Mass Effect features 20,000 lines of Dialogue

[Zeus]

Speaking to 'The Star', senior game designer Drew Karpyshyn revealed that Mass Effect has 20,000 lines of dialogue, and to put that into perspective, that is the equivalent of 150-20 movie screenplays according to Karpryshyn.


We've come a long way from the days when "INSERT COIN" and "GAME OVER" might comprise a game's entire script; even today's most button-mashy of action games are expected to offer something resembling a compelling storyline. The poster-genre for the game writer's task is the role-playing game, in which players must inhabit a character and make story decisions that branch the plot along multiple lines. Dialogue is king ... and there's plenty of it.

"We have 20,000 lines of dialogue," says senior designer Drew Karpyshyn of Edmonton game developer BioWare, describing science-fiction RPG Mass Effect, set for release Nov. 20. That's the equivalent of 15 to 20 movie screenplays, created by Karpyshyn and five other writers, working with the rest of the creative team. (The new Simpsons Game enlisted the TV show's writers to come up with 8,000 lines – a full season's worth.)


News Source: <A href="http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/273322" target="_blank">Thestar</a>

[XxBigP123xX]

this game is WAAAAAAAY too long for my taste.

[opporchoonist1]

nah if youve played star wars kotr, youll know how HEEEEEEEEEEAVY this game is going to be, absolutely cant wait

[xcxv2]

kotor wasn't that "heavy"

sounds like a lot of blah blah blah blah blah to me

[satel]

another pc type shooter for the defective ex-box how original :confused:

[DanASBO]

GOTY 2007

Absolutely can't wait to play this.

My most wanted:

1. Mass Effect

2. Spore

:D

EDIT: Lol at the fanboys! This game is going to be amazing whether you like it or not.

I really can't understand how some of you can be so blinded by hatred for a console that you can't see this is going to be a great game. If you've only read about the game I suggest you watch the developer interviews on gametrailers, there are also quite a few... shock horror!... gameplay videos. The dialogue system is only the icing on what looks to be a truly delicious cake. Credit where credit's due and all that.

[xllzerollx]

lol, dialogs is the last thing i care about.
anyways hope its a good title :D

[miserabillis]

look i really like this game and will def but it when it comes to pc or even if i get a 360..i dont have ps3 so dont say fanboy..BUt it has nothing original.the galaxy thing rachet and clank had it..and the dialouge thing well a lot of games have done it..so its doesnt have anything groundbreaking like ppl say..but dont flamme me ..im just saying dont hype it too much coz if you dont like it that much youll be pissed

[vida987]

ya but i thought dvd was limited... we need blu ray.. <--- end sarcasm ;)

[xllzerollx]

ya but i thought dvd was limited... we need blu ray.. <--- end sarcasm ;)

have fun playing your dialogs :)

[gangley]

another pc type shooter for the defective ex-box how original :confused:

It's a RPG you fucking retard not a shooter and yes it is original and the main reason I have kept my 360 if there was one game I wished would come out on my PS3 it's this one so just because it's on the 360 DON'T bag the game cause you hate the system :eek:

[dalezer]

thats WAY WAY WAY!!!!!!! too much dialogue.

More gameplay is required in my opinion.

[benny32]

Despite all the hype for this game, I think the character designs are terrible. The weapons look more rediculous than covenant weapons. Yay, lots of dialog to wash the blandness out of my mouth! How about no:p

This looks like filler to keep Halo fans busy until the 720 comes out. Halo 4 wont be out until at the soonest during the 720 launch on Nov 15 2009. :eek:

[mystic54]

thats WAY WAY WAY!!!!!!! too much dialogue.

More gameplay is required in my opinion.

Wow, there are so many opinions I could pick out in this thread, but I will start with this one. So, if a game doesn't have enough dialogue people complain, if a game has too much people complain. You do realize you won't be listening to every line? Most people won't even listen to more than 2,000 (my guess). In each conversation, you have multiple choices of what to say, which means you will only hear the response from which you select.

satel: That is one of the laziest comments I have ever seen from you. Seriously, watch more than one gameplay video next time before trying to slam a game.

XxBigP123xX: I'm sure you'll find a way to blow through it in 5 hours but oh wait, that would be too short for you wouldn't it?

Try playing Knights of the Old Republic sometime and get back to me about how this game is supposed to "suck".

