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thessalianI may not specifically understand coding, but there is a certain amount of very very basic background stuff that I get - a whole "If / Then" principle, if you like. Not enough to code, no. But certainly enough to exploit. Which means that I think I know every dialogue trigger point in game, as well as which are reusable, so I get to hear all the funny dialogue without randomly blundering all over the map for it - I just walk the party over said dialogue trigger point, making sure to zone between each use of dialogue trigger point, and voila! Funny. There's also at least one ... I dunno if it's a bug or what ... that I have managed to exploit. Sometimes, my knack for pattern recognition and tendency to think waaaaay too much has its advantages.
However, story-wise, some of this is a little jarring. And so the list continues:
5) Make the game keep track of current events, main character-wise. It seems a simple matter of "If / Then" to me. If the main character has recently more or less proposed to Alastair in front of the entire bloody Landsmeet, and it is established that there is to be marriage and trying for heirs and "Do I want to marry you? Yes" dialogue? Then it's probably not necessary for Alastair to start asking about the relationship between Main Character and any other romance-capable character. Mostly, in this case, Zevran. I get the impression that the "I'm wondering something ... about Zevran" dialogue tree comes about in any situation where the approval rating from Zevran is high and Main Character has not shut down the possibility of Zevran-related nookie ... even if that 'not shut it down' involves more or less ignoring the innuendo altogether. If you don't say "We are just going to be friends, get it?", the assumption is that there's a possibility for more. I will have to see if the same option comes up from Leliana if I don't select "You are a treasured friend" in that dialogue tree about "Have I told you that I like how you wear your hair?", but I never know what else to pick... That said, I bet it never comes up that Alastair's jealous of Leliana the way he gets of Zevran. *grumble* Aaaaanyway, fact remains that I don't care if approval rating is through the roof; if Main Character has declared the intent to marry Alastair, he should not be turning around and asking whether Main Character 'cares' for him. That dialogue tree should be stricken from the potential dialogue options at that point.
6) Consistency in NPC reactions, please. I think this one must be a bug, but I've found a way to avoid losing approval with Alastair when Zevran joins the party - just state that you're not interested before changing your mind. That circumvents all commentary from other NPCs past that point, and gives no change in approval rating either way. If it's not a bug, it'd be nice if there was some comment made about what the other NPCs think about Main Character's attempt to spare this Antivan Crow's life, or at least just grumble something about "I suppose it's better than killing him" and dropping the approval rating a bit less than it would have done otherwise. It can't be that hard...
7) 'Harden' Leliana. Look, I get why one might want/need to 'harden' Alastair so that he can take the throne, though I won't be seeing the results of that until I get a little farther on playing Dwarven Noble or something. But I really hope that at some point, there is the option of making Leliana a bit less of a spaz. I mean, seriously. Levi Dryden has a point when he talks about "your prissy friend", and sometimes - mostly with NPCs the likes of Kolgrim - she is this sanctimonious little nimrod. If she wasn't so bloody useful, I wouldn't bother putting her in party at all.
However, story-wise, some of this is a little jarring. And so the list continues:
5) Make the game keep track of current events, main character-wise. It seems a simple matter of "If / Then" to me. If the main character has recently more or less proposed to Alastair in front of the entire bloody Landsmeet, and it is established that there is to be marriage and trying for heirs and "Do I want to marry you? Yes" dialogue? Then it's probably not necessary for Alastair to start asking about the relationship between Main Character and any other romance-capable character. Mostly, in this case, Zevran. I get the impression that the "I'm wondering something ... about Zevran" dialogue tree comes about in any situation where the approval rating from Zevran is high and Main Character has not shut down the possibility of Zevran-related nookie ... even if that 'not shut it down' involves more or less ignoring the innuendo altogether. If you don't say "We are just going to be friends, get it?", the assumption is that there's a possibility for more. I will have to see if the same option comes up from Leliana if I don't select "You are a treasured friend" in that dialogue tree about "Have I told you that I like how you wear your hair?", but I never know what else to pick... That said, I bet it never comes up that Alastair's jealous of Leliana the way he gets of Zevran. *grumble* Aaaaanyway, fact remains that I don't care if approval rating is through the roof; if Main Character has declared the intent to marry Alastair, he should not be turning around and asking whether Main Character 'cares' for him. That dialogue tree should be stricken from the potential dialogue options at that point.
6) Consistency in NPC reactions, please. I think this one must be a bug, but I've found a way to avoid losing approval with Alastair when Zevran joins the party - just state that you're not interested before changing your mind. That circumvents all commentary from other NPCs past that point, and gives no change in approval rating either way. If it's not a bug, it'd be nice if there was some comment made about what the other NPCs think about Main Character's attempt to spare this Antivan Crow's life, or at least just grumble something about "I suppose it's better than killing him" and dropping the approval rating a bit less than it would have done otherwise. It can't be that hard...
7) 'Harden' Leliana. Look, I get why one might want/need to 'harden' Alastair so that he can take the throne, though I won't be seeing the results of that until I get a little farther on playing Dwarven Noble or something. But I really hope that at some point, there is the option of making Leliana a bit less of a spaz. I mean, seriously. Levi Dryden has a point when he talks about "your prissy friend", and sometimes - mostly with NPCs the likes of Kolgrim - she is this sanctimonious little nimrod. If she wasn't so bloody useful, I wouldn't bother putting her in party at all.