Oblivion Dialogue Persuasion Mini-Game Explained

gamerant.com:

Dialogue is one of the most important elements of an RPG. While a player may spend most their time swinging a sword or shooting from behind cover, it's an RPG's dialogue that moves the plot along and gives the world its life. An RPG's dialogue system is incredibly difficult to get right, with the developer having to find the sweet spot between player agency and delivering the necessary information in a succinct and clear way. Even RPGs with some of the best dialogue don't quite nail their player-NPC interactions. That's where The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion comes in, with its simple, intuitive persuasion-based dialogue system.

Despite releasing 16 years ago, Oblivion's dialogue system is still praised today, and for good reason. The simple nature of the dialogue system, having it appear as a wheel-based mini game in which players simply have to choose one of four actions, makes it an intuitive and interactive way of engaging with an NPC's dialogue. With a recent interview from Bethesda confirming that Starfield is going to take heavy inspiration from this same system, there's never been a better time to remember Oblivion's persuasion dialogue mini-game.

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When a player initiates conversation with an NPC in Oblivion, they'll often be given the option to 'persuade' the character. When this dialogue option is chosen, the player begins a short mini-game.

A wheel to the left of the screen will appear, with four distinct segments. These segments are labeled «Admire,» «Joke,» «Coerce,» and «Boast.» The NPC will have a specific reaction to each of these options, which can be seen when the player hovers over the action, and the NPC makes a distinct facial