WIP Rewriting and Expanding ALL Dialogue!

Discussion in 'Characters' started by low-spirited, May 31, 2017.

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Would you like for me to pop this mod out in early July?

  1. Yes, please continue working on it!

    99.4%
  2. I'm not very interested.

    0.6%
  1. low-spirited

    low-spirited Title Not Found


    My Thoughts / Reason for Creating this Mod:

    So, I've invested approximately 100+ hours in this WONDERFUL game and... seem to have exhausted almost all dialogue options available. I know the characters from inside and out, where they'll go on certain days of the week, the exceptions of these days, their response to every given question... name it! And, I don't blame Stardew Valley for this issue, rather, the entirety of the RPG genre.

    Every RPG gets to the point, where, you've invested in so many hours that it becomes... tiresome, almost; you've married everybody, heck, even if you don't like them just to get every nook and cranny of detail possible, you've been a jerk, you've been a goodie-goodie, you've been a sarcastic little twit just to elicit a reaction, you've done it all. This applies to all games that implement a "social" system, which, RPGs are notorious for; as thought, this problem persists in titles such as Rune Factory - Story of Seasons - Harvest Moon in general - and, that's what the game is inspired by, your average farming simulator / RPG!... You're guaranteed to run out of text to read, reactions to respond to - so, why not EXTEND the life of how long you can enjoy it?

    Why not have somebody revive your love for the characters? Breathe life, and depth, back into the characters you've come to love?

    Look no further!

    Okay, so, What Does it DO, Exactly?:

    • FIVE TIMES MORE DIALOGUE: APPROXIMATELY 300-350 MORE LINES PER CHARACTER:

      RESULTS (See below for explanation): 2 (lines per day, approx) x 7 (days of the week) x 7 (possible heart values, being 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, beyond) x 3 (Seasons, not including spring) x 1.2 (Other mis. circumstances, such as rain, community center restoration, in-laws) =
      353 (estimated 300-350) Lines of dialogue per character. This does NOT include marriage dialogue.

      Previously, the amount of dialogue per character was approximately 60, not including marriage dialogue. I am multiplying the dialogue by at least five - six. And, yes - marriage dialogue will be reworked and expanded, too!

    My 'mod' not only REWRITES EVERY PIECE OF DIALOGUE within Stardew Valley, but, also EXPANDS upon it tenfold; to explain this in terms that somebody who is a computer doofus can understand (haha, honestly, I'm not good at it either,) Stardew Valley uses a system in, which, certain conditions must be meant for dialogue to appear.

    For example, let's say you had two hearts with Harvey; there is a possible dialogue option that meets these conditions to appear, yet, you can make the conditions even more specific in order to punch in more dialogue. So, let's say, that, instead of Harvey having to have two hearts with you for the chance of the dialogue to trigger, it also has to be winter, and, the community center must be restored. In this instance, we can add in more dialogue that already exists by being more specific and in depth with our dialogue.

    Stardew Valley tends to skip about, in this regard; as in, Harvey may need two hearts on a Monday to trigger /this/ piece of dialogue, yet, when he hits four hearts on a Monday, there is no dialogue specifically set for a four heart Monday, and, it grabs the next closest thing when you COULD have added in more things to say.

    • ALL DIALOGUE REWRITTEN / PERSONALITY FIX (INCLUDES IN-GAME SCREENSHOTS)

    The second issue that I'm fixing is the "lack of personality" syndrome, as I call it.

    You see, I feel like part of this problem could have, potentially, been avoided; yet, at the same time, it was inevitable. As I was working on the dialogue for some characters for examples, you 'ought to take into exception that the dialogue box itself isn't HUGE for deep dialogue. Like... you can fit maybe a full screen of one line dialogue (see below) before the text overflows the box:

    [​IMG]
    As you can see, that isn't a TON of room, especially if you want to get more in depth, like me. I took note, that, this line in the game ALMOST fills the entire text box (about a screen full of a line, if that makes sense!)

    This is a problem; not everybody plays Stardew Valley to socialize, and, you don't want a character's text box to constantly pop up with new dialogue WALLS - that drones them out. At the same time, you don't want the shoddy, stupid little one-liners that revolve around "Ah, the sun touched my face, meh meh!" So, I decided to have SOME pieces of dialogue be lengthy, and others, about medium in length. Each line of dialogue is BASICALLY ENSURED to be worth two text boxes full, instead of one little line; meaning, you have about 2 lines per box, a box for each day of the week with each amount of hearts, according to each season, conditions having to be met (see math above, which, I'm generally terrible at haha.)

    As for the PERSONALITY?

