Everyone likes exploration - why not leverage discuss more?

[oggotale]

Seems heavily underused, and I think it could be very worthwhile to have more NPCs that have something to say.

Could just be maybe one or two generic lines, doesn't need a full story, I just feel it could bring so many NPC settlements to life by adding a bit more personality.

Can also avoid any reference to current events (sticking only to things that happened in the past) so that it doesn't get dated.

[Jihelu]

After they revealed the new discuss code I haven't seen a whole lot of new things. You've got areas where every npc was made in 2008 and then there's 1 npc with a discuss code from 2012 and 1 that will tell you his life story with the new discuss code.
I assume staff has put it on the back burner

[mansa]

#1 - ease of use

How easy is it to add a discuss script to an NPC?

#2 - drive to fulfill

Which staff want to take on this project to update the discuss scripts?

#3 - shift the load to player volunteers

Is it easy/possible to let players update the scripts themselves, or to submit a bunch of work from the players?

[Brokkr]

1. I've done several.  Medium-difficult to very difficult, depending on what you do.
2. Talk scripts are simpler and there are use cases where you can't use discuss vs talk.
3. The verbiage is the easy part, its how you have to configure it all on the actual NPC.

[mansa]

1. I've done several.  Medium-difficult to very difficult, depending on what you do.
2. Talk scripts are simpler and there are use cases where you can't use discuss vs talk.
3. The verbiage is the easy part, its how you have to configure it all on the actual NPC.

I love the discuss command, and wish it was on every NPC.

Is there an appetite to update how the discuss function is formatted and implemented so it is easier to use for all staff members to add and update?

[Kannot]

1. I've done several.  Medium-difficult to very difficult, depending on what you do.
2. Talk scripts are simpler and there are use cases where you can't use discuss vs talk.
3. The verbiage is the easy part, its how you have to configure it all on the actual NPC.

I love the discuss command, and wish it was on every NPC.

Is there an appetite to update how the discuss function is formatted and implemented so it is easier to use for all staff members to add and update?

Immersive discuss would likely be stupid hard to implement, I'm thinking about something more along the lines of a simple similar framework of "discuss background" "Name's X, I do XYZ"

Like the kind of thing generic NPCs have in RPG games, just two lines for one specific option (say, background)

[mansa]

1. I've done several.  Medium-difficult to very difficult, depending on what you do.
2. Talk scripts are simpler and there are use cases where you can't use discuss vs talk.
3. The verbiage is the easy part, its how you have to configure it all on the actual NPC.

I love the discuss command, and wish it was on every NPC.

Is there an appetite to update how the discuss function is formatted and implemented so it is easier to use for all staff members to add and update?

Immersive discuss would likely be stupid hard to implement, I'm thinking about something more along the lines of a simple similar framework of "discuss background" "Name's X, I do XYZ"

Like the kind of thing generic NPCs have in RPG games, just two lines for one specific option (say, background)

I was thinking more from the implementation point of view, using the current staff tools.   If the tools are complicated to add discuss functionality for each mob, it's hard to get buy-in from the staff to use it.

[Saiseiki]

Seems heavily underused, and I think it could be very worthwhile to have more NPCs that have something to say.

Could just be maybe one or two generic lines, doesn't need a full story, I just feel it could bring so many NPC settlements to life by adding a bit more personality.

Can also avoid any reference to current events (sticking only to things that happened in the past) so that it doesn't get dated.

+1 
I would totally be down to help out with a project like this.  =)

[oggotale]

1. I've done several.  Medium-difficult to very difficult, depending on what you do.
2. Talk scripts are simpler and there are use cases where you can't use discuss vs talk.
3. The verbiage is the easy part, its how you have to configure it all on the actual NPC.

I love the discuss command, and wish it was on every NPC.

Is there an appetite to update how the discuss function is formatted and implemented so it is easier to use for all staff members to add and update?

Immersive discuss would likely be stupid hard to implement, I'm thinking about something more along the lines of a simple similar framework of "discuss background" "Name's X, I do XYZ"

Like the kind of thing generic NPCs have in RPG games, just two lines for one specific option (say, background)

I was thinking more from the implementation point of view, using the current staff tools.   If the tools are complicated to add discuss functionality for each mob, it's hard to get buy-in from the staff to use it.

I interpreted brokkrs response in the context of multiple line complicated dialogue.

I assumed a simple two lines for the same exact prompt would be easy.

[Brokkr]

We would then use the "talk" script, not the "discuss" script.

[oggotale]

We would then use the "talk" script, not the "discuss" script.

My mistake.

I was thinking of something easy to implement, literally similar to those generic background NPCs in RPGs who say maybe only a few things again and again.

Maybe a biiit more extensive but still in one blurb, no "contingent" dialogue depending on previous branches or anything like that.

Assuming this isn't seen as counter productive to immersion, I'm guessing the limitations are more so in terms of writing than scripting?