Dialog system is out with the webplayer (you can still test the navigation system on map with download; they are currently two separate project, buy I will soon merge the two together: so you can travel and talk with npc)
The voice are robotic, the dialogue has poor writing and narrative involvement (I was mostly drained by code and concept); I need help to make things a bit more captivating: this is why I am looking for authors who are willing to write some sort of engaging dialogue between two character: the protagonist and the NPC.
You can try the web app by yourself: https://fortoj.itch.io/audiogame-system-draft
the scheme is simple: players is given options: some available and other hidden (locked). The hidden options can be unhidden by selecting the correct one.
Each option can activated or deactivated by others: the result (on the writing side) can become a tangled mess really quickly. But I am looking for something very simple and linear: when the player "hit" the right option... he/she is pushed in the next phase with all the older options getting disabled.
ie: Each option has its unique id. let's suppose we reserve the ID from 1 to 10 to greeting propouse (when player and npc don't know each other). Among all the BS/small talking, the only option we care is the one with ID 5: once the player hit that option, the dialogue get to the next phase. All IDs from 1 to 10 are disabled and a bunch of option between 11 and 20 open up... and so go on.
What's the current scheme for each dialogue line and scene? This is the whole script for the dialogue within the draft:
OPTION 1: [ask how's the day] ~ [I can ask this person how do she feel about this peculiar day] dialogue: Player - That's a nice day, isn't? NPC - There have been better days, but worse ones too. All in all, it's a plasant day OPTION 2 (unlocks option 5): [ask what time is it ] ~ [I could ask her about the time; what's the harm?] dialogue: Player - Hi, excuse me, could you tell me what time it is? NPC - Sorry, I do not use wristwatch and the battery of the smartphone dried out. Player (thinking) - Here's something intresting: if I help her to recharge her phone, maybe she will allow me to make a phone call [option 5 is now unlocked] OPTION 3 [Ask where we are] ~ [What's this place? Maybe its a good idea to ask her] dialogue: Player - This place is huge! Do you know where we are? NPC - Unfortunately, no, like you, I was transported to this place without my knowledge Player - The mystery thickens OPTION 4 [Ask Who she is] ~ [I still don't know this non-player character, so we could introduce each other] dialogue: Player -Pardon the direct question, but I don't think we've met; may I ask your name? NPC -It's not polite to ask for a person's name without introduce yourself first Player -I understand, but there is a small problem; see. It may sounds crazy, but I don't remember my name! NPC - I imagined it, it doesn't surprise me Player -Really? Oh, yeah? NPC -Yes, I can't remember my name either. I think they did not give name to our characters Player -Lazy author OPTION 5 (needs to be unlocked) [Ask about her phone] ~ [She said her ohone is dryied out; if I help her with this, maybe she will allow me to use it for a call] Player -About your discharged cell phone, I think I saw a power socket not too far NPC - Didn't you notice that the only light in this room comes from the skylights? There is no electricity in this place Player -Oh, really? That's weird DESCRIPTION NPC "neutral" The deadpan look of the woman in front of me is insane; she almost looks like a robot, her voice seems to be taken by the Google translator. She gives me the creeps but wasn't a living soul to be found for miles around. She may as well be the last living person that I'm gonna have a chance to talk to with
You may already noticed some scheme here. Each option is split in two ideal part: very quick description (five word at max) and a longer text the listen-gamer will only hear if they keep the button pressed long enough. The rest of the lines are mostly free form.
The only exception is when the "Player (thinking)"; as you may guess, this dialogue line is not addressed to the npc and is used to give audio clue to the player (as you see in OPTION 2, the last line hint to an additional option available)
If this thing stimulate your creativity, you can also add sound fx: I will do all the labor work if you follow this simple rule
go on https://freesound.org and look for the sound fx you want to include (ie:" footstep" for your dialogue line "come on, are you not coming with me?") and restrict your selection to Creative Commons 0 (this saves us lot of time into credits the original author.. we can always credit everyone later, but need something quick, dirty and effective for this draft).
Once you've found the sound fx you like... just link it right in the script (I will download and bake it in the dialogue by myself): all I need is the word where the sound fx will start playing and which part of the audio from the sound FX file I've to take
ie:
NPC - Come on, we'd better talk in the next room [*Footsteps_Hallway.wav about +3 seconds] Well? Aren't you coming? [*Footsteps_Hallway.wav] https://freesound.org/people/georgisound/sounds/368834/ at -16:00 [sfx] - [Footsteps_Hallway.wav] and [**concrete_02a_socks_walk.wav] together for +5 second [**concrete_02a_socks_walk.wav] https://freesound.org/people/sturmankin/sounds/272246/