http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a395/NewClassic/Forum%20Stuff/Escapist/NPCstasis.jpgPerhaps because I'm a writer, I spend a lot of time looking at the average passer-by and wondering what little elements shape their life. Perhaps they're on the way to the store to pick up pickles and ice cream for an expecting mother, or perhaps walking home from the funeral of a loved one. There are a lot of little coincidences that make up the day-to-day life of any single person, and trying to understand the scope of even just five individual's plans at any given instant is boggling for a single mind to comprehend.
Transpose this scenario into a city, where an average block can hold hundreds of people, each with their own agendas, lives, plans, ideas, goals, ambitions, and destinations. The sheer scope of basic thoughts is enough to crumble even the most intricate of thinkers.
Yet, I can't help but imagine as I'm playing a game, about the lowly NPC. Oftentimes little more than set pieces or background noise to fill in the blank space of a zone or map, the NPC is still an individual. I would think that the reason they are so often understated is because of the sheer scope of programming that would go into making an NPC even have a possible three different scenarios that they want to pursue. A real world with progressive time reflected in a game has so many possibilities even trying to mimic the lowest form of it boggles.
But despite the scope of it, I would still like to imagine a world that functioned completely independent of the player. In that sense, games like ArmA II, the Fallout series, and Majora's Mask have done more than exquisitely. It's a game that will have NPCs doing their own thing, even if the player does nothing but sits in town counting the blades of grass. Each character has their day and their life to attend to. No matter the narrative medium, everything and everyone will be doing their own thing even if the narrator/player isn't.
Granted, for apocalyptic scenarios, "their own thing" often involves running away from the guy with the chainsaw or ducking for cover when the guns come out. However, left to their own devices, it would amaze me to see a character get sick one day, and duck into the pharmacy the next. Maybe even see a character passing out flyers one day, and other characters going to his house the next week for the block party. It's these sorts of things that will really bring games full circle. Not games that will play themselves, but games that are playing, even when the players aren't playing along.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2002/vgnews/090402/shen2_screen044.jpgShenmue II is one of the titles that almost gets it right. No matter your progress in the game, you can wake up early in the morning and follow an NPC throughout his day. An old man going to the park to feed the birds, and is there from about 9 AM until 11 AM on Fridays. He'll go to cafes, visit shops and browse, or see his friends who own antique shops. It's a very slow day, but it's interesting to see him follow his own day, even if you're wasting your time by following him around. Although it's not the most exhilarating experience gaming has to offer, it's very exciting from a technical standpoint. Depending on the NPC you find, they may even sacrifice a part of their day to walk the protagonist to where he needs to go.
Each NPC has their own inclanation for roadside games, and working part-time for one-such roadside game may draw an NPC aside to play. Depending on the NPCs that walk by. One day, say Tuesday, you may have a slow day as all the bikers and busy-bodies happen down the road. On Wednesday, you may get swamped by customers all day. And this isn't randomly generated, it's entirely dependent on the populous at large.
This world, a living breathing one, is a fantastic accomplishment. It's also practically invisible unless you're looking for it. It is a fantastic touch, though. Like tendo82 suggests in his recent article [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/endosgame/6274-I-Dont-Need-No-Stinking-Standards], it's an amazing accomplishment to write home about, even though it has nothing to do with the standard criteria for a good or great game.
Even though it's not something just anyone looks for, it's still partially expected out of a video game. Games like Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row, Prototype, and other titles get away with faking it. Randomly generated pedestrians who all walk or drive around give the illusion of going places, and it's good enough for the average eye. Even with my own obsession, when getting into the missions and goals, I notice they're there, but I don't stop to think. As such, they do their job, and they do it well.
However, when they aren't even faked, they start to become punchlines rather than part of the story. NPCs in the jRPG genre are particularly notorious for this. The beginning of the game, a small village's pub is occupied by an old man nursing his ale over his missing wife. Later on in the game, an entire continent is destroyed, an evil empire takes over, and the entire village except for the pub can be burned down. Yet inside the pub, the same old man will be nursing his ale. Nine days out of ten, he'll probably even say the same thing.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b398/mquest/animal-crossing-20040901111503669.jpg
Even titles like The Sims have a lot to learn about the day-to-day lives about NPCs, even when the game is all about the day-to-day goings-on. Something it could learn from, oddly enough, Animal Crossing. Despite it's cutesy graphics, simple idea, and "casual" question of playability, Animal Crossing got the idea of setting theoretically perfect. It's a world that holds events, stages concerts, has festivals, and proceeds completely without the player. Without turning the game on, NPCs are sending letters, changing wardrobe, and counting the days you've been hiding out in your house.
As weird as this is going to sound, it is my hope that more games have the blind ambition that Animal Cross simultaneously has and represents. I would like to see more game worlds that are more about the world rather than the game. I hope that I can waste hundreds, if not thousands, of hours following NPCs around doing whatever it is they do. I positively love seeing how game worlds have grown and expanded over the years. With some luck, they'll start becoming worlds of their own.
