At GDC 2012 longtime game designer and Obsidian game director Josh Sawyer dissects a decade of dialogue tree evolution in games -- and what game devs can do to go beyond them to make better games.
April 6, 2017
How do you structure branching conversations in your game in ways that support compelling gameplay, accomplish narrative goals, and empower player agency?
At GDC 2012 longtime game designer and Obsidian game director Josh Sawyer spoke about how, despite making increasingly successful games, RPG developers have not fundamentally changed their approach to structuring conversations in over a decade.
He took the stage to dissect ten years of conversation tree evolution from the original Fallout to New Vegas (and many other RPGs along the way) and analyze what had changed for the better, what took a turn for the worse, and what designers and writers need to do about it.
It was a talk with lasting value, and now it's available to watch for free via the official GDC YouTube channel!
In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.
Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.
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