Welcome, one and all, to the long-awaited sequel to the idle banter project!
WHAT IS THIS?
For those of you who weren't around for the previous iteration, idle banter basically consists of short dialogues between NPCs across the whole of Vvardenfell. These would be scenes without any real player interaction, and are just there to make the NPCs seem less static and dependent on the player. A good example of this would be in Skyrim's Riverwood, when you first walk in and hear an old lady complaining to her son(?) that she's seen a dragon. Just a few lines, nothing much, to make the world seem more alive. Naturally, the original Morrowind wasn't capable of this, but with the standards set by Skyrim, the taverns and streets of Skywind would feel rather empty without it.
The first time we did this project, we focused on all the characters from the original game, and with great perseverance we were able to get all of it done. Now, all we have left is writing for the expansions, Tribunal and Bloodmoon. This is a much smaller endeavor, and with the experience we already have under our belts, it should hopefully run a lot smoother as well.
CAN I VOLUNTEER?
Yes! Well, I mean, I should probably be more specific. This project is open to anyone who has a strong passion for writing and decent ability. The ideal volunteer should also know at least a thing or two about Morrowind lore, or be willing to learn it. If you haven't the slightest clue about lore, a great place to go is the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP) wiki. If you think this describes you, then welcome to the project! Everything you need to know can be found below.
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THE PROCESS
Okay, so this is going to be basically the same process we did last time, except a bit condensed as far as formatting. All you have to do is follow these steps (they will be explained in greater detail below):
1. Claim a spot on the signup sheet!
2. Write your lines on an excel document!
3. Format those lines!
4. Submit those lines by attaching them to a post in this thread!
IN GREATER DETAIL:
Step 1:
To claim a spot, open the link at the end of this document for the signup sheet. There, you'll see a fairly self-explanatory chart with all the different major areas in the expansions. I tried to only include cells (buildings or small regions) that had multiple people in them to interact. To sign up, just put your name (TESR username, please!) under the "claimed by" column.
Note also the "state of completion" column. This is for you to track your progress, as well as keep me updated on what still needs doing. When you've claimed a piece but haven't started work on it, change the "unclaimed" to an "incomplete." When you've started on it, but haven't finished or it hasn't passed official review, label it as "in progress." Color coordination also helps here if you can; there will be a key on the document. I will be in charge of marking cells as "complete," as all submissions will be reviewed by me before they are approved. You should not under any circumstances mark your own document as "complete," even if you feel you're done with it. This is so that I can keep straight which documents have passed review and which ones have not.
Oh, and one more thing for this. Once you've claimed an area, it's yours, and nobody else's. Which means you assume full responsibility to complete it in a timely manner. If at any point you feel this isn't possible, then you should take your name off the list or hand off the area as soon as possible, or else you're slowing down the process for everyone.
Step 2:
Ah, the actual brunt of the work. Once you've claimed an area, usually in the form of a building or small location, you must write lines for all the NPCs contained within it. This should include both interactions with other NPCs, as well as a few solo lines that they can mutter to themselves. Each character should have at least a couple interactions with others, and each interaction should be no longer than 5 lines exchanged. We want short scenes, not a play. Now, keep in mind that the whole "two-to-three interactions per NPC" isn't necessarily concrete. As the writer, you have full authority to determine whether or not certain characters should have more or fewer interactions, or perhaps should have more, less, or even no solo lines. It all comes down to the NPC you're writing for, and what you think is best for them.
In terms of content, my major piece of advice here would be not to make the conversations too heavy handed. Just because one NPC might give the player a certain quest doesn't mean that every conversation should relate to that quest. Imagine the kinds of short conversations you have in your life; they tend to not be on life-or-death situations or drama-filled speeches. They're just on the small things, like how you're feeling, what you've been up to that day, maybe just a few short words of greeting. Maybe even throw in a few jokes (not too many, of course, for fear of removing all seriousness). Again, the goal of this project is to make these NPCs feel like real people, and to do that, sometimes you have to stick to more down-to-earth conversations.
