they weren't free when Obsidian did Alpha Protocol, or when Rockstar did L.A Noire. Both games involved lots of verbal jousting, but getting what you want meant putting your detective skills to the test, understanding the situations, the evidence, and that's before you ever started your verbal jousting.
I don't think many people want the dialogue to go away. They want the auto win to go away. They want a more in depth diplomacy system.
Remove the auto win for picking a color and make people have to decide what is the best choice based on what they know of the situation and who they are dealing with.
Mass Effect's talk-your-way-out-of-combat sequences weren't particularly complex. It just relied on having enough points invested in your persuasion/intimidation dialogue.
We seem to have, as is all too often the case, too many players having difficulty accepting a plain and simple reality.
Yes, persuasion in the game is easy. Just like combat is easy. Just like making friends and finding a romantic partner is easy. Just like saving the world or galaxy or what have you is easy. Just like being the super-awesomest person to have ever lived is easy. Everything here is easy.
Because it's a game. It. is. a. game. It's a mass produced product intentionally and deliberately designed to be beatable with a reasonable minimum of frustration by children as young as 10, 11, 12 of significantly below average intelligence and skill.
The player should 'use their detective skills' to solve problems. They should 'analyze the situation' to pick the best choice. They should 'read their opponent.'
The detective skills of a particularly slow 10 year old. The analytical skills of a particularly slow 10 year old. That's what you're up against.
Is it not obvious how silly this is?
You know, I do understand that in the moment, video games can make you feel cool and powerful and awesome. They put you in the 'flow state.' That's a great part of their appeal and fun. But when we're here, it's time to recognize that illusion for what it is. It's smoke and mirrors. You are not cool or awesome or badass or capable or intelligent for playing a video game. No matter how much the game and advertising and BioWare's paid PR stooges tell you otherwise.
Could Mass Effect put in a minigame of some sort for persuasion? Could they base it off some sort of mechanic more complex than just putting points in a skill? Sure. I have no problem with either of those options. But ultimately, whatever they do, is going to be a game. A 'challenge' built to be beatable by that particularly slow 10 year old. In other words, no 'real' challenge at all. And I imagine we'll be right back here, with people complaining that it's a 'Get Out of Jail Free Card' once players inevitably realize that their 'skills' aren't actually being 'tested.'
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