Bay 12 Games Forum
Dwarf Fortress => DF Suggestions => Topic started by: Etherax on January 28, 2024, 12:51:03 am
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As was mentioned in the recent adventure mode roadmap post, generic dialogue can and does interrupt immersion. A simple fix (highly doubt I'm the first to suggest this) would be to narrate interactions instead of quoting them exactly. Example:
"Hello. Pleasure to meet you."
becomes
*The dwarf greets you warmly.*
The player then decides for themselves what specific wording this greeting might entail based on whatever relevant factors or context they care to entertain. Other examples might include:
*The man provides you detailed directions.*
*The guard accuses you of theft.*
*The elf accepts your truce.*
You get the idea... I don't see any problems with such a change, and it readily solves repetitive dialogue. Would welcome others' thoughts.
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We do see this a bit when asking for information, where [You receive detailed information] comes up, as well as performances being described rather than quoted. I think having dialogue can have its charm, especially when giving out specific information.
Statements of value or personality are better as dialogue,
*Kadol Umiddodok states the nuances of truth.* vs "There is no value in telling the truth thoughtlessly. Consider the circumstances and say what is best."
I think greetings are a bad example of something that should be abstracted away - there's a lot of contextual information that can be expressed more succinctly as dialogue. The reply changes if you're a foreigner or known as a hero. Peaceful characters attempt to "dissuade you from this foolishness" if you're traveling alone, and religious characters give out a little aphorism relating to their deities.
Descriptions of conversations are good when they clearly relate to confirming the player's actions and updated status, the other examples you provide are well-chosen. Detailed directions are saved in another menu, so it makes sense to be a little meta to confirm you have the information. Being accused of theft makes the player's status that the reputation is directed at you clear (even if displayed with dialogue), and the last one confirms that a player has successfully made a deal.