I honestly dont like rolling for speaking in SWTOR ... But this suggestion was here few times allready, and people mentioned that DoS(?) contained something like "rock paper scissors lizard spock" ... wich sounded much better to me, since "who will speak" is actualy in our own hands, instead of just RNG.
Why don't you like rolling in SWTOR? I'm guessing RNG or trolling is the concern, and it is a valid one, especially for multiplayer games with total strangers. Not so much if you play with friends IMO, but a valid concern nonetheless. If you introduce democracy(or trolling), you might not have a consistent playthrough.
However, a concern is not enough to dismiss the concept of a system like this, you just have to address the concern. The concept is to introduce democracy to multiplayer dialogues, to make multiplayer dialogues engaging for the whole party. Remember, in multiplayer, your party members are actual people, who might want a say in the decision making. Ultimately it is up to the devs to find the best system to implement.
A few ways: - Majority vote: Depending on the party, the playthrough would likely remain consistent, with the one player who disagrees(or trolls) likely having no effective say. Easy to implement, but tiebreakers need to be debated. - Total RNG roll per player, highest individual roll wins: Even in this system, if there is a majority, with more dice rolls, they have a higher chance collectively to roll the highest, but the one player who disagrees(or trolls) will still have a relatively high chance to steer individual dialogues away from the majority. Still, the playthrough would remain largely consistent. Trivial to implement. - RNG rolls of the same choice are pooled together: Similar to total RNG, but skewed more towards majority. For example in a 3v1 vote: The troll rolls 50, the others roll 25 each. In Total RNG the troll would win but in this system the combined points of the majority(75) outweighs the troll. The playthrough would be more consistent than total RNG, but the one troll could still cause some surprises here and there. Trivial to implement - Weighted RNG: The weight could mean a lot of things, class, attributes, etc. For example if a class has a special dialog option not available to others(barbarian being able to kick the door in, a rogue being able to lockpick the door, etc), that player choosing that option could have a higher weight. You could also increase the weight for the players who lost the last vote so over time, they have a better chance to speak. Harder to implement with considerations for weights, skills, etc. Lowest playthrough consistency IMO. - *Insert your idea here*
Personally, I vote for the 3. option with similar choices pooled together. The majority steers the playthrough, but there is still a small chance for the individual to let their voice heard. But the choice is actually easy, just let us customise the system, give us multiple options, so parties can fine tune their experience.
I do think a system like this is needed, and is actually my top feature request for the game. It gives you the sense that you are part of the group, and you all contribute to the story. It gives chance for a more dynamic, emergent gameplay experience. It gives chance for actual roleplay. Just imagine the shenanigans while in a group of friends when the cleric of the group is having a conversation with the enemy, trying to resolve the conflict peacefully, and then the barbarian goes ENOUGH TALK! I do get that some players might find that frustrating, but among friends, it's fun. The best route is to give options tho.
BTW this is how the SWTOR system works in video form for those who haven't played it (starts at 2:09):