[ShinoBboy]

ya but i thought dvd was limited... we need blu ray.. <--- end sarcasm ;)

i am glad someone brought this point up. Hey you know what this really means right??? Not only will this not have highest quality sound but with that many dialogs, all that talk that Mass Effect can take up to 40 hrs and such is definitely bogus. Mass Effect and Uncharted are on my list but i will wait and find out which one will indeed have the highest length in gaming that is.

look i really like this game and will def but it when it comes to pc or even if i get a 360..i dont have ps3 so dont say fanboy..BUt it has nothing original.the galaxy thing rachet and clank had it..and the dialouge thing well a lot of games have done it..so its doesnt have anything groundbreaking like ppl say..but dont flamme me ..im just saying dont hype it too much coz if you dont like it that much youll be pissed

you're most likely right about that and i too will probably do the same and wait for the PC version. If anything i already will have R&C, Uncharted, UT3, Haze, and Assassins Creed for my gaming pleasure so i don't see the point in picking this one up right away.

Wow, there are so many opinions I could pick out in this thread, but I will start with this one. So, if a game doesn't have enough dialogue people complain, if a game has too much people complain. You do realize you won't be listening to every line? Most people won't even listen to more than 2,000 (my guess). In each conversation, you have multiple choices of what to say, which means you will only hear the response from which you select.

satel: That is one of the laziest comments I have ever seen from you. Seriously, watch more than one gameplay video next time before trying to slam a game.

XxBigP123xX: I'm sure you'll find a way to blow through it in 5 hours but oh wait, that would be too short for you wouldn't it?

Try playing Knights of the Old Republic sometime and get back to me about how this game is supposed to "suck".
KOTR had more gameplay than dialog though. This one seems to be focusing on the "interacting" direction rather than gameplay. Everyone complains about dialog b/c it always turns out to be...well...basically a waste of time.

[Sinar]

ya but i thought dvd was limited... we need blu ray.. <--- end sarcasm ;)
It's on 8 discs :D

[mystic54]

KOTR had more gameplay than dialog though. This one seems to be focusing on the "interacting" direction rather than gameplay. Everyone complains about dialog b/c it always turns out to be...well...basically a waste of time.

People also complain about a lack of story so with dialogue, one has the option to actually get involved in a story.

For the most part though, people complaining about too much dialogue will do what has been done in the past, breeze past it with "A" tapping, and continue with gameplay.

[t0ywizard]

Is this even a game? Seems to me like a big ass harry potter book. Prob will be boring and no action.

[OmenLW]

that is the equivalent of 150-20 movie screenplays according to Karpryshyn.

what the hell does 150-20 mean?

[XxBigP123xX]

Is this even a game? Seems to me like a big ass harry potter book. Prob will be boring and no action.

shhh dont tell the truth! this is GOTY!!! /sarcasm.

[So-Unreal]

I just want to know what are the load times are like.

[gerbilboy]

How will such a "massive" game fit on a DVD???

[mystic54]

How will such a "massive" game fit on a DVD???

Games for the 360 are compressed (which doesn't hurt 360 load times) while games on the PS3 have to be uncompressed so the load times aren't enormous.

[gangley]

shhh dont tell the truth! this is GOTY!!! /sarcasm.

For once your right, this will be GOTY without a doubt, all you fanboys are so gay the companies don't pay your wages only laugh at your support, people with a brain have an open opinion & don't rely on 1 system.

[t0ywizard]

For once your right, this will be GOTY without a doubt, all you fanboys are so gay the companies don't pay your wages only laugh at your support, people with a brain have an open opinion & don't rely on 1 system.

You criticize yourself too much.

[LeGioN1202]

This game seems to be praised for the same things Xenosaga was shunned for...

Please explain?...

[xllzerollx]

This game seems to be praised for the same things Xenosaga was shunned for...

Please explain?...

I dont think people actually like this, its just a way for them to say "dvd dl can hold all that"

lol, this is like that 2nd folklore demo, 20minutes of boring talking, 5 minutes of playing

[gangley]

You criticize yourself too much.

It wouldn't matter what system Mass Effect was on as people like yourself just don't have enough intelligence to play a game like this, as you have to make decisions and with the combined IQ of 5 all the people knocking it have no chance of enjoying it's brilliance.

[grapeape]

This game seems to be praised for the same things Xenosaga was shunned for...

Please explain?...

Xenosaga had plenty of dialogue but it was mostly repetative anime jabber...sometimes not even matching the portion of the storyline you were at in the game. Dont get me wrong Xeno was a great game but the dialogue was what kept if from being it an awesome game dialogue is great but who really wants to listen to 20 minute nonsensical religious diatribe?

