It has been three years since RPGDot's first appearance on the web. In order to celebrate this we asked our visitors to write something for us. Something related to RPG's. Not because it is time to do something back for us, but because we want to put our visitors in the spotlight as they made us into what we are now. If they didn't keep on visiting us and encouraged us to keep on going, we might not have lasted these 3 years. We can't ask all our visitors to write something of course, so we asked a few out of the large number of visitors we have. And if any of you feel left out, RPGDot has always been open to reader submissions ;-)

This fifth day we have a story from Val, who is a vivid RPG player and a moderator on our forum. She gives us her views on NPCs.

NPCs
There has been a great deal of discussion recently on the forums concerning non-player characters (also fondly referred to as NPCs ). Over the years we've seen vast improvements in their AI and dialog. In many games they have evolved beyond simple ATMs for quests, information, items and rewards. We've seen an evolution in their abilities as game developers strive to make more believable worlds. After all, where is the realism if the people populating that world stand in one place all day long awed by the scenery too much to move?

There have been several significant strides in this direction of realism: improved dialog, actual personalities conveyed through dialog and voice acting, the possibility of a romance with an NPC, day and night routines, different looking character-models, and NPCs who have realistic behaviors. All these things combined are paving the way for improved realistic NPCs for our improved realistic gaming worlds.

Dialogs and voices
First, let's talk dialog. We've come a long way since the old 'job', 'name', etc of the early Ultima games. The written dialog has been greatly improved in many RPGs. Don't get me wrong though, some of those early games had better dialog than several games have nowadays. I'm just saying that the bar has been raised higher and higher over time by such landmark games. Not only is information passed to the player but well-written dialog also gives an NPC a personality. The dialog in games such as Fallout and Planescape: Torment (PS:T) are second to none. While playing those games I got a real sense of what the people around my main character were like.
An example:

Nameless One (the main character) - "Actually, I had some questions..."

Kimasxi Adder-Tongue - The tiefling rolls her eyes. "And what makes you think I *care*? Why don't you lick my backside?"

Yup, I definitely got a feeling for her personality. Or should I say her attitude problem? I especially enjoy speaking with characters such as Dak'kon from PS:T and finding out what made him tick. Discovering his story and learning from him and him learning from my character was a special treat. Good dialog is a must for any RPG.

Now we add voice acting to the mix and the realism factor is greatly increased. After all, the human voice can convey more emotion than simple text can. For example, in Baldur's Gate 2 (I played the English version, referred to from now on as BG 2) the villain had excellent dialog, but what really brought the character to life was the voice acting. When he said, "You bore me mageling", I got a big smile on my face. I thought to myself, now *this* is a villain. Cold, calculating and arrogant. Whoever did the casting for that part deserves a thumbs-up as well as the voice actor. I hope to see game developers getting more quality talent to work on voices for their games.

Interaction
We have also seen our main characters have the ability to interact more with NPCs. As I mentioned, the possibility of a romance or "propositioning" an NPC has been introduced into games. I think everyone who has played Fallout 2 remembers New Reno. Then in BG 2 your main character could have a romance with one of four NPC followers. Even more were added with modifications. These romances were more fleshed out then in any other game I have ever played and I was delighted to see them included. Of course, when one of the NPCs interrupted a major event to talk about their feelings I did get a *little* irritated. There are, of course, other examples of this besides BG 2 such as Ultima 7. There was the possibility of a small romantic side quest. In Quest for Glory 5 your character could get engaged to be married. It's great to see a little piece of real life added to a game in an effort to pull you in more as a player.

The inclusion of day and night cycles in games is not a new one. I still remember waiting around for that merchant to wake up and buy all my loot in Ultima 5. However, in Gothic you see NPCs that have more interesting behaviors at night then simply going to bed. I was pleasantly surprised to see them standing around the campfire chatting away, playing a lute, eating and drinking. The place seemed so alive. Then during the day there would be NPCs working, washing up, cooking, practicing with their weapons, scrubbing the floor, taking a leak and more. This is what really attracted me to this game when I was playing the demo. I was impressed that someone took the time to make a place feel so alive and that life would go on if my main character died. That right there gives the greatest illusion of reality.

