Derek LieuMay 11, 2023
Jon Ingold

New blog post: on a new technique we've been using for Highland which allows the player to walk away from any conversation at any time - and have the other character respond.

It is ridiculously simple - so simple we didn't really think it could possibly work - but it turns out to be, in fact, absolutely great, and makes the whole game much more seamless and responsive without adding any real complexity at all.

https://www.inklestudios.com/highland/2023/05/11/autocut-for-responsive.html

inkle's Highland game updates - Autocut!

A Highland Song - development blog

May 11, 2023 at 8:21amWeb
Show threadChristiaan MolemanMay 11, 2023
@joningold Ooh neat. I had done something slightly similar in a prototype of mine (letting you walk away freely) but hadn't thought of having NPCs also react to your exit. That's way better!
Show threadSenadMay 11, 2023
@joningold Haha, awesome! Although I do find it kind of scare to not pause the game during conversations. Never know what crazy thing might happen in-game at the same time. It does depend on the type of game, thought.
Show threadJon IngoldMay 11, 2023
@gamedevsenad right. There are things we do, like slowing down clock time so you don’t freeze to death etc - but we were doing that stuff *anyway* so the auto cut doesn’t actually affect it.
Show threadSenadMay 11, 2023

@joningold Ah ok, so maybe you slow down the environment / game world, but not the protagonist? (so he can still move and walk away)

Anyway, I will have to get the game and see what and how you did there! 😍

Show threadJon IngoldMay 11, 2023
@gamedevsenad right. And clouds still move normally
Show threadDerek LieuMay 11, 2023
@joningold hahaha this is great 😄
Show threadAdrian HonMay 11, 2023
@joningold you love to hear it! (And if you don’t, you can walk away)
Show threadKara GoldfinchMay 11, 2023
@joningold Are there any plans to make your games accessible to screen reader users? I'd love to play them by I can't.
Show threadDave Grossman appreciates youMay 11, 2023
@joningold Cool! If I recall correctly Telltale's Wallace & Gromit series did this, but it wasn't incorporated into other TTG titles that came after.
Show threadCarl MuckenhouptMay 12, 2023
@thatdave @joningold Poker Night did some kinda related stuff with interrupting conversations because you did something in the poker game that characters had to react to and then resuming where it left off afterward. I always thought it didn't feel very natural there, though.
Show threadJon IngoldMay 12, 2023
@CarlMuckenhoupt @thatdave one core thing we have is a commitment to *not* guaranteeing re-entry to conversations. Sometimes you can start another conversation; sometimes it’ll cover similar ground if you do - and often it won’t. But it avoids that clunky thing of starting broken conversations up from nowhere … and of course it also honours the players decision to leave a conversation as an actual decision