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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Sony is paving the way toward adding more accessibility features to its games. And most of these initiatives first appear in patents. Now, the company has published yet another unique patent that wants to add different modes of dialogue in games. The dialogue modes would differ in complexity to ensure that they cater to every kind of player. You could have the full dialogue, a summarized version, and one that only gives necessary clues.

The legal document—dubbed “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING DIALOGUE COMPLEXITY IN VIDEO GAMES“—will let us decide how much dialogue and audio verbatim we want in cutscenes and conversations with NPCs. Players can already solve this by skipping each cutscene. But by skipping, you would miss out on important details, stories, and immersion buried within all that conversation.

The video game system 100 provides a graphical user interface which allows the user to adjust the game dialogue complexity during a conversation with game characters or a presentation of a narrative. […] They may press a designated button on the game controller 155 to change the full dialogue to the simple dialogue,” reads the patent.

The game console would store different dialogue and voice complexity for each interaction, allowing players to select any with the tap of a controller button. The patent argues that non-English speaking players can struggle in cutscenes with complex dialogues. Gamers with ADHD could also find it harder to concentrate on the ongoing discussions since the length of each interaction can also be quite long in modern AAA games.

Since complicated narratives and dialogues require language skills for interpretation, not all players are interested in going through the lengthy text of the narratives or character dialogues, which they may find less exciting than other game elements such as the game graphics.”

The players will be able to escape all the aforesaid issues by changing the dialogue settings through a menu pop-up. It will be quite helpful for accessibility reasons and possibly open up AAA games for users who previously found them complicated.

Sony May Soon Let You Decide How Much NPCs Talk In Games

Sony has patented to add multiple dialogue modes to let players switch between how many conversations with NPCs they want in the game.

exputer.com

 

[Crayon]

 

[DrFigs]

someone should tell them that this is a problem with THEIR games and they could simply write less dialogue.

 

[Saber]

They finally can shut the fuck up with their non stop trashtalking games

 

[Kurotri]

This should extend to main characters as well. As much as I love Forbidden West Aloy needs to shut the fuck up sometimes

 

[Gexxy1]

someone should tell them that this is a problem with THEIR games and they could simply write less dialogue.

Or really, write better dialogue.

Horizon's dialogue basically boiled down to "ask more or less questions."

 

[Wildebeest]

All annoying characters in games should have a mute button, like people in an MP lobby. As to which characters are annoying, it's all of them, because dialogue writing in games is in the gutter.

 

[Gp1]

Just gives a option to shut the f up the main characters when they are alone.

I don't want to hear sassy commentaries from atreus, alloy, milles and peter etc. when no one is around.

 

[IAmRei]

Maybe as simple writing interesting dialogue, or just by game design, minimized it. i like link, chrono, MH, and Dragons dogma style main character, they are not talking at all : )) maybe just personal things...

 

[Moonjt9]

Talkative protagonists when they are alone are SO annoying. I have completely fallen off Sony games recently because of this. I just played God of War Ragnarok and it was a complete slog with all the rambling.

Same goes for spiderman and horizon. Enough is enough.

 

[RoboFu]

Dragons dogma 2 meeting on the subject.

Person A: how much should the npc talk to the player?

Person in charge : infinite

Person A: ummm is that like every few minutes.

Person in charge: no .. Forever.

 

[Crayon]

HARPEES

 

[azertydu91]

Good, I'd like more laconical NPCs, or that they'd be more interesting.

 

[Kumomeme]

Gamers with ADHD could also find it harder to concentrate on the ongoing discussions since the length of each interaction can also be quite long in modern AAA games.

i wonder how people feels hearing MAI's constant fangirling chatter in FFVII Rebirth

 

[WitchHunter]

Sony May Soon Let You Decide How Much NPCs Talk In Games

Sony has patented to add multiple dialogue modes to let players switch between how many conversations with NPCs they want in the game.

exputer.com

They patented this? Maybe I need to shut up in this forum, my ideas are getting patented all of a sudden?

