What's your stance on player dialog

[siper x]

I'm currently making a hack, and i am not sure if i should ad dialog that your character says or not. i think it could be intresting, but it could also get annoying, so i am curious of what others think. Should your character have dialog? how much is too much?

 

[masterquestmq]

it's an acquired taste for the player to speak. for me I believe it can be done once in a while but not to often. Reason being when the player talks it will depict a certain personality of characteristic that the one who plays the game may not agree with. And when ur not in sync with ur player in the game u cant really enjoy it.

 

[Kevin]

I don't like it. Especially if you don't want the player to say it, since you're the player, but they say it anyway.

I find it annoying, but if unless it's an anime hack, I probably wouldn't like playing it.

 

[colcolstyles]

I prefer when the player is silent but if the dialogue is done well, I probably wouldn't mind. The problem is that people make the player say things that I would never say which really pulls me out of the experience.

 

[The Noob Hacker]

While I don't think it's a major problem, it does make the player more of a character, and in turn makes the player feel less like they are actually in the game.

So, at the cost of immersion, it can be done if the dialogue is done well.

 

[DrFuji]

I generally dislike player dialogue in a regular run-of-the-mill ROM Hack, as it may place the player in a situation where their views are contrary to what the character says. I like the silent protagonist identity that has been present in all of the core Pokemon games.

However, I do believe that player dialogue can work extremely well in hacks where the storyline is somewhat complicated and practically makes up the entire hack (like in Pokemon Identity). Having a two-way conversation between the player and a NPC can really draw out story elements and progress the plot naturally, though I feel like the player's personality should be more muted than other speaking roles.

 

[aperso]

Should your character have dialog?
Depends where they use i.t Like when they don't for no reason then no.
but a good example would be:

Player:I'll take them!\nPlay stole some wimps pokémon\pwimp:NOOOOOOO

how much is too much?
Once ever 2 towns/routes is more than enough.

 

[Ninja Caterpie]

I don't like it. This is not a game where I'm controlling characters that exist and have canonically defined character. The player character in Pokemon is me. I'd rather be a doormat which accepts everything thrown at him than say stuff I wouldn't.

 

[Alice]

I don't think it should necessarily never be done... but usually it shouldn't.

 

[icychill66]

I believe a mute hero character works best for rpg/adventure games for reasons that have already been presented. However, there are ways to let the character speak without actually give it any dialogue. For example, you can give the character something which I like to call "implied dialogue." What I mean by this, is that NPC's will react to the character as if s/he has said something. Here's an example:

NPC:
"Hi there!
Have you seen any thieves sneaking around?
They usually prowl the town at night!
Watch out!"

It doesn't ever give the player dialogue or a choice to say "yes" or "no", however, there actually was silent, implied dialogue for the player character. Perhaps, the player said something along the lines of "No! I haven't! Should I be concerned?!" This technique is very effective (and widely present) in games. Another game(s)--besides Pokemon--in which this technique is blatant is Zelda. Link is famously mute, but he is always communicating with NPC's in this manner. Obviously, Zelda games are not Pokemon games, but the concept is identical.

 

[Putin]

There's actually whole psychological studies into why silent protagonists like Red and Gordon Freeman appeal more to consumers, especially in videogames. What it boils down to is that most people prefer it, even if only subconsciously, because it allows them to play their own personality into the character, filling the character's reactions in mentally. When you go about the lab smashing equipment in HL2, your Gordon Freeman is doing that because that is how your Gordon Freeman acts; He's kind of a jerk. If you do that and then your Gordon Freeman were to say with an air of gallantry that he accepted whatever task was put before him, or had the utmost respect for the lab and its equipment, or whatever, it might be a funny scene, but it would be incongruous and break the suspension of belief.

On the other hand, if the hack tells a story about the character, especially one that is meant to be emotionally gripping, it can be used, since it's less of an RPG and more of an interactive story; If used for satire, I can see it being used successfully; And it is alright for internal dialogue- Red even has this, as do the rest of the Pokemon protags.

 

[Rayce]

Well it matters on whether the character is a character or a blank slate that you are supposed to imagine the lines for. In pokemon games (origonals by nintendo) the character obviously talks but has no words but "...." gives the player the ability to imagine what they said however it has to correspond with the response or destroy the flow of the conversation. Where as a if you give them lines it's more like a story which doesn't always work. So both can be good if done right.

 

[U.Flame]

It depends if the player has a personality. Most Pokemon games, like the official ones, have the player mute because you're supposed to be the player. Some hacks, the player isn't you, but a character you get to play as. It depends on the situation.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

I dunno... I did make it in my hack but if I think about it now my opinion changed.
As people above mentioned, you are supposed to be player so that's why player character is silent.
But I somehow thought of it other way... why not having dating sim-style player character? By that I mean giving player different choices what to say depending on the scene. That would make player character more like you and make him say something.
Though it would be kinda hard to implement it is one nice possibility.

 

[ruup20]

I think that the player can only say yes or no like:
Guy: Do you like pizza?
Yes/no
Player: Yes, I like pizza.

 

[NarutoActor]

It depends on the style your going for. If you chose to give the player a voice you have to be consistent. I personally am trying to create a game with a player that resembles the 'nintendo player'. If you want to give the player voice, go for it; I have seen lots of great hacks with the player speaking. Pokemon Mohogany comes to mind.