With the improvement of graphics we've seen faces given to our favorite NPCs. I doubt anyone who played PS:T will forget having a floating skull for an NPC. Even in Diablo 2 each of the "talking" NPCs had their own distinct look. You wouldn't mistake Deckard Cain for anyone but that hunched-over robe-wearing guy with the walking stick. Of course, we still see twins, triplets, and octuplets (their poor mothers!) in games. In time, I believe we will start to see less and less of this. When more games switch over completely to 3D and as the creation of 3D models becomes more and more simple it will be easier for game developers to afford this luxury. I use the term "luxury" because at this point that is what it is. I believe that over time this will become a standard as more fans demand more variety. It isn't there yet though.

Behaviors
Lastly, I wanted to discuss giving NPCs more realistic behaviors. Already in games we have NPCs who will tell you to put your weapon away or put some clothes on. I remember when playing Arcanum in order to receive master training in the pick pocket skill I had to strip my character to his boxer shorts and streak through the middle of town in broad daylight. Needless to say, my character drew a few disparaging remarks and gained a reputation as the "Pervert of Tarant". People didn't seem to find that title very impressive and it appeared that news of my character's antics traveled to other cities. Oops. Lousy newspapers. Well, at least the NPCs read newspapers in their spare time instead of just thinking up quests for my character to do. Again, the impression that the whole world is alive.

In Gothic weaker characters would flee like mad from your character if you were a lot stronger than they were. You couldn't catch them even after drinking a sprint potion. I guess I'd run that fast too if I was running for my life. ;-) You've read some of the other things that I mentioned NPCs do in Gothic that can be echoed here. They would also tell you to get out if you entered their home. NPCs will also attack you if you attack one of their fellows. If you do something illegal in front of a guard you can expect them to have a negative reaction. In many games I have gotten used to walking into other people's houses and looting them. Imagine my surprise when I got zapped and killed by a healer dwarf in the Divine Divinity demo when I tried to steal a cup. If someone walked into my house unannounced and tried to steal my computer you can bet I'd have a similar reaction. I'm glad to see that game developers are giving NPCs a clue.

NPCs will also join you in your quest. It's only natural for like-minded individuals to band together in a group to fulfill a quest. This is also not a new concept, but we've seen great improvements in their AI when interacting with the world or with each other. The best part of BG 2 were the dialogs between your party members. I still chuckle when thinking of that story Jan Jansen told Keldorn, "Sins of the Flesh Golem". With AI improvements I got shot in the back a lot less in Fallout 2 than in Fallout 1. Although I did do my fair share of the riddled with bullets dance when Marcus pulled out that minigun in Fallout 2. In Neverwinter Nights your henchman can heal you, pick locks, disarm traps, cast spells, bash open chests and fight by your side. I don't mind giving up control of my party members to scripted AI. After all, in real life I'd be a bossy jerk if I were constantly pointing out to them what they should be doing and telling them how to do their job. I say give them a mind of their own. Just don't make it a stupid one. Of course, that too would be unrealistic, now wouldn't it?

Wrapping it up
Looking to the future I see only good things. Game developers will continue the trend to make NPCs more life-like and believable. The developers of Gothic 2 have promised their NPCs will be even better than in Gothic 1. I don't doubt them. In fact, I look forward to just walking around town and seeing what new quirks these virtual people will now have. I believe there will be a day when the AI of NPCs is complex enough to make them almost real. This realism will be accomplished when NPCs talk and act like live human beings. They'll run when frightened, they'll tell you to shut up, they'll help you when persuaded, they will have their own distinct looks, your interaction with them will be greater, and they will continue their virtual life if you die or not. However it would be foolish and presumptuous of me to say this will happen in a certain time frame. Why? Because even when NPCs seem life-like there will still be room for improvement. After all, they only *seem* real.