Make sure also that the personalities you give your NPCs aren't too over-embellished. Ultimately, they should still be the people that they were in the original games. To find out more about the NPCs you're writing for, just search for your cell's name on the UESP wiki, and you'll find a list of all the NPCs within and some basic info about most of them. Some have detailed descriptions that are great to find inspiration. Others don't have a page of their own, but often you can extrapolate a lot about a person's character by looking at their race, class, and faction.
Oh, one last thing. If you happened to claim a miscellaneous section on the signup sheet, that generally means that you're writing lines for everyone outside of major buildings but still within the region. This includes people who live alone in their houses, as Skywind will allow them to actually leave and interact with people on the street. The miscellaneous sections tend to involve more NPCs than others, so if you're in the mood for a challenge, that's a good place to start.
continued on the next post
Step 3:
This process for formatting your work may look a little intimidating here, but it's actually really easy. Attached to this document is a template that you will be putting your writing into. It is separated into seven distinct columns, labeled as follows:
Placeholder Filepath, Text, Speaker, Location, VA Directions, Extra Condition, Extra Condition
Okay, the last thing to worry about is the "placeholder filepath" column. Your entries should have this format:
[IB][Location][Cell(if applicable)][conversation#]_[lineofconversation#]
IB: This is just an acronym for "idle banter," for sorting purposes. Be sure to always write "IB" at the beginning of these.
Location: The city or area that the line is spoken in. Note that this is not the same thing as the cell. Things that might go in here include Vivec, Balmora, etc. No specific buildings, though.
Cell: Now THIS is where the cell goes. If the conversation takes place outside, do not write anything here, just leave it out entirely.
Conversation#: This number is to differentiate which conversations inside a certain cell are which. Just start at "1" for the first conversation in that cell, and then start counting up for the other conversations.
Lineofconversation#: This number is to put all the lines of a certain conversation in order. Again, just start at "1" and count up. Also note that this number and the conversation number are separated by an underscore, "_". It's important to include this so we don't see conversation 4, line 6 (4_6) as conversation 46.
Also to note: Do not include the brackets in this line.
So, with all this in mind, a filepath name might look something like this:
IBVivecElvenNationsCornerclub3_7
This would be the seventh line of the third conversation taking place in the Elven Nations Cornerclub in Vivec.
So, basically, you need to follow this format for all your interactions on your excel document before you submit it. This will make things much easier for us in the future, I promise. If it's easier for you, you can also write everything out in a word document first and then transfer it to this formula.
Once you're done, all that's left is Step 4, which is just the process of posting it here where I and other writers can review it. Be sure to download the attached template and put all of your work in that format before submission. It's more than likely that we'll ask you to go back and edit a few things for us, and that's only natural. Getting the writing just right takes a few tries, even for the best of us. I only ask that you bear with me and my constructive criticisms on any of your submissions.
OKAY, THAT'S EVERYTHING!
If you have any questions, just let me know and I'll do my best to answer them! Sorry if this seems like an information overload right now; I just can't think of a better way to to get all the info out there. Below are all the links you'll need. Happy writing!
The Signup Sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dsrnCLPUkix8a8vF3QKx...
The Template Download can be found just below, as an attached document.
I'll claim the Imperial Cult Shrine if that is ok? Tried to claim it on the Google Doc, but it wouldn't allow me to make any changes. Anyways, been here for a while now and I'd be glad to help contribute!
Okay, the document should be editable now. Sorry about that!
And you're more than welcome to take the Shrine. :)
Yes! I have been waiting for this a very long time! Before I start writing, I have a few questions.
Firstly, where do we write the dialogue? Is it the same as last time (word or edexcel), or de we write it in the reference sorting sheet? This may be a stupid question, but I just want to be 100% sure.
Secondly, in the high chapel there are only hands of Almalexia. I don't think these guys would have any casual conversations, so I thought they could maybe say prayers and chants in dunmeri or something along those lines. Alright then, now that I sorted that all out I would like to volunteer to write dialogue for the Raven Rock bar!
Justafan, you may want to create a base template for people to write their content into so when you receive their stuff it can be merged seamlessly to save work.
Also everyone, last time we did this I had to manually replace close to 900 entry NPC names because of typos in their names. Please make sure all the weird names are spelled correctly when you enter them! I rely on a script I wrote that replaces the normal name with the ingame ID and if the name isn't right then things become more difficult. Thanks!
Excellent.
