[MUD-Dev] believable NPCs (was Natural Language Generation)

[John Buehler]

J C Lawrence writes:

[eloquent statements about tourists and achievers snipped]

> Note, this doesn't meant that players will turn off the rich
> content.  Heck no.  I'm not talking about graphics quality or
> music, or other ambiance items.  I'm referring specifically to
> simulated identities (humans, AI, etc).  I haven't seen a case
> where a player, given a choice, doesn't effectively short circuit
> the expensive AI into either a cute scenery or vending machine
> structure.

> Or, perhaps more simply:

>   From the player perspective in terms of the actual goals that
>   player can be _seen_ to pursue (social, cultural, in-game, etc),
>   what is the actual function of an NPC?

> If form follows function, then NPCs should be defined by the value
> systems they satisfy for players.  Not the value systems we think
> players have, or the value systems that we think are cute, fuzzy,
> attractive, neat etc, but the ones that actually generate and
> maintain player value and interest.

The actual function of an NPC is to provide a motive reason for
doing anything in the game.

Today, games are structured such that the goal of the game is to
reach the highest and be decked out with the finest gear in the
game. It's a motivation that jades many players. So, we have
quests. They are a fiction that lets certain players believe that
the actions that they are taking serve some purpose, have some
meaning, beyond reaching another level and getting more stuff.

The steps beyond that are to have progressively smarter NPCs.

As allies, they become the social context in which the players
operate. They decide to build a town here, dig a well there, clear
this land, war on that guild, put out that forest fire, etc. And
they need help.  The players have a purpose, a meaning, for their
gameplay. It fits into the social context of the game.

As enemies, they become more difficult to predict.  They make plans
of conquest.  Intelligence suggests planning.  That planning can be
spotted and interpreted by the players, providing them with more
complex scenarios for combat.  Instead of 'pulling' a steady stream
of monsters, players can manage and react to what the NPC monsters
are doing.  It gives purpose and meaning to gameplay.

Note that 'purpose' and 'meaning' are not intended to be a Zen
statement of fulfillment.  It simply says that when an enemy is
defeated or an ally is aided, it fits into the overall fiction of
the game.  Because of that, it is something that other players can
identify with. And that aids the social game at the player level.

The short form is that the NPCs work 24x7 to ensure that the social
game is operating, giving players ideas of things that they can do -
and reasons for doing them.

The value of NPCs is orthogonal to the fundamental pursuit of a
goal.  NPCs provide the goals, and they make them more interesting.

JB
_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev