This is a cool way to do modern dialogue

? :| Portraits are kind of redundant in a game with close-up 3D models. The NPCs just need more unique appearances.

The main virtue of the style of conversation in the pics over the closeups is that it better allows conversations between a group of people, something I haven't seen much of in SotA or done well, or done by people who are doing things and moving around while talking, rather than just standing in place so they can pose for a close-up.

 

Eventually. As with most things it's all about priorities. This is pure aesthetics and doesn't effect actual gameplay or systems. So it gets pushed to the end. In the very least, all story related NPCs will get some polish sooner or later.

 

It's.. functional.. which is a minimum requirement for the current stage of development. It does what it needs to do. As far as being pretty it has a lot of room for improvement.

 

The main conversations in SotA are with persons standing in front of us, so there should be no problem to have a small window above (right/left) of the opposite person and our own "click/answer" window at the bottom of the screen.

With starting the dialogue there could be an automatic zoom, may be with showing a portrait instead of the whole body, to have more focus on the character who is talking.
If the faces are polished there would be no difference between a portrait and the character in front of us ...

 

Yea, I'm just saying its the only reasonable way to do things. Because otherwise its the NPC face + a portrait.

They *can* separate the player dialogue and NPC dialogue into two windows. There are I think a couple of considerations, in that sometimes you get game text notifying you of something like information going in your journal, or an item handed to you, or a description of something, and sometimes you get a second NPC interjecting into the conversation. So the devs would want to develop ways to handle all that, too.

Then they'd probably have to decide on whether they want the NPC dialogue window to be scrollable, and in the case that its not, they'd have to get rid of the hyperlink system and have the player rely on the keyword list. (Personally I might prefer that).

 

Also though if players have the zoom option unchecked in settings, they'd still have to do it the old way, I think, because that's potentially going to mix NPC conversation with player chat, and have them done two separate ways, and it wouldn't work well.

If NPC conversation and player chat co-exist in the same mode they have to be to done in a similar format, I think.

 

Thank you @redfish. You're right!
I think, that's one of the most important things, confusing players, because of having TWO ways to participate in dialogues:
- clicking on the underlined keyword
- clicking keywords

I also prefer the keywords style (until there would be a great parser like infocum had it in the good old times ),
because you know ecactly, what you asked before and see, what keywords still have possibilities (highlighted ones).

The only thing, they must decide, is the question, if it should be possible to enter further words to receive further information.
I thihnk, nothing speaks against, because for players who like to write text, it's okay. And this also provides possibilities to receive further hints by entering "secret" keywords. Well, the mainquest should be made by keywords on screen.
To enter furhter words could provider deeper story elements and may be some secrets (side quests) ...

 

@Paladin Michael

The hyperlinks are only there because at one point the keyword method didn't exist in the game Personally, I always thought keywords were better, if we were to choose between the two.

The main disadvantage of the keyword system in game right now is that it isn't contextual in the sense that it was in a game like U7, which makes it more difficult to use.

 

Yes, of course. It should give the feeling to be a part of the story. The more fluently it is, the better we are involved.

Because of so many clicks and passages coming again and again, often I felt out of the flow of the story.
And I think it is a really good story, but the actual model tells it in an unsatisfying way

The developer can do it in a better way. And the improvements in some parts show this:
There are moments, where the story goes "automatically" and we are in flow.
Think of the parts - and the end - of the Courage quest. So the developers have a way to push the interaction.
And the final part with the Oracle - great!

It's a pity, a lot of players don't know about, because they go off at the beginning, because of technical unpolished user interface.

The story is rich of surprises - it is complex - and part one is just a small part of it!
Because of this, I think it is extreme important, players get more in touch with the characters.
Mixed up text passages from our counterpart and us, flowing again and again through one text window is often confusing ...

Often the easy things provide it, like two separated windows.
And just ONE possibility instead of two could be a good solution

 

Yes, you're right.
So one system (the one which is more handy) polished insted of two unpolished would be great
I think the story earns a good polished interface

 

I really don't see them investing any time into drawing portraits for the hundreds of NPCs in the game. I'd rather they polish the NPC models and make all of them unique. The vast majority of NPC models in the game are unacceptable imho.

I don't mind the close-up view they have now but it's buggy as heck, in terms of camera angles, NPCs walking away from you while in conversation mode, and the conversation UI needs a total revamp if they stick with this mode. The crammed chatbox method really doesn't work that well when trying to do so many things.

While I like the suggestion in the OP, I don't see that working well with the way SotA is designed currently. It seems more suited for overhead, isometric games with sparse dialog. SotA is pretty verbose with many dialog options (keywords) and free-form text field.