Bioware's conversation system was one of the key points in the EA aquisition, you dont just listen to what NPC's have to say you can actually have a conversation (within limits of course). There is an article in Business Week last week that talked about the EA deal and how EA was looking to encorporate Bioware's tech into some of its other titles. Thats why there are 20000 lines of dialogue hearing even 1/10th of them in the course of a game is probably unlikely but the potential is there. From what I have read their conversation engine is for game dialogue what Unreal Engine 3 was for gameplay and graphics.

[Wesyeed]

Jeez whats with all the complaining. Getting through any metal gear game's probably even more tedious.

[segaman1977]

Here's a crazy idea for both 360 players and the naive sony fanboys: how about you play the game first then make a constructive opinion. 360 fans do tend to get excited about almost every new game, (although the last few months have been very good though judging after the fact.) Sony fans seem to consistently bash every 360 game, using stills and other sony fan opinions as their source. Back in the day, I heavily supported the Saturn, being amored with the great 2-d japanese games; but I didn't bash the PS1. I was more than happy to try out the newest games my friends had, and eventually bought one near the end of its life. I wish these forums would be more about people sharing objective feedback instead of being a platform for a b*tch-fest. I swear, sometimes with the crazy bantering and pointless attacks I feel like I am on a text version of the View. (For those outside of the States the View is a talk show with older self-appointed "important women" who cackle like beaten chickens)

[LeGioN1202]

Xenosaga had plenty of dialogue but it was mostly repetative anime jabber...sometimes not even matching the portion of the storyline you were at in the game. Dont get me wrong Xeno was a great game but the dialogue was what kept if from being it an awesome game dialogue is great but who really wants to listen to 20 minute nonsensical religious diatribe?

Bioware's conversation system was one of the key points in the EA aquisition, you dont just listen to what NPC's have to say you can actually have a conversation (within limits of course). There is an article in Business Week last week that talked about the EA deal and how EA was looking to encorporate Bioware's tech into some of its other titles. Thats why there are 20000 lines of dialogue hearing even 1/10th of them in the course of a game is probably unlikely but the potential is there. From what I have read their conversation engine is for game dialogue what Unreal Engine 3 was for gameplay and graphics.

Don't get me wrong, loads of dialogue has never bothered me. Xenosaga was one of my favorite games on the PS2 because of all the dialogue and storytelling it provided. I was one of the few that enjoyed the 2nd disc of Xenogears.

I am a book reader and fan of fantasy, the more I get to read and learn about a games storyline, the better.

I just feel that people shouldn't shun one thing for one game and then say good things about it for another. Just doesn't seem fair to me.

Not saying this game isn't going to be any good, I have no problems with this game.

[Ravenheart]

I enjoyed Dreamfall - The Longest Journey, it had tons of dialog and a fantastic story, almost no action(just running around and talking, with very few fighting scenes). So if the story is good i don't see why this won't be a good game, however lets not forget that this game is also said to be very action orientated and non-linear. From the videos i saw the action was OK like any other 3rd person shooter, the non-linear part however looked to be repetetive and i think this will be one of the poorer parts of the game.

As for the DVD being small, a couple of big titles have had complains that they barely fit on a DVD9 (dual-layer), xbox fans belive whatever you want the DVD is small for next-gen games. You either cut the videos(no HD videos, or very very few), you can cut the audio files(be it music, be it rich sound effects or as in this case dialog voices) OR you can cut/compress the gameplay part of the game(levels, quests, extra content around the game world). While DVD is still the leading format for films and music videos, its definitely limiting most Xbox360 games.

[sjkhounk]

Jeez whats with all the complaining. Getting through any metal gear game's probably even more tedious.

O..M..G.. Metal Gear is the worst of the worst. I liked the first, tortured myself through the second (unexpectedly), couldn't even get past the intros in the third. Got frustrated cause of all the nonsense-jibberish.

If the dialog had relevance, then that would be fine. Why the hell do I need to know what the colour of your bracelet is, and where it came from, and why it means so much to you, and what you plan to do with it when you die, and what year it was made, etc...? I'm in the middle of mission. But I think it's just the translation from Japanese text, they tend to get over dramatic in the process.

People tell me it's a good game and I always planned on giving it another shot, but then I remember the jibberish. And it shakes the sh*t outta me. Chance is gone now, game is gone and good riddance. I know you all love the series, nothing wrong with that, just saying .... *chills* jibberish.