It is my hope that I will eventually be able to play in a game, rather than simply playing the game.
Transpose this scenario into a city, where an average block can hold hundreds of people, each with their own agendas, lives, plans, ideas, goals, ambitions, and destinations. The sheer scope of basic thoughts is enough to crumble even the most intricate of thinkers.
Yet, I can't help but imagine as I'm playing a game, about the lowly NPC. Oftentimes little more than set pieces or background noise to fill in the blank space of a zone or map, the NPC is still an individual. I would think that the reason they are so often understated is because of the sheer scope of programming that would go into making an NPC even have a possible three different scenarios that they want to pursue. A real world with progressive time reflected in a game has so many possibilities even trying to mimic the lowest form of it boggles.
But despite the scope of it, I would still like to imagine a world that functioned completely independent of the player. In that sense, games like ArmA II, the Fallout series, and Majora's Mask have done more than exquisitely. It's a game that will have NPCs doing their own thing, even if the player does nothing but sits in town counting the blades of grass. Each character has their day and their life to attend to. No matter the narrative medium, everything and everyone will be doing their own thing even if the narrator/player isn't.
Granted, for apocalyptic scenarios, "their own thing" often involves running away from the guy with the chainsaw or ducking for cover when the guns come out. However, left to their own devices, it would amaze me to see a character get sick one day, and duck into the pharmacy the next. Maybe even see a character passing out flyers one day, and other characters going to his house the next week for the block party. It's these sorts of things that will really bring games full circle. Not games that will play themselves, but games that are playing, even when the players aren't playing along.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2002/vgnews/090402/shen2_screen044.jpgShenmue II is one of the titles that almost gets it right. No matter your progress in the game, you can wake up early in the morning and follow an NPC throughout his day. An old man going to the park to feed the birds, and is there from about 9 AM until 11 AM on Fridays. He'll go to cafes, visit shops and browse, or see his friends who own antique shops. It's a very slow day, but it's interesting to see him follow his own day, even if you're wasting your time by following him around. Although it's not the most exhilarating experience gaming has to offer, it's very exciting from a technical standpoint. Depending on the NPC you find, they may even sacrifice a part of their day to walk the protagonist to where he needs to go.
Each NPC has their own inclanation for roadside games, and working part-time for one-such roadside game may draw an NPC aside to play. Depending on the NPCs that walk by. One day, say Tuesday, you may have a slow day as all the bikers and busy-bodies happen down the road. On Wednesday, you may get swamped by customers all day. And this isn't randomly generated, it's entirely dependent on the populous at large.
This world, a living breathing one, is a fantastic accomplishment. It's also practically invisible unless you're looking for it. It is a fantastic touch, though. Like tendo82 suggests in his recent article [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/endosgame/6274-I-Dont-Need-No-Stinking-Standards], it's an amazing accomplishment to write home about, even though it has nothing to do with the standard criteria for a good or great game.
Even though it's not something just anyone looks for, it's still partially expected out of a video game. Games like Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row, Prototype, and other titles get away with faking it. Randomly generated pedestrians who all walk or drive around give the illusion of going places, and it's good enough for the average eye. Even with my own obsession, when getting into the missions and goals, I notice they're there, but I don't stop to think. As such, they do their job, and they do it well.
However, when they aren't even faked, they start to become punchlines rather than part of the story. NPCs in the jRPG genre are particularly notorious for this. The beginning of the game, a small village's pub is occupied by an old man nursing his ale over his missing wife. Later on in the game, an entire continent is destroyed, an evil empire takes over, and the entire village except for the pub can be burned down. Yet inside the pub, the same old man will be nursing his ale. Nine days out of ten, he'll probably even say the same thing.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b398/mquest/animal-crossing-20040901111503669.jpg
Even titles like The Sims have a lot to learn about the day-to-day lives about NPCs, even when the game is all about the day-to-day goings-on. Something it could learn from, oddly enough, Animal Crossing. Despite it's cutesy graphics, simple idea, and "casual" question of playability, Animal Crossing got the idea of setting theoretically perfect. It's a world that holds events, stages concerts, has festivals, and proceeds completely without the player. Without turning the game on, NPCs are sending letters, changing wardrobe, and counting the days you've been hiding out in your house.
As weird as this is going to sound, it is my hope that more games have the blind ambition that Animal Cross simultaneously has and represents. I would like to see more game worlds that are more about the world rather than the game. I hope that I can waste hundreds, if not thousands, of hours following NPCs around doing whatever it is they do. I positively love seeing how game worlds have grown and expanded over the years. With some luck, they'll start becoming worlds of their own.
It is my hope that I will eventually be able to play in a game, rather than simply playing the game.