Heck, just copy ESO in some ways while maintaining the keyword management and a free form text field somewhere.

 

Probably because they are purchased place holders.

 

I think, there is always a way to improve things. Why not? Focusing on one thing instead of two often works great

I just want to give an example:
The new mines with side quests for the armor of virtue are great designed. The new quests with possibilities for us to choose from different answers/solutions, are just a few things making dialogues better and giving the feeling to have more influence on our decisions ...

I think, there is no problem with improving the way the dialogue chat is provided to have a better story feeling

 

P.S.:
Equal, if NPC faces will be (re)designed (main story characters would be enough for launch!
I don't think that are hundreds) or making profiles for a unique dialogue design.
[And by the way: players using housing and vendors could participate by having a few faces to let their vendors look unique, too ]

One important part of the whole "face" of SotA is the Episode 1 story. It should be provided in the best possible way.

In the past years I often read the explanation, quests and story would take more time, because a lot of people with Portalarium are graphic designers.
Well, to design a few faces/bodies should be the same fun as designing a whole scene or some items for the add on store ...

We need as good quality inside the game as it is in the add on store.
And I think we all would say, the quality of the add on store is great!

Spoiler: But we can't say: look at the add on store and buy great story elements!

- unique faces
- unique cloths
- better dialogue engine
- more quest decisions
not enough?
- quest bundle of the Avatar!

This should be done for the people, who believe (and invested) in a great Episode 1 ...
This can't be a question of "priority".
It IS priority to have a good provided story.
If not, why would we need Tracy Hickman?
The actual "text-flood-window" with two possibilites to click (inside the window with a lot of scroll up and down and keywords) would be a shame if it wouldn't change for launch. A great story would be destroyed - "by design"

I really hope - beside all the things I posted in a lot of threads, I like the story - the last months before launch includes also the redesign of the dialogue engine.
How much fun would it be to play the four paths (again)?
Because of this I am waiting until launch with my story-reset possibility

 

I think what the devs were talking about is extending the player customization system to NPCs somehow over the long term, and customizing most of them that way, while creating a few unique models from scratch for important characters.

The player customization system though needs to be much better than it currently is IMO. Most of us still look alike despite a few differences.

 

Yes, it is good to do the necessary things first. Main characters of the story (as I listed a few above) should be done until launch.
After launch, you can't go back to start - and play a former finished path to see, how wonderful the new polished NPC's are ...
And beside this: The first impression counts for a new player.
Not, what may come next year ...

Well, I trust - watching the great improvements of quests and performance,
(only two things from the releases of the last months) -
the next step will be done:
polishing the story telling engine to be better involved in the whole story

My Christmas and New Year and Easter 2018 wish for a more successful launch!
Because a great story earns a great design.
Like a good book, which deserves a great cover
The packages and books of Ulitma can tell a lot about this ...

 

Throughout my time here on the forums, I have always have been strongly in favour of portraits.

Hand drawn. They look amazing. They make characters look unique. They can convey so many emotions! They can do so much visual trickery that'd be impossible to accomplish with a 3D model, unless you include all kinds of special effects. The kind of 3D model meshing and texturing required to even come close to the quality of hand drawn portraits, is not the kind I see SotA in-cooperating en mass. Too time consuming, too expensive, and too many.

Over at deviantart.com, gazillions of artists are eagerly awaiting new projects and commissioned work. At affordable prices.

But, chances are, you think I am a broken record. I've said it so many times, but no one in the right place will listen.

 

All other considerations aside, it would just be weird, @Jamet. You'd have a full character model you'd be staring at, and then a drawn portrait next to him which looks completely different.

It would be cool to see portrait paintings of some characters hanging on the wall in game, though.

 

I can't say what the 3D models are going to look like at the end. We've had this before, in other games. 3D models to go along with portraits. Sometimes, all they do was take a screenshot of the 3D face and enhance it with details. But I don't find that discrepancy (as) jarring, as you might. Ultima/tively the expression put into these small images gives me a great deal more to consider about a persons character. Some of these forum avatars do as well. You have these -- people please forgive me for making that statement -- boring banners on some, and they tell me exactly nothing. At least most of them do. And then there's yours. Which I think looks very interesting. I can't quite put my finger on it, but that picture conveys feelings and information to me that these patterned banners or blank slate faces from 3D models (at least the ones we'll likely be getting) never would.

Even these tiny U7 portraits, were partially made from photos. Stunning work! Yes, it might end up looking weird, sometimes. But weird I find more interesting and memorable than bland.

 

I wish we could have something similar to that