In practically every Telltale game, players will see the message: "Silence is a valid option." But despite AdHoc being formed by prior TellTale Games devs, such an option does not appear in a playthrough of Dispatch. Whereas TellTale games usually had the player character stay silent if no option is selected, failing to pick one in Dispatch results in one being automatically selected. And now devs have explained why.
In theory, silence is a valid option when it comes to choice-based games. It can represent failure to act, result in bad outcomes, or it can create a sense that this particular character is super awkward at times. Not to mention, it pays homage to silent protagonists in video games if you squint properly. But that's not who Dispatch protagonist Robert Robertson is, and that's only part of the reason.
At the Game Developers Conference (GDC), as reported by PCGamer, Dispatch creative directors Nick Herman and Dennis Lenart explained why AdHoc did not pursue this additional dialogue option: less than 1% of players ever chose it. Herman explained how the team loved playing choice-based games like an "absolute weirdo" who responded to everything "with a blank stare." But their experience...