    Well, it's evident that some characters need serious help //eyes Harvey from across the room//, and, in order to breathe more life into the characters (aside from rewriting all of their dialogue, of course,) I made them more engaging by adding in several more questions - more mail - more love. They seem less soulless because I put myself into them, the key step of creating an interesting character. Harvey isn't /just a doctor,/ but instead, a socially awkward, shy kind of guy with quirky interests and a little bubble in his step. Elliott isn't just /Fabio,/ but instead, a bit clutzy, and, uncertain of his future due to how big his ambitions are. Silly and uncoordinated, yet, still charming. Maru isn't just a /nerdy girl who wants to help you out,/ but she's also self-deprecating, and, cannot quite see the shine within herself that you can, yet, shows compassion to you, nonetheless. Here's an example of a question being asked early on in the game (YES, MY NAME IS QWDF: )

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    And, greeting Harvey is less, "bleh meh mBEHME, I'M A DOCTOR, HMURPH LOOK AT MY STACHE (AND YES, MY NAME IS "LMAO NAME: )"

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    (thank my friend for popping up in the lower right corner, he's a scumbag <3)

    THIS ALL LOOKS NICE! ANY OTHER IDEAS? WHEN IT WILL BE RELEASED?:

    More ideas that I MAY add onto this mod include:
    • More heart events (I may need assistance with these)
    • Character quests (Ties into mail)
    • Maybe, if I were to be very ambitious, a date option? As in, giving the bouquet actually means something more than "haha, look at my smokin hot babe!"
    THE MOD ITSELF HAS ABOUT THIS MUCH WORK LEFT TO DO:
    • I just started working on the mail, and, unfortunately, have no mail to show you, as of yet. So, the mail needs OODLES more work.
    • Heart events, I need to study up on. This is a maybe, as of now. But - it would ROCK to include it!
    • I have yet to even begin on the minor characters, let along the bachelorettes.
    • Testing it (at least 3 days worth of testing on my own).
    • I need some OTHER people to beta test this thing - see, we all make mistakes here and there (I tend to code questions incorrectly, and, it locks you out of choosing an option.) If you'd like to test out what I have so far.
    HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?:
    Since I'm working on this on my own, and, have no intentions of allowing others to work alongside me (other than testing it out, of course,) it shouldn't take more than a month, if I were to complete one character a day and beta test on time (remember - that's LOTS of work,) it should be out before the Fourth of July.

    HOW WOULD I DOWNLOAD IT?:
    I'll provide a download from Nexus with the .xnb files of each character! SMAPI is NOT required! You simply have to back up the original dialogue files (copy them elsewhere,) and place in my .xnb files! If I happen to include heart events, or, a dating function, then this MAY become flexible (as in, if you just want the dialogue, you can have it without needing SMAPI, but if you want a whole new FUNCTION, then you'll need SMAPI, obviously.)

    COMPLETED WORK (UPDATES):
    • Elliott is complete, not including marriage dialogue (as of May 31st, 2017!)
    • Harvey is about halfway done (as of May 31st, 2017!)
    • Began mail (as of May 31st, 2017!)


    I will provide updates as this mod progresses! If you'd like to test out what I do have, then, I'll provide links to download the .xnb files on an external site (NOTE: it may be buggy, nobody has tested them but myself.)

    See you later!
     
      Last edited: Jun 1, 2017
    • Karmylla

      Karmylla Space Kumquat

      Great proposal, I have all my love to give you and your mod, you have my full support!
      Though, why not join arms with @haywrites in order to work faster and better? They've already done many, many dialogue mods (you should check their mods!), so they have a very good reputation in the mod community.
      It's just an idea, and I don't know if any of you are available for such a project. I'll endorse it, though :p

      Good luck! And if you would like me to beta test, send me the files! It will be my pleasure to help you out :)
       
        cankersaur and low-spirited like this.
      • low-spirited

        low-spirited Title Not Found

        I'd prefer working alone - it's just my style! :) However, thank you for the recommendation; it's lovely to see the community so willing to help each other out.

        And, I'll be sure to send some files your way once I get them further completed; it's easier to test out dialogue mods if several characters have different dialogue, as, you're not just STALKING ONE SINGLE person (the nights I spent outside Elliott's cabin, haha).

        Again, thank you for the instant support! <3 Such a gem, you are.
         
          Karmylla likes this.
        • Greenxblack164

          Greenxblack164 Scruffy Nerf-Herder

          From what I'm seeing, you're turning Harvey into this adorable little cupcake that I just want to squish when before he was probably the single most boring romance option in the game.

          Seriously, I'm excited for this! :)
           
            irene21000 and low-spirited like this.
          • low-spirited

            low-spirited Title Not Found

            absolutely, I thought the same! :) Harvey actually has a book of medical puns that he uses in some dialogue, and, has an addiction to the lollipops in his office haha... if you'd like, I almost have his dialogue done, so you could test it out for me for bugs!
             
              irene21000 likes this.
            • Greenxblack164

              Greenxblack164 Scruffy Nerf-Herder

              You know what? I think I will. :)
               
                low-spirited likes this.
              • low-spirited

                low-spirited Title Not Found

                Here you are! : ) All you have to do is place the .xnb into this "Dialogue" folder found under "Characters!" http://www.mediafire.com/file/j6v9wrt42no3d1c/Harvey.xnb
                I haven't tested it yet myself, so, there's GUARENTEED to be some bugs!... :'0 !! Misspellings, the questions not working, weird text, haha... But, that's what bug testing is for!! Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy Harvey, so far! I have yet to work on his marriage dialogue and 'rainy day' dialogue. :') Those'll be the same, for now, but, in the meantime; be sure to report any weirdo bugs back to me, if you can!

