An RPG in 2023 with a mute protagonist???

[pashax]

On 7/3/2023 at 2:18 AM, DocClox said:

No more being elbowed out of the way by Nazeem, or having Deacon talk all over Carrington when he's explaining the mission.

You haven't had that happen to you yet in Starfield, huh?  I've definitely had wandering NPCs push me around in the middle of a conversation or start chatting to me while I'm in such a conversation.  It's definitely less frequent in Starfield, though.

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And a proper persuasion system rather than just "buy stuff cheaper".

Persuasion is still a little half-assed in my opinion. Sadly it's an RNG minigame rather than something deeper like responding to cues from the person you're talking to. Personally, I'm happier that your chosen background and traits can actually unlock unique dialog options in the game rather than just static status effects.  It's a nice little bonus when something like [Cyberneticist] shows up on a dialog item.

[DocClox]

2 hours ago, pashax said:

You haven't had that happen to you yet in Starfield, huh? 

 

Well, it hadn't done back in July when we'd barely seen the Direct, let alone played the game.

 

2 hours ago, pashax said:

It's definitely less frequent in Starfield, though.

 

I'll settle for that

 

2 hours ago, pashax said:

Sadly it's an RNG minigame rather than something deeper like responding to cues from the person you're talking to

 

It's a minigame based on skill, meaning that there's a point to social skill beyond "cheaper stuff!!!" I like talky characters, so that suits me fine. If it's all responding to dialogue cues, then it just turns into normal dialogue and there's no point in buying Persuasion.

[pashax]

9 hours ago, DocClox said:

If it's all responding to dialogue cues, then it just turns into normal dialogue and there's no point in buying Persuasion.

It could still be made to work. For example, the ranks of persuasion could unlock more options in dialog. Maybe only +1 and +2 options are available with 0/4, and each rank potentially adds higher risk/reward options. Perhaps some late game persuasion checks are just literally impossible or require complete perfection without enough ranks in the perk. And if NPCs in question have their preference randomized each playthrough, you could have to flatter their sense of justice on one playthrough, but have to highlight the opportunity for personal advancement to get through to them on the next.

I know this is just my personal preference, but I'm not a fan of the capriciousness of it all. I've run the minigame with fairly high rank in the perk, picking the green +1 or +2 options, only to never get a single point on the board before running out of turns, and other times I pick the red +5 option, get a critical success and finish the game in the first turn. It doesn't play out very differently than the probability-based color coded persuasion options from Fallout 4 to me, even if it's technically more interactive.