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HoloDust on 29 March 2024
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JEMC said:
HoloDust said:

Oh, I don't know - we already have games that are letting NPCs do whatever they want (according to their motivations) and that reflects in gameworld. Dwarf Fortress being prime example. City 20, upcoming survival RPG being another. So if you figure out how to make plot triggers, let the systemic world just exist, throw player into it and let them achieve goals in any way they want, while interacting with that systemic world and AI NPCs, it would be quite different than any notion of classic game design so far. And eventually add an AI Game Master, and you have radically different experiences than what we're used to in video games.

Not saying classically designed games won't still be viable path to take, but with such NPCs, all of the sudden you have much different view toward designing everything. Pretty similar to what I once said in some BotW discussion - if you make a game where axe can chop wood (and that means ALL wood), and make all doors wooden, then your view on the game design needs to be quite different than in game where axe can chop only some wood and all doors are artificially impervious to it.

What you said, "games that are letting NPCs do whatever they want (according to their motivations)" is what I meant by motivation and story/background given to the NPC, etc. Those things will still need to be put in place by devs to follow the story they want to create in the game and to make sure the player experiences the game the way they want. That's where the n+1 or whatever they want to use to describe it comes into play.

The AI Game Master isn't something I see happening anytime soon, and maybe never at all in some games (why would a game like DOOM need that, for example?).

And now that you mention the axe and wood/doors, I'd love to see AI used to create more interactive worlds. How many times has any of us wanted to enter huts, houses, stores or whatever in a game but we can't because the devs only designed the outside? How cool would it be to let AI design the interiors of all those places in a way that makes sense and doesn't repeat, freeing devs to do the rest of the work. It's one of the few good things AC: Unity had, the option to enter through some houses or buildings as a shortcut, making the city feel more real.

I'm guessing they will fine tune only important NPCs - most of them will be from random tables, influenced by another random tables and environment they are occupying, and so on. This is very similar how you run open TTRPG campaign.

I heard a story form Dwarf Fortress - there is a quest to find some kidnapper. Now, that NPC decided on its own, according to his motivations, that kidnapping is good business. Some other NPC, I don't remember if it had someone related kidnapped or just wanted to stop the kidnappings, offered a reward for finding that kidnapper. All unscripted. Wonderful. Really have to find the time to play it (with full understanding that I will get lost permanently in it).

Yeah, NPCs making things will be great. I think City 20 NPCs will be able to craft on their own (among other things), according to their motivations and goals (and skills - not sure if and how is that implemented).