Anyways. Games will be thoroughly fucked by all these adjustable variables.

 

[Pippelipeikko]

Can they send this to the Forza Horizon developers? That woman would not stop yapping.

 

[Robb]

Why would you need a patent for this? Just add a mute option in the menu..

 

[The Pleasure]

Can they send this to the Forza Horizon developers? That woman would not stop yapping.

Sweet baby influence keeps her gums flapping.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

 

[Hudo]

Based Sony fixing the mediocre writing of their first-parties.

 

[Deft Beck]

I appreciate they're trying to fix a common complaint with their first party titles. But I think this may lead to more boilerplate and less rich dialogue if everything has to fit this template. Sometimes the best dialogue in games serves no gameplay purpose.

I also fear this is going to be an excuse to shove generative AI writing into games.

 

[gaming_again]

The aim should be to deliver better writing, not give you options. This is so lazy.

 

[Gaiff]

The problem in GOW and Horizon is the main characters talking too much, not the NPCs.

Hell, NPCs have given us some of the most iconic lines in gaming history.

 

[Heisenberg007]

Sony created a problem and now they are solving it

 

[StereoVsn]

Not sure how I feel about this. Clearly the drive should be to increase the quality of dialogue vs hiding it because folks find it annoying.

I guess that’s a hard thing to do for Sony because then they would actually have to hire good writers. Hopefully this doesn’t result in other studios following suite.

BG3 was very well written as an example. Disco Elysium was top notch of course.

On JRPG side if you look at Legend of Heroes series, unrelated random NPC dialogue is actually pretty cool as it changes with events in the game (character dialogue has been kind of meh though).

Heck, even with Sony, I thought Ghost of Tsushima overall had fairly decent writing quality. What mainly took the hit were the DEI laden games from Insomniac and Naughty Dog. Well and Horizon series.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Pretty ironic, since their games are prime examples of the problem.

Anyway, wait before starting up the party.
Sony are probably patenting this to avoid others using something like this in games.
I mean, go on, tweet you’ve shut up the Forspoken girl and see how many seconds it takes to get the first reply telling you you’re racist and a misogynist.

 

[Kenneth Haight]

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

This is so stupid that makes me mad, for real. It's missing the whole point of the problem with NPCs and main characters talking. BAD WRITING is the problem.

Hire good writers and people won't complain about NPCs. Make their stories meaningful. Honkai Star Rail is a great example of NPCs with great stories. Disco Elysium plays in another league.

 

[Fabieter]

It's not just the quality. Some of my gameplay only friends cant stand any kind of cut scenes. They will outright skip everything, maybe an option with shorter dialogue will help them

 

[Krappadizzle]

No, I don't want them to talk if they are gonna have shitty dialogue, but if they are gonna talk, well....

 

[Kiya's Guard]

Big games are devolving into big empty world, no talking, go there do this, map marker

 

[Skitso]

Not sure how I feel about this. Clearly the drive should be to increase the quality of dialogue vs hiding it because folks find it annoying.

I think it's not so much about being annoying, but more of an accessibility option for people who have trouble understanding the dialog for one reason or another.

 

[StereoVsn]

I think it's not so much about being annoying, but more of an accessibility option for people who have trouble understanding the dialog for one reason or another.

Good point, but could we have both, ie better quality dialogue and accessibility features?

 

[Bernardougf]

Good .. let me shut Alloy the hell up so I can try and finish Forbbiden West.

 

[Husky]

I'd love a button to make Aloy shut the fuck up.

 

[lh032]

hopefully this will apply to horizon to stfu aloy

 

[RoboFu]

So then I would only have to WATCH the game being played like a movie!?

AWESOME!! We are almost there people! AI plus realistic graphics and we will have come full circle!

 

[GymWolf]

Nothing inside any sony game was as grating as xenoblade 2 protagonist battle talk or dogma pawns saying the same shit for 50 hours tbh.

