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[DragoonKain]

I haven't played Dragon Age Veilguard yet(and not sure if I ever will) but I have been listening to discussions about it and of course there's going to be discussions about story and dialogue choices you make and their impact(or lack thereof). And it made me kind of think about how I don't really care about this at all in my games anymore. I remember when games first started to introduce dialogue choices and story choices in games, it was this novel thing. It gave you a sense of freedom and choice, sometimes a false sense of those things, but a sense of it nonetheless. And it was cool for a while. But I think I actually prefer this stuff not to be in my games anymore, and just want narrative or a romance fully baked into the writing/plot. I won't not play games that do this, but I don't think I've ever played a game that had strong writing, a strong story, and really solid and emotional relationships between characters where I was like "This game doesn't quite hit, it needs story and dialogue choices to fully realize its potential."

What say you?

 

[BennyBlanco]

When done well (BG3, New Vegas) it makes the game wayyyyy better and more interesting. When it’s just window dressing (ME3) it’s pointless.

 

[T4keD0wN]

Care about it in games advertised as RPGs, if it doesnt have dialogue choices and class/role system then those games shouldnt even be allowed to call themselves a role-playing game and theres a lot of games guilty of that, cannot have an RPG without role playing, that would just be an adventure game at that point.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Diverging paths adds replayability. It's why people replay Old Bioware, VTM Masquerade among others. If the choices are meaningful and matter it's great. If there is no choice then it's pointless.

Gonna be hard to top Kotor 2 in that regard.

 

[Punished Miku]

It has to have great writing to really draw me in and make it feel impactful. Standout recent entries were Pentiment and Citizen Sleeper. Average level writing it can still be a nice little bonus to keep you slightly engaged, but it's nothing special unless the writing is truly on point.

 

[R6Rider]

Only when it has purpose.

 

[Guilty_AI]

As with most things, depends.

i don't think I've ever played a game that had strong writing, a strong story, and really solid and emotional relationships between characters where I was like "This game doesn't quite hit, it needs story and dialogue choices to fully realize its potential."

What say you?

I think it's quite the opposite actually. Linear narratives tend to be much stronger, whereas choices are usually good for mechanical purposes, when the "story" is also a mechanic in itself - save for games where the notion of choice is part of the narrative to begin with.

 

[Corian33]

I can enjoy a good linear story, even if there’s no choices at all. These games need to have good writing and strong characters.

However, BG3 really sets the bar for excellence in RPG story telling and choice. So many options, so many viable paths. The developers accounted for just about every imaginable outcome of your actions.

Another great example would be the Owlcat RPG’s (Pathfinder, Rogue Trader) which give you a huge breadth of options for how you handle things. Lots and lots of dialogue but really lets you get immersed in the story.

 

[Wildebeest]

Mostly, now I just wish characters in games would shut up.

 

[UltimaKilo]

There needs to be better conditionals like back in the day with KOTOR. It has not been done well in a very long time.

 

[RaduN]

No, give me a fucking great linear story.

 

[MujkicHaris]

I am on the opposite, I want as much choice and freedom as possible in a dialogue. It's one of the pillars of a good and immersive RPG.

But majority of RPG games are weak with this or plain amateurish; in terms of seeing the actual change in a game's world.

This is why Fallout 3 will remain in my top 5 forever. That game offered dialogue choices that managed to manifest successfully; anyone who has played the game knows how major the choices are.

But can games make this feature even more progressive? Yes. There's plenty more room for innovation. They barely scratched the surface.

 

[Fbh]

I like both styles. Dialogue trees are cool but so is a well told linear story.
If a game has dialogue trees though, I want it to be impactful. Give me a wide variety of answers that reflect a wide variety of moods and personalities and have at least some of my answer have meaningful consequences. The whole point of having a dialogue tree in an RPG is to "role play", so when you have games where it feels like my choices have no impact on the story or the personality of the character it feels like unnecessary bloat (like the Horizon games for example).

 

[SHA]

Sure, why not? I like them, if you want richer stories, this is the way in this day and age.

 

[Gaiff]

No, give me a fucking great linear story.

You're content with your RPGs just being action games with customizable builds?

As for the OP, it depends. In games like Baldur's Gate or Divinity, aka real RPGs, absolutely. I need agency. In games like Elden Ring that are action games with RPG elements? Nah, don't care.

 

[ReBurn]

If the choices have consequences then yes. If the choices all lead you to the same outcome anyway then what's the point?

 

[sudolicious]

Yes, I still care, I greatly care. Metaphor for example has been a pleasant surprise as to what kind of responses I can give in conversations, which is really fun. This is kind of one of the principle points of an RPG basically, so yeah I care lol.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

I'm not sure that I ever cared. I vastly prefer linear plots, or at least clearly defined branches. I enjoy dialogue choices, but I don't want them to matter. I want to be able to choose whichever option I feel like it just to see some different responses, but without it affecting the outcome.

 

[Crayon]

I love it when an rpg gives me a choice where I know either way I'm going to miss something big. Maybe just because it's so rare.

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

Yeah definitely especially for a RPG game.

 

[DaciaJC]

If I'm able to create a unique character for the protagonist, then yes, I care very much about being able to choose how to roleplay that character.

If the RPG features a predefined character as the MC like Geralt in the Witcher series, obviously that's a different story - I don't expect to be able to make wildly out-of-character choices given their existing background and personality, but at least a little degree of freedom is still appreciated.

 

[TGO]

I care very little and interactive dialogue choices.
If anything it takes me out of the pacing of the story.

 

[sncvsrtoip]

Nope, even in briliant game like witcher 3 you could have terrible ending because you didnt want to play with throwing snow balls ;d Imo choices means main scenarist didnt have idea how to end story

 

[IAmRei]

I mostly play the safe route, looking for guides. I'm more to dragons dogma style games, which kind of rare. The choices that bounded with gameplay, not by select route and then follow the consequences. I find it boring to select story with choices in narratives. But well, there are rare games who give player choices by actions as far as i remember. And maybe because usually people dont like that kind either.

If i can choose, i like straightforward stories, with some choices in between. Its easier and straighforward, and the experience can be completed in faster manner.

I understand people wants replaybility though...

 

[StereoVsn]

When done well (BG3, New Vegas) it makes the game wayyyyy better and more interesting. When it’s just window dressing (ME3) it’s pointless.

Well, quality of writing and character dialogue is still very important whether or not the choices matter.

Veilguard writing just seems to suck overall, not just the choices.

But yeah, I agree with you that when done correctly, choice branching can be quite amazing. Witcher 3 also does interesting things with its non mainline quests in that regard.