Oh no! I've gaught a gold!

The headline to this article is in fact telling you I've caught a cold. My nose is blocked as I type this sucking on one of those disgusting menthol sweets that sucks the life out of you. I figured it was about time I posted an updqate, and funnily enough, my jokey title links to one of the things I'm doing in my module.

Conversations are an often overlooked opportunity in NWN to further enhance the feeling of playing in another world. I've a fair few conversations finished at the moment, and many of them differ in their style of writing. It's important to do this in order to have NPCs feel like individual characters, as opposed to something plucked from a template.

That's all well and good, but how do you make conversations feel different? Some of you may be familiar with having alternate conversation branches dependent on the intelligence of the PC. What's to stop you switching things round? What I mean is, why have all your NPCs of equal intelligence? Throw in a dumb one, and instantly you have someone with a more unique style of speech...

NPC: 'eh?
PC: Do you know where I can get advice on conversation styles?
NPC: 'eh?
PC: Conversation styles... you know... like what that Quillmaster fellow was talking about on his blog.
NPC: Blog? I'm afraid I ain't got a clue what you're talkin' about man/woman.

"Shortenin' words is a good way o' portrayin' someone 'oo ain't 'ad the benefit of an education. You gotta be careful that the words you use aren't too big an' clever for the person usin' 'em."

So, we can see that the manner in which we write can help, but what other methods can we use? Maybe a speech empidement, such as a lisp...

NPC: Can I help you thir/madam?
PC: Er... yes please. I'd like to buy a shield
NPC: A thield?
PC: Er... no, a shield.
NPC: Thatth what I thaid ithn't it?

Think of the characters you are typing for. A Bard would be flowery, especially toward the opposite sex. A Paladin precise with few wasted words. A Sorceror might babble occasionally. It's not just characters, but monsters too. Ever considered how a Goblin might talk?...

NPC: What pigman wont?
PC: Stand asside! I'm trying to finish reading this article!
NPC: Me say tuff, me here first, me wont wead it first!
PC: Then you leave me no choice!
NPC: Bah! You pigmen all same!

Careful selection of the voiceset used can also further enhance how memorable a conversation will be. Neverwinter Vault holds a document that lists the soundset filenames with a brief description of each set. Once you've identified the filename, you can use other sounds from the set by playing them at the relevant conversation nodes. Simply select the "Other Actions" tab at the bottom right of the conversation editor, where you'll find a pulldown menu to select the sounds to play.

Well, that's it for today. I have been trying to movie capture my first cutscene, but haven't had any luck with the software I'm using, so my hopes of using YouTube are fading fast. The good news however is that I've completed work on the second cutscene which is quite complex. I'm pleased with the overall effect of the pitching camera during the scene, which adds much to the effect of feeling like you're at sea on board a ship.

Right, I'm off for a Lemsip now. I might put up some in-game screen caps soon.
Cheerio and happy gaming. :)