Been looking for a writing job, and this seems to do the trick. I sort of want to take all of the Temple Courtyard (as I liked that the look of it in Morrowind) but it seems a bit to greedy, so I'll work on each (if available) periodically. Thanks Justafan for the work.
Count me in. It's been fun doing that before.
I did some script writing a while back and think I'd like to get on the action again. I'll take the Tribunal Great Bazaar Booksellers which should be pretty easy because there's only two NPCs. OWO
Question: Can I have characters from other parts of the Great Bazaar go inside and interact with the NPCs inside the Bookshop? This would be very helpful as conversations between only two characters (one of whom later is killed) would be very hard.
Okay, answers to some questions:
You should write your lines in your own excel document that can be posted as an attachment on this thread. The reason I don't want it written in a large reference sheet is because it makes any writing that people have done much harder to find for the sake of editing. By each author submitting a separate document (that still matches the format of the reference), it's very easy to review their work and any changes they've made. Then, when an author's writing is done to satisfaction, it can be fairly easily copy/pasted to a larger compilation of all the lines. Really, the reference page I gave you should not be edited at all; it would cause substantial confusion otherwise. I may just change that document to non-editable so that nobody gets confused.
Taerkalith, that's a good idea on the template sheet. I'll draft that up and put it in the original post.
Sputnick, in regards to your question, I'd say that it's probably safe to bring outside characters into your scenes, but try not to do it too frequently. In fact, if you're going to do that, I'd ask that you frame it as the people in your cell going outside to interact with NPCs. It's a given that all NPCs will leave their houses at some point, but it's not guaranteed that a specific NPC will enter a specific building. So if your NPCs to interact with others, that's fine to do, but just make sure it doesn't take place in the building. I hope that makes sense.
Big thing with NPCs changing location, and it's something we'll have to figure out how to deal with as their packages are set, is some of the dialogue conditioning is based on location as it was in morrowind/morroblivion. If I go to generate a script for a VA for that NPC, I'm generating it for the location+cell they're in. There's room for new lines appearing that haven't been recorded as they change location so try to keep changing cells to a minimum unless really necessary. As I said there's manual workarounds but I'd rather not be doing thousands of these.
You can count me in! Providing my writing is up to standard :P.
Just a quick aside should I play the blood moon and tribunal expansions? So as to better acquaint myself with the characters.
Ready for review.
I think this is something I could do. I'll take Sadri Manor, but I have a question. Alvan Llarys leaves Sadri Manor once you have spoken to Elbert Nermarc as part of "The Thief" quest. Would I still be responsible for his lines once he's outside? If so it's not a problem, I just want to clarify.
@Justanfan @taerkalith Okay thanks that's makes sense I will try to keep the lines outside of the shop to a minimum.
Two ready.
Also, I may add more when needed.
Mine's ready to be inspected.
My first draft is done! Be sure to give constructive criticism.
Let me know what you think. I went in a sentient AI direction with the NPC's having an idea of what is happening around them.
Okay, review time!
First off, some advice for all of you that I forgot to mention earlier. We really can't have idle banter conversations that involve more than two people. It just adds another layer of complication for implementation that takes too much time to deal with. I've noticed that most of you have at least one conversation that has that, which will unfortunately have to be changed. Sorry I didn't bring that up until now, my bad. Oh, also, if you're giving VA directions that are supposed to carry over across multiple lines of an NPC's dialogue, you should label each line as such. When all the idle banter is collected, lines will be broken up, and VAs aren't necessarily going to have the context of earlier lines at their disposal. Now, for the actual reviews:
SkeptixMessiah: I really like it so far! You've got a nice balance of the dramatic and the lighthearted in there. I especially like what you've done with the VA directions; that level of depth in the instructions really brings out the dialogue. My advice for you: find a way to make that initial three-person scene into a two-person (or perhaps even break it up into two distinct conversations on the subject), and maybe add more solo lines for the characters. You've captured the spirit of NPC "muttering" very well, and I'd like to see more of that.
