Tree based tool to create dialog [closed]

Question

I see many questions on here for helping a GM run a game in the general sense but I'm wondering if anyone has used or knows of a tool that will aid in creating branching dialog. What I'm looking for is an application that supports adding a primary scenario and dialog options based on that scenario.

As an example; My PC's enter an Inn occupied by several patrons, a couple of serving maids, and of course the innkeeper currently behind the bar. What I'd like to have available to me is a list of those NPC's with dialog options branching from each of them in a format similar to how a file-browsing tool works to show the contents of folders on a computer, but instead of file contents each 'folder' is a possible response to a question that the PC's might ask.

So the PC's approach the innkeep to ask what rumors he has heard; the tree might be like this:

Innkeeper - 
   Questions - 
      Heard any rumors lately? - 
         Response 1
         Response 2
         etc.
      Do you have anything to trade?
         Yes, here are my wares
         No, I don't trade with the likes of you
         etc.

Anyone know of a tool that does this?

Answer 1

One tool that might suit your needs is Freemind. It's meant to be used for any kind of idea jotting (I've used it to take campaign notes). And being tree-based it's probably good to give it a shot. It's free and open source.

It looks something like this:

(Tree branches are collapsable. The third question is collapsed in the image above)

Answer 2

Outliners

The simplest iteration of what you are looking for is an outliner - an editor for hierarchal text. What you presented above is exactly an outline. There are many of these available for any operating system.

Two good, free, online examples are:

• fargo, by the outliner and online editor pioneer Dave Winer.
• The Outliner of Giants

Both can collapse branches to keep your focus on the current state of the conversation. And I think both can "hoist" a branch - making it look like the root, which is also useful for focusing attention in a big or complex outline.

These are just two tools of many - but the principles are similar across the board.

Answer 3

There are quite a lot of programs out there to help you in your task. Some recommendations I can make, though, are as follows:

• Chat Mapper
  This is probably the program I would recommend you look at first. I've not personally used it, but know of it, and it seems to meet your needs quite specifically. There is a free version for download, though its missing a lot of features of the paid version.

• Papel (Original found here)
  This one is a very simple drag and drop organizer. Draw lines in between notes to manually create branching ideas (like conversations). It also feels, due to its simplistic interface, like you are drag and dropping files within a folder.

For paid options, there is one program I would recommend looking into (though it is very expensive.)

• Articy:Draft
  This is one of my favourite pieces of software for world/plot-building. The one downside? Its very pricey, beyond the scope of casual use. (I've only used the demo.) A little bit cheaper is Articy:Draft SE on Steam, but it is still very expensive.

Answer 4

Scrivener is a piece of feature-rich software geared toward writers/authors for Windows/Mac to organize their thoughts. A big part of it is a method of outlining in a tree form similar to the way you describe (albeit, for chapters and scenes).

It also utilizes character cards that could be helpful in keeping track of your NPCs.

Answer 5

For lovers of Scrivener, there's also the similar and very flexible Gingko App that I've used for my dialog maps.

It's extremely versatile, and easy to use once you get the hang of it. You can also use it for reference data, character sheets, designing campaigns, writing backstories, etc... all in the same document.