DIALOG TUTORIAL

INTRODUCTION

This is a tutorial that'll explain to you how to write dialogs for Keys of Naand (KoN). KoN is a non-linear roleplaying game, i. e. dialogs are IMHO the most important part of the game. In this tutorial you'll learn how design a dialog. Moreover you'll get some little tips that might help you in the early phase of writing.

For designing our dialogs we use the open source program "Freemind". You can get the latest version here (http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Download). Choose the version than fits to your operating system (OS). Actually I prefer the "binaries for any operating system - max"-version which doesn't require an installation. Attention: You need Java (http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp) in order to use Freemind.

FIRST STEPS

Now open Freemind after having installed or extracted it. You see a white screen with a grey circle in the middle. Press ALT & Return. A window appears and you can edit the text (clicking on the circle also allows you to edit it, but you can't write over several lines). Now write this into the text box:

# Conversation with PersonX
# H: Hero
# P: PersonX

The symbol "#" introduces in some languages like Python a comment which means that the following text in this line won't be attended (it's comparable to "//" in C/C++/Java). In comments you can write information that help others to read the file. In this case we say that the file contains a conversation between our hero and somebody called PersonX. Later on we'll use "H" and "P" to show which one is currently talking.

Now we will start writing our first dialog. Imagine our hero will meet PersonX first in a garden and later at a river. Press the insert-key on your keyboard and write in the new little text box "# In the garden" (without "" of course!). Afterwards move your mouse over the round circle and press again "insert". Here you write "#At the river".

We have clarified that this files actually contains two dialogs between the hero and PersonX. Now the "real" dialog starts. Move your mouse over "# In the garden" and press "insert" (= create a new node) and write "P: Hi hero! How are you man?". After this create a new node with "H1: I'm fine thanks. You're PersonX, right? That's an interesenting name." Move your mouse back to PersonX's text and create a second node with "H2: Get away man, you're going on my nerves!"

Explanation: In RPGs dialogs allows start with NPCs and the player just replies whereby the answer also may contain questions. "P:" introduces what PersonX is saying. Non-linear RPGs offer to the player the possibility to choose between several answers. Here the player can decide whether he wants H1 or H2 (if there's only one way to answer, you should name it nontheless H1).

TO BE CONTINUED...