[Request] Multiplayer Enhancement -Improved Dialogue System

HeroicSpur

Firstly to clarify this isn't a request for the whole/classic BG dialogue system to be reworked, it's only for additional functionality to be added to allow for a smoother multiplayer experience.

It's good that BG multiplayer allows all players to view dialogue. One problem however is that players have to communicate with each other to indicate their suggestions/if they've read the text. It is submitted this could be enhanced by adding a 'highlight' functionality. That is, the non-initiating dialogue players can 'select' their preferred option so the text changes to a different colour. The player in dialogue can therefore see that the other have read the dialogue and made their suggestions, before picking a response. I can't imagine any negative consequences arising from this, it makes things all round easier.

Dee

Rather than change the text's color, display a note, such as "Minsc prefers this option" below it.

HeroicSpur

Brilliant.

Dee

The other thing that this does is give you a hint as to your party's potential reactions, even in single player, without requiring the addition of a ton of new NPC dialogue.

HeroicSpur

That might be pushing it a bit into 'tampering with existing content' territory, but it is otherwise another excellent idea. Seeing as there is no chance of BG2 style interjections here, that might actually be a very good compromise.

The only other problem is practicality. I mean, would the potential reactions come up every time (for sp)? Even if it is limited to certain important conversations, for the dialogue choices within those you would have (khalid prefers x option...xan prefers y option...minsc prefers z option) a string of responses which might clutter the dialogue. The same is true for multiplayer, but there player responses are more important. It would also require someone to go through the dialogue and identify where each NPC would prefer a dialogue option, and what that preference would be.

Bhryaen

I'm not so sure about the NPC reaction suggestion, but the OP request for multiplayer to have a way to have all players participate in the dialogue would be nice, still leaving the dialogue-initiator as the final arbiter. Many of those who play multiplayer will be using a voice feature, so people can just discuss their preference, but it's still a good feature to add. With their cursor hovering over option 3, but option 4 lit up by several others... lol It's like a real party with the peer pressure there. It would be good if it would show how many votes other players have added to one of the dialogue options too, making it all the more consensus-driven. And woe be to the one who clicks option 3 anyway! hehe

HeroicSpur

That wouldn't be the first time that's happened Bhryaen...

Even with voice chat this feature would still be useful. It can be a bit irritating to keep having to say, 'yep, read it, option 2' several hundred times.

Tanthalas

The few times that I played Dungeon Siege III online whenever there was a chat option to select you could see which option everyone else chose (there was a small highlight at the border of the option), so I think it could be a useful feature.

Manveru

I like this very much, it makes dialogue more interactive and it gives the main PC an idea whether the other players are finished reading and ready to move on (in the dialogue)

MERLANCE

In SWTOR, whenever you are grouped and talk to an npc, everyone would pick the option they want and it would roll to see whose option would be chosen. So if you pick option 1, and the person you are playing with picked option 2... would be a 50/50 chance of picking either.

Of course, in BG theres a lot more room to pick dialogue options that will screw up the game (Youll never take me alive! then BAM -20 reputation for killing a bunch of flaming fist).

Valexio

goot