[Devil Dan]

Looks like to a lot of people gameplay equals shooting stuff. If so, most dialogue in games can be skipped. Or pick up one of the many FPS with little to no story.

[opporchoonist1]

why do people keep calling this an fps? its a fukin rpg and without a doubt is going to be one of the best games i have ever played, im sure of it...i have nothing but admiration for bioware having played kotr and jade empire. i also understand its not for everyone, some people like games that only last a few hours as opposed to these type of lengthy games but no need to try and shoot the game down like, i would seriously advise you to give this a go though and to the guy that said kotr wasn't that heavy...mate you obviously haven't played it or if you did you arent really a fan of rpg's OR of course you're just a melon, thats always possible.:D

[Sinar]

seriously can't wait for my pre-order to ship.

[busboy33]

look i really like this game and will def but it when it comes to pc or even if i get a 360..i dont have ps3 so dont say fanboy..BUt it has nothing original.the galaxy thing rachet and clank had it..and the dialouge thing well a lot of games have done it..so its doesnt have anything groundbreaking like ppl say..but dont flamme me ..im just saying dont hype it too much coz if you dont like it that much youll be pissed

Rachet and Clank had a fully explorable galaxy with hundreds of planets? Really? Which Rachet and Clank was that, please?
Lots of games have dialogue, sure . . . but none follow feeling instead of written dialogue trees, none that I know allow consider the timing of your response, etc.
Mabye you're right, mabye there's nothing groundbreaking about it. After all, it has graphics, and so did Pong, so I suppose it's really just more of the same.
By your definitions, NO GAME EVER will be groundbreaking.
Don't want to be labeled a fanboy? Don't act like one.

[pezjono]

If this game was on PS3, these same losers that are criticizing it would be praising it!

"All hail Blu-Ray. It would have been impossible to make it on DVD. Blah blah blah..."

[rahilb]

This game is more about the story than the shooting.

Apparently if you just ignore someone calling you in a bar, you can miss a huge chunk of story.

There are plenty of all gameplay, no story games (timeshift anyone?) for you to play. The only reason you would by this game is the story, not to shoot stuff.

[Salmon-Face]

Awesome, I love games like this where developers put a lot of time and effort into making a great RPG. I hope itjoins the ranks of other games with tonnes of voice acted dialogue like Deus Ex and Oblivion.

[JJXB]

RPG's are meant for story, not action. sure action in the right balance is good but if jade empire (for example) was more action than story then it would equate to pointless fighting. that would be good for a short period of time but then get so boring you wouldn't want to play any further.

mass effect looks amazing though and considering that bioware have a long history of great rpg's (baldurs gate 1+2 on pc anyone?) this looks like it's shaping up well. only company that would have been able to stand up to bioware would have been black isle studios (fallout FTW!) if they hadn't been dissolved by interplay :mad:.

[grapeape]

RPG's are meant for story, not action. sure action in the right balance is good but if jade empire (for example) was more action than story then it would equate to pointless fighting. that would be good for a short period of time but then get so boring you wouldn't want to play any further.

mass effect looks amazing though and considering that bioware have a long history of great rpg's (baldurs gate 1+2 on pc anyone?) this looks like it's shaping up well. only company that would have been able to stand up to bioware would have been black isle studios (fallout FTW!) if they hadn't been dissolved by interplay :mad:.

Not to worry Fallout is in good hands, Bethesda has it now and the developers are a group made up of the Eidos Thief team and The Elder Scrolls guys. Its been in development for quite a while and is due out on the PC, 360 and PS3 next fall.

[Devil Dan]

What i fear in this game is that the militarry setting could be restricting.

[busboy33]

What i fear in this game is that the militarry setting could be restricting.

I suppose ther's some merit to that, in that you can't do ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING you like. The story wouldn't get too far if you decided to be a farmer, for instance.
At least how they have described it, this "Spectre" force is kind of like the Green Berets and Black Ops rolled into one, so I'm assuming that you have alot more freedom than simply following orders. Given that they've designed hundreds of worlds for you to explore thru side-quests, I can't see how the character could be too restricted, unless of course your orders were "explore planet 205. Now explore planet 206. Now explore . . .". Hopefully, it'll follow a similar structure to Oblivion -- there are main story quests to explore, but you can do them at your leisure, and otherwise explore as you se fit.

The above is my guess -- not based on anything aside from wishful thinking.