I’m beginning my first full-length Inform 7 project. It will have several NPCs who will merit a moderate amount of conversation. I’m wondering what framework / extensions people would recommend. I’m trying to think of what’s most user-friendly from the player’s perspective, but also what seems manageable to code/write in Inform.
I feel like I’m leaning towards a choice-based system rather than something based on ASK / TELL, but I’m not sure. (Do players rebel against CYOA elements / conversation menus in a parser story?)
Right now I’m looking at Hybrid Choices (I see there’s a new Python script to convert Twine to this format), Simple Chat, or one of the quip-based extensions.
There really isn’t, I think, a “best” system. So much depends not just on the amount of conversation, but on what role conversation is going to have in the game. Anything that involves a significant amount of branching choice will involve a good deal of work. Try to find a system, above, all, that you think you can understand and reason about. Experiment by drafting a short conversation in one or more systems, and see which one better serves your design objectives (and preferences as an author).