Asticol: When I was reading your lines, I liked some of your ideas, but there were a few glaring issues that really stood out to me, which somewhat detracted from the experience. First of all, you really need to make sure that your grammar and spelling are spot on in these drafts. It helps reviewers take your writing more seriously, and it saves editors a lot of work in the future. Secondly, under no circumstances will we be adding quests with this idle banter project, and we most certainly shouldn't be writing dialogue around quests that will likely not exist. The "extra conditions" column is something that's meant to be used sparingly at best, because it adds a layer of complication for those who have to put the interaction in the game. Only use it if you feel it's for a very good reason, and definitely don't use it to pitch a quest idea. Oh, and one more thing to think about. This is much less significant an issue, but it's still something to keep an eye on. Generally, you'll want to avoid excessive shouting or truly heated debates among NPCs, like the one you have between Galsa and Nerile. It just... doesn't look good when you see two stationary NPCs shouting at each other. Plus, these are conversations that will often be going on in the background, that the player can either listen to or ignore. And if the conversation is too loud and abrasive, it can actually become annoying to the player. Calmer conversations tend to be better as a result.
Miqueias: You've done a good job with these lines! Just a few things to point out. First of all, like Taerkalith said, you need to be very careful that you've gotten all the NPC lines spelled correctly. "High Ordinater" should be spelled "High Ordinator." Fixing small stuff like this can save the people who have to implement this later a lot of trouble. Also, make sure you have those VA directions repeat where necessary. For instance, in conversation 4, Tadera should sound concerned for more than just the first line. Concerning your question about Alvan, I'd say that you should write those lines as well. Just be sure that you write in the "extra condition" tabs to specify when he has and hasn't left the house. But since you don't want to overlap too heavily with whoever's doing the miscellaneous section, I wouldn't make him interact with any NPCs out there. Just give him a couple lines to mutter to himself, maybe.
Entreri: Good stuff! Like I said to Asticol, you might want to be careful about NPCs like Afer getting too loud. But really, with your previous experience with idle banter, you pretty clearly know what you're doing, and I'm honestly not too worried about you. One REALLY important thing though, is that I think you may have messed up a little on the ID labeling. The way you have your solo lines formatted implies that they should all be read as part of the same conversation (1_1, 1_2, 1_3, etc). I assume by how unrelated some of those lines tend to be that that's not what you intended. Every distinct line should have a different first number (1_1, 2_1, 3_1) in order to make sure that they happen independently of each other. Also make sure that your "extra conditions" are attached to EVERY line of the conversation that depends on it.
Dr. G: Wow, you wrote a lot! And it's quite good, too! You've captured the spirit of idle banter very well, and there's not much that really needs changing here. One thing to be sure of is that you're not involving the player in any of the conversations. These are conversations that can be taking place as long as the player is in the cell, not necessarily when the player is nearby, which means that certain lines like Antonius' sarcastic statement on the weather could seem really out of place under the wrong circumstances. Also, and this is getting really nit-picky, but be careful of your spelling in just a couple places ("alter" is to change, "altar" is the thing you pray at). Besides those minor things, I don't think there's much in your writing that needs to change.
Okay, I fixed the Ordinator spelling, added VA directions and more lines for Alvan Llarys.
Fixed as advised and added more solo. Should more be required just say.
Craftsmen's Hall and the Winged Guar.
Ready for review.
Alright, hopefully I fixed up the Placeholder filepath correctly. Also, I added an extra dialogue regarding weresharks.
Double post, sorry.
I've decided to also do Fort Frostmoth General Quarters. Both characters there were named "guard" so I did a sort of "A" "B" kind of thing. I hope that works.
Here's Godsreach, Miscellaneous.
Here's the Secret Office and Llethan Manor. Secret Office is a bit sparse on conversation since, realistically, the player will never be there long - but I can add more if needed.
Review Session #2!
