Non-Player Characters - Revision history

Staffan Björk at 10:03, 13 May 2022

2022-05-13T10:03:36Z

Staffan Björk at 15:16, 19 January 2018

2018-01-19T15:16:07Z

Staffan Björk at 09:22, 21 September 2016

2016-09-21T09:22:41Z

Staffan Björk at 12:10, 20 September 2015

2015-09-20T12:10:16Z

Staffan Björk at 14:33, 29 August 2015

2015-08-29T14:33:09Z

Staffan Björk at 08:26, 8 August 2015

2015-08-08T08:26:31Z

Staffan Björk at 15:11, 16 January 2015

2015-01-16T15:11:53Z

Staffan Björk at 14:57, 11 January 2015

2015-01-11T14:57:54Z

Staffan Björk: /* Diegetic Aspects */

2014-08-12T20:33:19Z

‎Diegetic Aspects

Staffan Björk at 17:30, 31 July 2014

2014-07-31T17:30:24Z

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 A primary choice when designing [[NPCs]] is whether they should have agency within the [[Game Worlds|Game World]]. Making them [[Agents]] is typically achieved through the use of [[Algorithmic Agents]], [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]], or [[Game Masters]], but can sometimes be done through [[Spectators]] (especially in games with [[Pervasive Gameplay]], e.g. [[Prosopopeia]]).  An additional option to adjust the level of agency is to consider giving the [[NPCs]] [[Initiative]], although this may lead to a loss of [[Predictable Consequences]]. When [[NPCs]] have agency, they can take the opposing roles of [[Enemies]] (and [[Boss Monsters]]) or supporting ones of [[Companions]] by giving them [[Preventing Goals|Preventing]] and [[Supporting Goals]] respectively. By using these options, [[Quests]] can easily be modified to provide [[Casual Gameplay|Casual]], [[Complex Gameplay|Complex]], or [[Challenging Gameplay]]. The role of [[Enemies]] can make it possible to allow activities requiring many participants, e.g. [[Races]] or [[King of the Hill]] competitions, in [[Single-Player Games]] although in contrast to [[Multiplayer Games]] this is typically done as part of some [[Meta Games|Meta Game]] where the player can improve [[Skills]] or [[Abilities]]. That being said, in many cases it is not necessary to consider the possible [[NPCs|NPC]] aspects of [[Enemies]] - it is sufficient to simple see them as [[Enemies]]. One example of this is as opponents that make [[Evade]] goals more difficult; in this case the primary concerns is how the [[NPCs]] can move in the [[Game Worlds]] and perceived events that take place there. The use of [[Companions]] can be predetermined by [[Predetermined Story Structures]], the [[Rewards|Reward]] of successfully completing [[Gain Allies]] goals, or be possible to create as [[Player-Created Characters]] during the initial set-up of games. [[NPCs]] used as [[Companions]] can also affect [[Narration Structures]] by having [[Linked Destinies]] or being the cause of [[Internal Conflicts]] for players. The options players have in interacting with [[NPCs]] can through these means easily be made into [[Character Defining Actions]].
-Even without agency [[NPCs]] can provide many different types of opportunities for interaction with handling [[Trading]] of [[Transferable Items]] and the assignment and adjudication of [[Quests]] being common. Likewise, they can be important parts of goals through being the senders and receivers in [[Delivery]] goals, being the objectives of [[Guard]], [[Rescue]], or [[Guide and Protect]] goals, by making up the pool of possible candidates in [[Match-Making]] goals, or the receivers of [[Binding Promises]] to make [[Committed Goals]] diegetically present in the [[Game Worlds|Game World]]. When the [[NPCs]] only can perform these actions (due to not having agency) they are in principle [[Helpers]] or [[Self-Service Kiosks]] for the players.
+Even without agency [[NPCs]] can provide many different types of opportunities for interaction with handling [[Trading]] of [[Transferable Items]] and the assignment and adjudication of [[Quests]] being common. Likewise, they can be important parts of goals through being the senders and receivers in [[Deliver]] goals, being the objectives of [[Guard]], [[Rescue]], or [[Guide and Protect]] goals, by making up the pool of possible candidates in [[Match-Making]] goals, or the receivers of [[Binding Promises]] to make [[Committed Goals]] diegetically present in the [[Game Worlds|Game World]]. When the [[NPCs]] only can perform these actions (due to not having agency) they are in principle [[Helpers]] or [[Self-Service Kiosks]] for the players.
 Providing [[NPCs]] through [[Characters]] is related to the choice of giving them agency but can be done independently and opens up for many design choices, e.g. providing them with [[Equipment]]. [[Characters]] without agency can provide [[Complex Gameplay]] but does so without forcing players to become reactive. [[ELIZA]] can be argued to be an example of this although this is achieved through a set of response rules rather than through abstract characteristics. Adventure games such as [[The Secret of Monkey Island series]] and the first instances in the [[Fallout series]] can also be said to do this, but through [[Dialogues]] in this case. [[NPCs]] which are [[Agents]] with [[Characters|Character]] typically provide even more [[Complex Gameplay]], as for example found in the [[Sims series]] and later installments of the [[The Elder Scrolls series|Elder Scrolls]] and [[Fallout series|Fallout series]].
@@ Line 66: / Line 66: @@
 == Relations ==
 === Can Instantiate ===
-[[Binding Promises]], [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]], [[Delivery]], [[Dialogues]], [[Diegetic Social Norms]], [[Diegetic Social Maintenance]], [[Eavesdropping]], [[Factions]], [[Gain Allies]], [[Gossip]],
+[[Binding Promises]], [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]], [[Deliver]], [[Dialogues]], [[Diegetic Social Norms]], [[Diegetic Social Maintenance]], [[Eavesdropping]], [[Factions]], [[Gain Allies]], [[Gossip]],
 [[Guard]],
 [[Guide and Protect]], [[Helpers]], [[Internal Conflicts]], [[Linked Destinies]], [[Match-Making]],