                Thank you for this; a real gem, you are! <3
                 
                  Last edited: Jun 8, 2017
                • Greenxblack164

                  Greenxblack164 Scruffy Nerf-Herder

                  No, thank you for taking the time to make such a mod, god only knows some of the npcs needed it. Looking forward to it! I'll let you know as I go.
                   
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                  • low-spirited

                    low-spirited Title Not Found

                    Have fun! :) I'm currently working on Shane, and, he should be done either tonight or tomorrow morning! That is, if you'd like to try him out, too. <3 Such a helper, you are. I seriously appreciate you taking time out of your day to play around and catch bugs, haha.
                     
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                    • GreenWombat

                      GreenWombat Cosmic Narwhal

                      I have to say I was really interested until you got to the bit with Maru. The fact that she is cheerful and optimistic and happy with who she is who just kind of does her own thing is what I like about the character. Making her self deprecating just feels like it completely spits in the face of who she was designed to be. I mean with your descriptions of Harvey and Elliot the expansions you've done to the characters personality make sense and feel like they are building on what is already there. With Maru it feels like you are just sticking a different character in her place rather than expanding and building on who she actually is.

                      Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you meant with your description but that's just my opinion on it. At the end of the day though it's your mod and you are free and should do what you feel you want to do with it, again just my personal thoughts.
                       
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                      • low-spirited

                        low-spirited Title Not Found

                        No, it's completely fine! :) I appreciate your opinion, honestly. It helps for me to make this as great as I possibly can!!

                        And, I can see where you're coming from / what you're trying to say; some other characters do mention Maru as being the optimistic, inventive person you're describing (namely Harvey in some dialogue, which, I have screenshots of!) and it is a bubbly fun time, generally. It's possible that I've been working on the characters who ARE a bit more self-doubted / have a sadder history, and, I ended up typing that out of the groove? Nonetheless, I'll be sure to stay away from that general direction! Maru is one of my favorite characters myself, as a matter of fact, and I want to do her some justice here. >:'0 Seriously, I appreciate the comment!

                        I have yet to even TOUCH the bachelorettes, though, don't worry! Your opinion is very appreciated, and, I DEFINITELY heard what you had to say. <3
                         
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                        • Yaviel

                          Yaviel Void-Bound Voyager

                          How's the mod coming along? Any updates? :) I'm so excited for this one!
                           
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                          • low-spirited

                            low-spirited Title Not Found

                            It is going along well! : ) I probably won't finish it as soon as I wanted to, since I was hospitalized from an ovarian cyst rupturing (WORST pain in my life, without a doubt.) I'm home now, though, but just with some pain killers... the BURNING pain / aftermath honestly hurts almost as bad as the thing actually rupturing! It comes and goes in INTENSE waves, dunno if you had one yourself, but, MAN. IT. IS. AWFUL.!

                            BUT... I DO have updates coming at the very START of July!! I also hope to add in some extra features into it, since, the wait's gonna be a little longer... Thanks for following along! <3
                             
                              Last edited: Jun 29, 2017
                            • Coolwyngs

                              Coolwyngs Giant Laser Beams

                              I am so sorry that happened to you. I am also looking forward to seeing this
                               
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                              • Karmylla

                                Karmylla Space Kumquat

                                Totally know how you feel. Don't worry, just take your time, and please don't force yourself.
                                Focus on your rest for now and when you're ready, if you're still interested, you can always work on this again!
                                Don't forget that you - and all the other modders - do all this because you like it! Focus on that, and focus on healing!
                                Wishing you all the best and a fast recovery!~
                                 
                                  low-spirited likes this.
                                • low-spirited

                                  low-spirited Title Not Found

                                  Have you had one, yourself? GOSH, it felt like the WORLD was exploding in my lower abdomen. x__x The BURNING pain is absolutely driving me INSANE.

                                  And, I've got a huge CHUNK of the mod done, since last time! :') I plan on editing the whole forum post itself, making it look cleaner, adding little "Spoiler" tabs so people can look at the characters they want with ease, things like that. Just making it look more eye-pleasing.
                                   
                                  • Coolwyngs

                                    Coolwyngs Giant Laser Beams

                                    I hope I never have that happen to me. It sounds extremely painful. Take all the time you need. We will happily use this mod when it is done.
                                     
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                                    • Yaviel

                                      Yaviel Void-Bound Voyager

                                      I've never had to deal with anything like that but it sounds awful! Take your time resting up, your health should always take priority. Get well soon!
                                       
                                        low-spirited likes this.
                                      • Flyteofheart

                                        Flyteofheart Void-Bound Voyager

                                        Im so sorry :C I had a painful ovarian cyst but it didnt rupture. I cant even imagine.

                                        When you do get on the mend, I cant wait to use this mod. Especially for some of the bachelore/ettes. They need serious help lol, you are right. I am desperate for a Harvey mod! :D
                                         
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                                        • Assationater

                                          Assationater Void-Bound Voyager

                                          Coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thx for working on it so hard.
                                           
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