I guess that there would be nothing wrong with simplifying emotions into good and bad just for the sake of accomplishing this task. Displaying emotions on a scale like a health bar?! An ale could work like a magic potion of happiness This would really enourage roleplaying to a degree.

I love Game Design and it loves me back.

Our Goal is "Fun"!

LMAO
"you find a barrel of Guinness.
Identify.
You are holding a barrel of Greater potion of Happiness."

Like that

What do you mean simplify emotions into Good or bad ?
I am talking about having something like, a heart when you''re in love, a drop when you are sad (for manga it''s a bit different), a flame if you are angry, etc... Or simply have a smiley thingy... I hope I make it clearer for you this time (or maybe you already got it and just ignored the idea ?)

I don''t like the idea of scales, health bar or whatever (if it''s onscreen, if it''s on a specific stat sheet, that''s OK to be more verbose). You can make something pretty cool with a bit of thinking. Use a color variation. Like those statues that are Rose for good weather, blue for rainy, and inbetween for ... inbetween weather.
To show your level of happiness, you could have a heart that changes color ? Greyblue and cracked when it''s stonecold/broken, Flaming red when you''re in love ?
A simple line would do. If it bends downwards you are sad
And it morphes slowly towards the up as you lightens your mood

so ?

re:ahw

Yeah, i know how good it would be to have a wide spread of emotions but you''ve got to think about how hard it will be to implement into the scripting/ai. The more emotions that you''ve got then the more combinations of results. The way i''m looking at it, it appears like a binary caluculation. 1,2,4,8,16,32... each new emotion multiplies the combinations of results becasue you''ve got "man X" with "emotion #1" talking to "women Y" with "emotion #2" and the result is ? Now, if you''ve got just 4 different emotions then you''ve got 8 different combinational results, then add in another emotion and you''ve got 16. Then you''ve also got to work all of this into a story line. Will it also affect combat as well? Ouch!

But if you go with just good and bad emotions then you can start to see how much easier it will be to implement. For me atm anyhow

I love Game Design and it loves me back.

Our Goal is "Fun"!

RE: Talking

How about having two chat windows. The first only contains the stuff that is being said by the nearest few people that are directly in front of you. This is where most of your conversations would take place.

The second would contain absolutely everything that is being said within earshot. ''Earshot'' could depend on your characters listening skill (if he has one) as well as how loudly people are talking (eg whisper/talk/shout).

Most of the time you would be concentrating on the main conversation you are engaged in, but every now and then you might notice something in the other chat window, eg a newbie shouting "HELP I AM BEING ATTACKED" from a nearby forest, or someone plotting against you...

Sounds like a good idea, obviously there would be better ways than having 2 windows but yeah, it gets the brain thinking.

I love Game Design and it loves me back.

Our Goal is "Fun"!

FAir enough, I wasn''t even thinking about the AI there. I was just thinking about a *visual* expression of what the conversation is about. which would be only useful to othe human players. As for the AI, I was thinking that you wouldn''t make dialogs on how they feel, but rather use this principle of emoticons to *show* better how they feel. To emphasize the emotion for a player.
when someone is pissed off, you can see that from far, even if you can''t hear what he is saying ... see what I mean ?

ahw,
"you find a barrel of Guinness. Identify. You are holding a barrel of Greater potion of Happiness."

Identify = you find a barrel of Greater Potion of Vomiting...

gimme a cask of wine, or whatever anyday.

Ketchaval: Blasphemer!

Ketchaval : OOOH ! sacrilege ! You are lucky I am not irish !

Hehe. Sorry guys/gals.