with any other story, dialog options I do believe are always nice when done right. For example, Zelda, starting with LTTP, made a habbit out of fake choices. OOT had the worst offenses :D. You know, things like "Do you have that shining stone?". You are given the choice, while staring into that hopeful shining face :D, of saying yes or no. Now, if you answer no, she just basically repeats herself until you say yes. That's not a REAL choice. A real conversation option would have had special consequences based on what you select. Selecting "No" could have led to a different story thing taking place. Instead of Impa showing up and escorting you out, for example, Zelda could have kept talking to you about Ganondorf, not really revealing much new info, but during it you are led, oh I dunno, into the castle through some secret passage. Selecting "no" gets you a nice secret passage, while selecting "yes" gets you another secret passage out of the castle. A REAL choice with real consequences. Also, with things like that, some serious replay value.
PC RPGs have LOTS of converstation options. So do a number of PC adventures. Sometimes this is appreciated. Sometimes, it's a little annoying when nothing you say to them really effects anything else. For a good example, talking to some NPC you may get the chance to ask about a lot of topics. Now, beforehand the NPC tells you they can only tell you a little and after that they have to go or risk getting caught. Each option includes some key password you need, for example info about the guard's outpost, or info about the tavern down the street. Once you pick something, the guy is gone and you are stuck with that choice. Or, for something a lot deeper, a conversation wherein you have a LOT of choices of responses. For example, you can ask about a lot of things, but as you ask you start setting that NPC's opinion of you, like if you ask about a lot of people and upon them asking you if you want to know more you keep saying "I have something else I want to ask you", they start getting nervous. Or, if you keep selecting rude options, or like for example you ask some key question that makes them lie to you if you ask another question. For example, if you ask a question that reveals you are an outsider, when you ask later about the commander's room they lie to you and an ambush is set up in that false room, but if you ask about the room first, they tell the truth.
Those are good examples. A bad example is having a lot of choices but you can just say whatever you want in whatever order with whatever followup response with no effect at all. However, if that NPC is revealing THAT much information, at the very least it's good that you can choose to only have to go through the info heading you want instead of having to click through a whole lot of info you didn't want on top of it.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)