Miqueias: Boy, you're really powering through these! You've done enough with Sadri Manor I think, and I'm happy to mark that one as complete. Small issues like grammatical stuff and typos will be addressed in a further stage by editors. The Frostmoth general quarters could use a little cleaning up, though. First of all, I'm generally wary of giving lines to generic NPCs ("Guard A and Guard B"), as it might be a bit difficult to implement conversations between what are essentially the same NPC. I'm not entirely sure on the specifics of that, but perhaps Taerkalith can provide some insight on that front. For now, though, I'd just advise to not do that too heavily if you can help it. That being said, not all is lost! Because there are actually some specific NPCs in the general quarters that need some lines, Saenus Lusius and Gaea Artoria (she's in the upper level, but that still falls under your territory). Perhaps some of these lines can be re-purposed. You'll probably also want to add some lines relating to the quest that involves these two, "The Frostmoth Smugglers." Oh, and one last thing, that cconversation about Red Mountain erupting seems a little to heavy-handed of a hint, considering that everyone playing Skywind will have played Skyrim and know exactly what you're poking fun at. Perhaps a bit more subtlety, like "I wish it would get warmer around here" or something like that.
You're also missing some NPCs for your Godsreach Miscellaneous, such as Taren Andoren or Eno Romari. Have you been using the UESP wiki? It's a great resource for finding full lists of NPCs in any given location. It would also be good while you're at it to give the NPCs some solo lines here and there.
Dr. G: I bow my head to you, good sir; you have bested me in lore. I can definitely appreciate a writer who does his research. But seriously, this stuff is really good, and I'm happy to accept it as it is right now. I encourage you to claim some more cells if you haven't already.
Laertes: Ah, Laertes! It's just like the good old days. I honestly don't have any decent advice for your writing, it's pretty much perfect as it is. But that's hardly surprising; you're an old pro at this. I trust your writing ability and experience, so I'm happy to take them in their current form.
SkeptixMessiah: The vacant manor is looking great. The docks are pretty good on first submission, too. I think you've pretty much got the hang of what we're looking for, and I'm not really seeing anything to complain about. So I'm happy to let both of those pass inspection. I hope you've signed up for more!
Entreri: Yup, looks like everything's fixed. I like the extra conversation, too. Document approved! There are still spots open if you want to claim a couple more!
The Throne Room of the Royal Palace, the seat of power of that magnificent bastard Hlaalu Helseth.
I have General Quarters updated. Both characters have mostly the same lines, and the reason being, is because whichever NPC you choose to accompany you on "The Frostmoth Smugglers" quest does not return to the general quarters when you complete this quest; Gaea and Saenus do not actually appear untill this quest is started so neither NPC is seen for very long, so creating seperate lines for each of them would be pointless, as you might not even hear all of them as it is. If you want me to change this though, and give them each unique lines, I can still do that, but this was just my take on the situation. Also to note, neither NPC is ever seen with the other. That is why there are no conversations, just solo lines.
I have been using the UESP, but obviously not as much as I should, since I have missed so many NPCs, mostly I have just been going to these areas on Morrowind and studying them. But again, seeing as I have missed so many characters, I will start double checking with the UESP.
EDIT: this explanation for why they have the same lines is really confusing, so I'll try to simplify it. What I mean to say is, if you choose Saenus to follow you, he will not return to the General quarters, so that leaves only Gaea to deliver lines. Same thing if you choose Gaea except vise versa. So what I'm basically saying is that whichever NPC you do NOT choose to accompany you, will be the one delivering the lined I wrote. So, since these lines make sense coming from both characters, and really only one of them will probably end up saying them, then I don't see a need for them to have seperate lines (unless I am grievously mistaken and the NPC you choose on the quest will still use those lines) if that is the case, just let me know and I'll write more lines.
I wrote some banter for Gandrung caverns! The average player is not probably not going to sit around and listen to them (probably being much too occupied in bashing their heads in with a claymore to listen), but I thought adding a couple of surprises would be rewarding to all stealthy players.
I added lines to Godsreach. Sorry about the missing NPCs
Sorry, wrong file. Here's Godsreach.
Temple Sewers & Residential Sewers.
Also, made a small error in Llethan manor, saying King Helseth instead of King Llethan - here is a revised version.
Hey everyone! Sorry there haven't been any reviews lately, but I've been pretty busy the last week or so with non-Skywind stuff. Things should clear up by the end of the week, though, and I can get back to the reviews. In the meantime, don't hesitate to grab up more cells! I'll be able to review them eventually, I promise!
Okay. Let's do this. Again, sorry for the delay, everyone!
