Writing interactive dialogue
Filed under Tips & Tools on October 17, 2006
Keywords: Bioware, dialogue, Neverwinter Nights, submissions
Starting back in July, I began submitting Neverwinter Nights modules to Bioware in hopes of getting on with their new Austin studio. These modules were dialogue-focused per the submission guidelines because I was applying for a writer position. My initial submission peaked enough interest that I received some direct feedback on how to improve, and I thought I’d share some of these pointers. The experience definitely opened my eyes to how different trying to write dialogue for games is than for fiction.
I think most of the differences fall under the category of providing choices. When writing a ficiton piece, the author has pre-conceived characters with clear motives and worldviews that determine how they are going to react in certain circumstances. Writing dialogue for a video game, especially a role playing one, is just the opposite. You have no idea what type of character the player will use when interacting with the NPCs. Are they good or evil? Are they male or female?
With that in mind, here is some of the advice I got:
- Provide at least three options.
- Be careful that the options aren’t just saying the same thing with different words.
- Provide dialogue that sounds natural for both genders.
- Include responses that reflect a wide range of motivations.
- Provide dialogue options that allow the use of “role playing” skill mechanics (e.g., bluffing, persuading or intimidating).
- Include responses that reflect a wide range of personalities (e.g., free-spirited, militant, respectful, aggressive).
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