I’ve had an idea for a long time: develop a video game conversation engine for Role Playing Games (in the style of Mass Effect or the Elder Scrolls series) that gave Non Player Characters (NPCs) a method to develop their conversational content on the fly, based on a knowledge database, syntax and keywords.

I spent a decent amount of time trying to figure out the ins and outs of the idea, to offer a conversation engine design that would be easy to implement and provide players with a more immersive experience. Now, I’m not a programmer, though I have some very limited programming background. I see myself as a writer and an idea man – that is, I like to come up with stories, design ideas, and write content. However, my thirst for a more immersive way to relate to NPCs in Role Playing Games drove me to commit my ideas for a dynamic conversation engine to [digital] paper.

Below is the outline for my idea, as posted on scribd.com. It’s not a full-featured design document by any means, but it gives enough detail to grasp the basic concept. I’d hoped to use the idea to secure a position at a game company, in hopes of working on the project. Working as a writer or designer for a game company is my dream and I’m trying to slowly build my online presence and develop games with my brother, who makes Flash games.

However, without demonstrating the conversation system in action, this below document alone probably isn’t enough to get a game design or writing job. Therefore, I’m putting it out there in hopes that someone will try to implement it and put it in a game, or send me feedback about it.

If you decide to use it, or are developing something similar, I would love to hear about it, as a comment here, on scribd, or via email. My email address can be found in the “about” page linked above. Enjoy.

Dynamic Conversation Engine Concept