Roleplay- I don't want to be nice to all NPCs to help them. I don't want to please a jerk.

ArchivedUser

So here's an idea. Instead of having the player being the kind savor to every NPC they complete a quest for, they have a subset of attitudes they can take with an NPC and eventually that webs different options toward that NPC and the friends of that NPC.

So lets say we have 5 NPC 3 are friends and 2 are not friends with anyone. The 3 friends all hate the other two. If you say beat rocks to the two non friend NPCs the 3 NPCs unlock and even greater "pal" option where you are just the greatest and they love ya.

However if you displease or even call out any of the actions of those 3 NPCs the 2 non friendly NPCs might suddenly become favorable to you. They might have valid reasons to dislike those jerks.

Creating networks where certain quests are hidden behind these social webs would be very interesting.

ArchivedUser

Perhaps some NPCs will react differently to you based on your race, your class and how you have treated other similar NPCs in the past.  Watch out who you upset....you may lose out on quest opportunities!

ArchivedUser

Personally I want to be selfish, evil and overall a bitch to the people I meet, one of the reasons I enjoyed SWTOR

ArchivedUser

The only problem I have is that usually there is no subtlety to what you pick. You either pick between corny Superman option or you pick the literally incarnation of evil and spite option.

ArchivedUser

We need the option to whip it out and slap them across the face with it.

ArchivedUser

@Zomnivore
This is just an impossible thing to solve though. There will never be a game with "dialogue options" that will make everyone happy or fulfill everyone's gameplay/style desires. If anything the emphasis on PC-PC interaction in this game makes it perhaps one of the best at being able to facilitate your desires. Shop keepers, craftspeople, mayors etc will be players and you can engage with them however you want. But with dialogue options, everyone wants something slightly different, and if you find an option with exactly what you'd want to say the delivery may not be how you want it (lack of sarcasm etc).

It's fun to dream though and I highly encourage that but I would recommend writing a little blurb about the practically of it as well, just a sentence or so would be great. So if you just want some dialogue options to be rude/evil, that's a fair ask, but to ask for dialogue options that could convey nuances and subtleties, you'd need to wait some more years before that's on the market.

ArchivedUser

I've already played games with dialogue options that had subtlety. Its not an unsolved problem. Just go play Divine Divinity Original Sin

well the problem really is a matter of production

Do you want to spend the time on making dialogue trees that can cross pollinate.

ArchivedUser

Subtlety is fine, I freaking love DOS2. My point is that you can't make everyone happy all the time with dialogue options.

But yeah I agree, the production can be tough, especially with the added layer of what's unlocked and what's gated behind nodes, world events etc. 

Personally my fave part about divinity dialogues was that you could, through completely optional conversation find out specifics & tips about a quest, get some helpful items even. So you really felt rewarded for interacting with and being part of the world and not just blazing through it.