Narrative in RPGs

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Written by BuckGB on February 5th, 2008

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My view of dialogue trees is rather different. First, one remarkable thing about dialogue trees is how little illusion they present, especially when compared with systems like Eliza. Each NPC will only respond to a limited number of things and these are plainly presented. Further, because dialogue tree traversal options are (converging and diverging) (often, for default dialogue segments, in a cyclical pattern, so that the final options at the ends of branches include a return to the trunk) the fact that dialogues are structured as tree traversals becomes clear even to first-time players.

While this is certainly a (poor) (illusion) of real conversation, it isn't an illusion of control over what the player character says, as Bateman suggests. Rather, in most RPGs it is an important method of making gameplay decisions with different dialogue options altering game variables in different ways. The range of possible results from dialogue tree choices is vast, including, in popular RPGs, accepting or declining quests (and rewards for those quests); defusing tense situations or initiating battles; learning more about NPCs (and perhaps unlocking quests related to their personal lives); and changing how NPCs feel about the player character in more emotional ways (ranging from feelings of loyalty and honesty to romantic subplots).

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