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 Providing [[NPCs]] through [[Characters]] is related to the choice of giving them agency but can be done independently and opens up for many design choices, e.g. providing them with [[Equipment]]. [[Characters]] without agency can provide [[Complex Gameplay]] but does so without forcing players to become reactive. [[ELIZA]] can be argued to be an example of this although this is achieved through a set of response rules rather than through abstract characteristics. Adventure games such as [[The Secret of Monkey Island series]] and the first instances in the [[Fallout series]] can also be said to do this, but through [[Dialogues]] in this case. [[NPCs]] which are [[Agents]] with [[Characters|Character]] typically provide even more [[Complex Gameplay]], as for example found in the [[Sims series]] and later installments of the [[The Elder Scrolls series|Elder Scrolls]] and [[Fallout series|Fallout series]].
-Being able to engage in [[Dialogues]] with [[NPCs]] is a common functionality. This may be as simple as a [[Canned Text Responses]] to show that they have nothing important to say (but makes finding [[NPCs]] with something to say a form of exploration goal) but can also be the primary type of interaction (as in, for example, [[ELIZA]] and [[Façade]]). Combining [[Chat Channels]] with [[Non-Player Characters]] does create a powerful medium for [[Dialogues]] but these are only as powerful as the parsing ability of the system and its ability to generate specific responses. Besides allowing [[Predetermined Story Structures]] to unfold, typically uses of [[Dialogues]] include: giving, supporting or finishing [[Quests]]; providing services such as teaching [[Skills]]; or giving [[Gossip]] that either indicate [[Optional Goals]] or shows [[Memory of Important Events]] (e.g. [[Persistent Game World Changes]]). By making [[NPCs]] part of [[Main Quests]] game designs can guarantee that players will have encountered them if they have completed a game.  For games supporting more [[Complex Gameplay]] through the use of [[Dialogues]], the specific challenges of [[False Accusations]] or [[Brokering]] and the goal of [[Maintaining Lies]] are possible.
+Being able to engage in [[Dialogues]] with [[NPCs]] is a common functionality. This may be as simple as a [[Canned Text Responses]] to show that they have nothing important to say (but makes finding [[NPCs]] with something to say a form of exploration goal) but can also be the primary type of interaction (as in, for example, [[ELIZA]] and [[Façade]]). Combining [[Chat Channels]] with [[Non-Player Characters]] does create a powerful medium for [[Dialogues]] but these are only as powerful as the parsing ability of the system and its ability to generate specific responses. Besides allowing [[Predetermined Story Structures]] to unfold, typically uses of [[Dialogues]] include: giving, supporting or finishing [[Quests]] or other [[Predefined Goals]]; providing services such as teaching [[Skills]]; or giving [[Gossip]] that either indicate [[Optional Goals]] or shows [[Memory of Important Events]] (e.g. [[Persistent Game World Changes]]). By making [[NPCs]] part of [[Main Quests]] game designs can guarantee that players will have encountered them if they have completed a game.  For games supporting more [[Complex Gameplay]] through the use of [[Dialogues]], the specific challenges of [[False Accusations]] or [[Brokering]] and the goal of [[Maintaining Lies]] are possible.
 One of the uses of [[NPCs]] is to create [[Factions]] that players can interact with or become members of. The goal to [[Gain Allies]] can also be modified so that successfully completing it results in a whole [[Factions|Faction]] becomes an ally rather than a single [[NPCs|NPC]], and actions towards individual [[NPCs]] can easily become [[Character Defining Actions]] since they can affect a player possibilities to interact with a whole [[Factions|Faction]]. Individual [[NPCs]] can has special statuses in these [[Factions]] by being [[Social Gatekeepers]], competitors in situations of [[Internal Rivalry]], or by secretly being [[Traitors]] setup to commit [[Betrayal]] at some point. Having [[NPCs]] in [[Factions]], or at least implicit ones through a willingness to talk to each other, make it possible to modify many of the gameplay possibilities of [[Dialogues]] to be possible through [[Eavesdropping]] (possibly requiring the completion of [[Stealth]] goals).
@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 [[Guide and Protect]], [[Helpers]], [[Internal Conflicts]], [[Linked Destinies]], [[Match-Making]],
 [[Narration Structures]],
 [[Predetermined Story Structures]],
 [[Thematic Consistency]], [[Trading]], [[Quests]]

