Seeking Oblivion
I love the gaming dynamic that drives technology, especially in the realm of artificial intelligence. Even with all the cool new games out there, AI in the RPG genre has never been all that great. The behavior of NPCs (Non-Player Characters) has typically been woefully flat, even in ground-breaking games like Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.
Lets face it: the typical NPC exists either as a holder of loot or to provide a quest plot point. “You must seek Baldric the Wise and get the Amulet of Leetness.” They’re essentially scripted furniture.
Although an unlikely source, The Sims games have advanced the way we view NPCs, because any character you aren’t controlling becomes an NPC until you take control again. Thus, the Sims franchise has bestowed wants and needs on all characters to make their interactions interesting and unscripted (and hopefully fun).
This wants-and-needs approach to NPC behavior has reportedly been integrated into the forthcoming Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. (Bethsaida Softworks calls it their “The Living World” system.)
I’m really intrigued by the potential for a whole new level of gameplay. From a Gamespy article, here’s the heart of the matter:
Rather than following pre-scripted paths, every NPC is given a set of general goals they’d like to achieve, but the details of fulfilling that goal is entirely up to them. If a citizen is hungry, they’ll look for a way to get food. They might buy food, hunt it, or steal it, then find a place to sit to eat and so on. This means that every one of the game’s 1,000 NPCs follows a full 24/7 schedule that continues whether or not the player is there to witness it. It also means that the NPCs react to each other, so a townsperson who decides to steal a loaf of bread in full view of the guards may find himself under arrest.
It also means that everything the player does in the game that’s witnessed by NPCs is processed and remembered by them, who will then use that information to decide how to react to you. Interactions are governed by what the player has done to them, what groups or guilds they’re both a member of, whether the player has messed with anyone in their family and what their general reputation in the Empire is.
For the full article, go here.
- W