846 Narrative Temporal Conversation

I like the general concept of what narrative-focused games are doing with conversational systems lately. Some of them make it more immediate by requiring the player to answer before a timer runs out, and most of them have some system (of varying complexity) that determines paths and outcomes of conversations based on certain choices.

In this system, that’s take even further. Your conversation options are still timed, because that makes sense. When we are having a conversation in real life, someone probably won’t wait 2 minutes for you to decide what to say. That system stays. But in addition to that, it matters when you say it. For example, maybe each option has “early,” “normal,” and “late” options. And that makes sense, saying something more eagerly or relaxed can have a big impact on how it’s received. There may also be times when the response to a certain question or statement is obvious in theory, and so the players choice instead is on how to say it, and that is what makes a difference.

So, it’s not just what you say, it’s also when you say it and how you say it.

Like life.

[ Today I Was Playing: nothing… ]

#game-mechanic-system, #narrative-game