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 Providing [[NPCs]] through [[Characters]] is related to the choice of giving them agency but can be done independently and opens up for many design choices, e.g. providing them with [[Equipment]]. [[Characters]] without agency can provide [[Complex Gameplay]] but does so without forcing players to become reactive. [[ELIZA]] can be argued to be an example of this although this is achieved through a set of response rules rather than through abstract characteristics. Adventure games such as [[The Secret of Monkey Island series]] and the first instances in the [[Fallout series]] can also be said to do this, but through [[Dialogues]] in this case. [[NPCs]] which are [[Agents]] with [[Characters|Character]] typically provide even more [[Complex Gameplay]], as for example found in the [[Sims series]] and later installments of the [[The Elder Scrolls series|Elder Scrolls]] and [[Fallout series|Fallout series]].
-Being able to engage in [[Dialogues]] with [[NPCs]] is a common functionality. This may be as simple as a [[Canned Text Responses]] to show that they have nothing important to say (but makes finding [[NPCs]] with something to say a form of exploration goal) but can also be the primary type of interaction (as in, for example, [[ELIZA]] and [[Façade]]). Combining [[Chat Channels]] with [[Non-player Characters]] does create a powerful medium for [[Dialogues]] but these are only as powerful as the parsing ability of the system and its ability to generate specific responses. Besides allowing [[Predetermined Story Structures]] to unfold, typically uses of [[Dialogues]] include: giving, supporting or finishing [[Quests]]; providing services such as teaching [[Skills]]; or giving [[Gossip]] that either indicate [[Optional Goals]] or shows [[Memory of Important Events]] (e.g. [[Persistent Game World Changes]]). By making [[NPCs]] part of [[Main Quests]] game designs can guarantee that players will have encountered them if they have completed a game.  For games supporting more [[Complex Gameplay]] through the use of [[Dialogues]], the specific challenges of [[False Accusations]] or [[Brokering]] and the goal of [[Maintaining Lies]] are possible.
+Being able to engage in [[Dialogues]] with [[NPCs]] is a common functionality. This may be as simple as a [[Canned Text Responses]] to show that they have nothing important to say (but makes finding [[NPCs]] with something to say a form of exploration goal) but can also be the primary type of interaction (as in, for example, [[ELIZA]] and [[Façade]]). Combining [[Chat Channels]] with [[Non-Player Characters]] does create a powerful medium for [[Dialogues]] but these are only as powerful as the parsing ability of the system and its ability to generate specific responses. Besides allowing [[Predetermined Story Structures]] to unfold, typically uses of [[Dialogues]] include: giving, supporting or finishing [[Quests]]; providing services such as teaching [[Skills]]; or giving [[Gossip]] that either indicate [[Optional Goals]] or shows [[Memory of Important Events]] (e.g. [[Persistent Game World Changes]]). By making [[NPCs]] part of [[Main Quests]] game designs can guarantee that players will have encountered them if they have completed a game.  For games supporting more [[Complex Gameplay]] through the use of [[Dialogues]], the specific challenges of [[False Accusations]] or [[Brokering]] and the goal of [[Maintaining Lies]] are possible.
 One of the uses of [[NPCs]] is to create [[Factions]] that players can interact with or become members of. The goal to [[Gain Allies]] can also be modified so that successfully completing it results in a whole [[Factions|Faction]] becomes an ally rather than a single [[NPCs|NPC]], and actions towards individual [[NPCs]] can easily become [[Character Defining Actions]] since they can affect a player possibilities to interact with a whole [[Factions|Faction]]. Individual [[NPCs]] can has special statuses in these [[Factions]] by being [[Social Gatekeepers]], competitors in situations of [[Internal Rivalry]], or by secretly being [[Traitors]] setup to commit [[Betrayal]] at some point. Having [[NPCs]] in [[Factions]], or at least implicit ones through a willingness to talk to each other, make it possible to modify many of the gameplay possibilities of [[Dialogues]] to be possible through [[Eavesdropping]] (possibly requiring the completion of [[Stealth]] goals).