 

[Gen.Grievous]

Since Sony has been porting their games to PC I have been playing a few them. Finished The Last of Us, Uncharted collection and am now playing Horizon ZD. Don't understand the people complaining about these games, they have great gameplay and story telling. I would never purchase a console for them but I understand why they get such good reviews.

 

[CGNoire]

I'm really starting to hate modern Sony.

 

[mitch1971]

Will this work on Men_in_Boxes

 

[Gudji]

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Will this work on Men_in_Boxes

 

[ReyBrujo]

That's like the most generic flowchart I've ever seen. You can literally use it for everything, adjusting shadows, adjusting UI background color, adjusting language, adjusting game difficulty.

Regarding the content of the patent itself, have you seen those sites where you already got the important text highlighted, or where you can press a button to get a condensed version of the article? Apparently it's time to cater the Alpha generation with low reading comprehension and those gamers who mostly skip all dialogues just to go back to killing stuff (as if anyone has ever read the whole conversations in MK1, for example) which is discouraging.

My take is that they should force you to read it all and pay attention to it by adding certain areas you can only access if you have understood what was said between lines tens of hours of gameplay before. Reward those who take the time to experience the game the way the director wanted you to experience it, and punish those who want NPCs puke "Go to 21,48 in floor 3 to get golden key".

 

[diffusionx]

I am playing God of War Ragnarok, and to be honest I actually like it way more than I thought I would. But whoever decided to have the NPCs tell you how to solve a possible four milliseconds after you see it needs to get fired, honestly. They don't even help - if anything, they make me feel more stupid. If I need to light a torch or some shit, I know I need to light a torch, so Mimir saying "I think you need to light that torch, brother" does not help at all, because the point of the puzzle is to figure out HOW to light the torch, not to know THAT I have to light the torch. Unbelievable for a game they probably spent $250 million on and slaved over every single detail.

Anyway, it would not surprise me if the criticism of this in GOW and their inability to patch it/change it in accessibility/etc. led to them developing this.

 

[Dynasty8]

I am playing God of War Ragnarok, and to be honest I actually like it way more than I thought I would. But whoever decided to have the NPCs tell you how to solve a possible four milliseconds after you see it needs to get fired, honestly. They don't even help - if anything, they make me feel more stupid. If I need to light a torch or some shit, I know I need to light a torch, so Mimir saying "I think you need to light that torch, brother" does not help at all, because the point of the puzzle is to figure out HOW to light the torch, not to know THAT I have to light the torch. Unbelievable for a game they probably spent $250 million on and slaved over every single detail.

Anyway, it would not surprise me if the criticism of this in GOW and their inability to patch it/change it in accessibility/etc. led to them developing this.

I don't usually nitpick, but yeah that aspect ruined a big chunk of the game for me. Shocking there was no option to turn it off.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

If hardware makers want to do every gamer a favour, implement a Skip Cutscene feature, which no studio can override with their gigantic theatrics.

Not only does it move the game along by giving gamers an option, but it'll truly show gamers how much gameplay there really is in the game when those 2 hours of unskippable dialogue can be skipped.

 

[Manwithoutfear]

Big games are devolving into big empty world, no talking, go there do this, map marker

I don't personally need a ton of dialogue. I much prefer games like botw and elden ring. just open the game up and let me go play. I don't need 2 hour intro and 7 hours of cutscenes. I understand if some folks like that and that's great. But, for people like me I'm grateful for a skip button haha.

 

[diffusionx]

I don't usually nitpick, but yeah that aspect ruined a big chunk of the game for me. Shocking there was no option to turn it off.

It wouldn't surprise me if there was no way to turn it off, or it was very difficult to implement after release. So they left it alone.

Anyway, yea, great game, but huge stumble there. At least Kratos isn't talking to himself like a schizo for the whole game like in HFW.

 

[AREYOUOKAY?]

Modern Sony games doing this?