Twenty: The lines look as good as ever. One piece of advice: I'd tone down Helseth's shadiness just a little bit. In the game, he's pretty suspicious of the player at all times. As a result, I'd think that he'd refrain from mentioning any delicate matters with Tienius while the player is even remotely in earshot. If I were you, I'd try to center his dialogue around the more typical, day-to-day kingly duties, like taxes and whatnot. That's probably more realistic than bringing up shady issues while at court, anyway.
Miqueias: Thanks for your patience in changing all those lines for the general quarters! I know that can be a bit frustrating. Getting rid of general guard dialogue was definitely a good thing. I do get your reasoning with not having any dialogue between the two actual NPCs there, though. I think what you've done is probably the right course of action there. The Godsreach is looking a lot more fleshed out as well. I was looking at Thrud's dialogue after seeing your writing, and I think you captured his voice pretty well. It's rather strange, because the game has all his quest-related lines as really broken, and all his other lines being perfectly normal (maybe we'll have to fix that at some point). I think that the balance that you found in his idle banter satisfied both of those pretty well.
Laertes: Good catch on the Llethan thing! I certainly didn't notice. I like your dialogue for the black dart gang especially; it's really fun. Also gives a lot more character to the NPCs that might as well have not had names. The lines between Thrud and Dilborn are very endearing, too. I think those are all good to go right off the press!
Entreri: You've done a good job with the caverns. I know there wasn't exactly much to go off of here, but you've done a good job making the most of it. When this is all released, I'll make a point of waiting to bash their heads in with my claymore, just for you!
There's still a few more cells to be done! Come on guys, keep up the great work!
Thanks. It really annoyed me playing through tribunal and I would read Thrud's dialog and it was broken, and then exit dialog and hear him speak perfectly normal. But that was probably because he just had the generic Nord dialog assigned to him.
Removed my name from two of the things, as I doubt I would ever complete it (work is pretty hectic).
This certainly looks fun and doable... I just need to wrap my head around all the steps and such first O_o
Any chance you have a video guide or something? Just a quick illustration of what you have written here? If not that's perfectly fine, it would just help me absorb it all faster ^_^
(Will definitely try and work on a few things here)
EDIT - I'm getting the basics down now... May go ahead and handle the rest of Solstheim's NPCs considering how few there are left >.> (just going with the one's marked atm)
EDIT2 - I think I've got it... I'm going to go do some research before I start writing, one NPC in particular has a lot going on (in-game, not by my adding anything extra).
I've claimed the Office of the Lord Archcanon, and dialogue will be coming soon.
EDIT: Here; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lHX5gpzZ9BzYsCK0KEmD....
Sorry for it being Google Sheets, WPS Writer was being annoying.
I would grab Fort Frostmouth's miscellaneous section if you folk do not mind. Any idea what NPCs that entails? anything that's not the docks or general quarters?
@Bobert Mann: Yep, that minus the Imperial Cult Shrine which is also a separate claim.
@IcarusBen: Can't access your doc, looks like it's set to private.
Bobert Mann wrote:
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Bloodmoon:People
JustSnilloc wrote:
That's what I was wondering if we are adding in any new NPCs or keeping with the ones that were in Morrowind. Thanks for the info chief.
Sorry, try this.
If I used the Extra Conditions a little too much, I can write different dialogue that doesn't require it, but I just felt that it'd be more difficult to write without it.
First draft will be ready by Saturday morning at the latest. Thinking of playing up the low morale angle for Fort Frostmouth.
IcarusBen, this is a great start! A few recommendations, though:
Part of the reason your writing needed so many extra conditions is because you made it very heavily related to quests. You might want to consider adding some more lines, concerning more arbitrary topics. For instance, maybe Urvel could ask Gavas what Barenziah is like, since he's apparently met her. Or even something more day-to-day, such as Gavas asking his initiate to fetch something for him. It's the more mundane interactions that make characters feel real. If all their lines just revolve around things that the player has done, it begins to feel like they exist solely for the player and not for themselves.
And one, much smaller thing. What is the purpose of the question marks for some of the VA directions? If you don't have an implied emotion for a certain line, you can just leave it blank.
Hope this helps!
Here are the lines for the rest of the Royal Palace. I've also made the requested changes to the Throne Room, altering Helseth's lines to make him sound less overtly threatening (though I mostly kept the first conversation, since I found it interesting and relevant to his character).
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