Mouse pointer & running speeds
[...] Also, how about different running speeds? We have walking and jogging (like in Divinity 1) -- another one would be sprinting for a short time.
I can only speak for myself, but I never walk when I have enough stamina to run. And when I don't, I drink a potion/check my inventory or quest log until my stamina is full.
I don't think a third option would be that useful, except for hardcore role-players (maybe).
Talking, Yelling, Whispering
[...]
I like the idea regarding the "whispering text" which would fade/brighten according to your distance from the NPC.
As for yelling, capital letters or an exclamation mark do the job well enough, so the colour is not needed imo. It could even be annoying.
The text at the sides of the screen, on the other hand, sounds cool but, esthetically, in a busy market, it would result in a gross overcrowding of the edges.
But well, not every NPCs are shouting and not every places are congested, so why not.