@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 A second basic requirement is that they are [[Agents]]. As mentioned earlier, this is typically done through [[Algorithmic Agents]] or [[Game Masters]] but can in some cases also be done through [[Spectators]]. Examples of ways to increase players impression of [[NPCs]] agency (in contrast to simply making them more powerful) includes providing them with [[Initiative]], [[Own Agenda|Own Agendas]], [[Competing for Attention]], [[Barge-In]], and [[Unpredictable Behavior]]. The four first of these are present in the interactive drama [[Façade]] while the last one may result from the system's inability to parse player input - this does not necessary need to be a bad thing and is part of the reason why [[ELIZA]] works (in combination with using [[Ambiguous Responses]]). [[Others fortune affects own Mood]] is related both to having [[Thematic Consistency]] in response to what happens in the [[Game Worlds|Game World]] and to having agency - it can be expressed through how [[Memory of Important Events]] are made visible or through attacking those that threaten others in one's [[Factions|Faction]]. For games striving for [[Replayability]], it can be important to provide each [[NPCs|NPC]], or at least for the most important ones, with an [[Open Destiny]] to avoid risking that players take the [[NPCs]] experiences as predetermined and thereby not necessary to involve oneself in. Games using [[Generic Adversaries]] to create [[NPCs]] can for the discussed reason here want to make them at least have different appearances and possibly varied [[Characteristics]] even if they are [[Generic Adversaries]].
-Another aspect of [[NPCs]] [[Thematic Consistency]] is how player can interact with them. That one cannot interact in all the ways people can interact with each other in the real world is typically accepted just as one cannot perform all the actions possible in the real world. However, when there are inconsistencies in that one can perform certain actions towards some [[NPCs]] but not others problems can arise (the same goes when some [[NPCs]] can perform actions and others cannot but diegetically should be able to). For example, it is not possible to attack [[NPCs]] of your faction in [[World of Warcraft]]. Although this might be argued to be [[Enforced Agent Behavior]] to preserve the [[Thematic Consistency]] it can also be seen as limiting players' [[Freedom of Choice]] and limiting the [[Creative Control]] of players by making the [[Roleplaying]] of their [[Player-Created Characters]] difficult or impossible. However, allowing this can ruin [[Predetermined Story Structures]] and lead to [[Unpredictable Behavior]] in the eyes of other players. Another example of this is the inconsistency in the [[Fallout series]] regarding if it is possible to kill children or not. Besides the moral issues related to these types of design questions, typically trying to acknowledge these possible actions requires more resources in the development of game and may only be worthwhile if one if aiming to support [[Sandbox Gameplay]].
+Another aspect of [[NPCs]] [[Thematic Consistency]] is how player can interact with them. That one cannot interact in all the ways people can interact with each other in the real world is typically accepted just as one cannot perform all the actions possible in the real world. However, when there are inconsistencies in that one can perform certain actions towards some [[NPCs]] but not others problems can arise (the same goes when some [[NPCs]] can perform actions and others cannot but diegetically should be able to). For example, it is not possible to attack [[NPCs]] of your faction in [[World of Warcraft]]. Although this might be argued to be [[Enforced Agent Behavior]] to preserve the [[Thematic Consistency]] it can also be seen as limiting players' [[Freedom of Choice]] and limiting the [[Creative Control]] of players by making the [[Roleplaying]] of their [[Player-Created Characters]] difficult or impossible. However, allowing this can ruin [[Predetermined Story Structures]] and lead to [[Unpredictable Behavior]] in the eyes of other players. Another example of this is the inconsistency in the [[Fallout series]] regarding if it is possible to kill children or not. Besides the moral issues related to these types of design questions, typically trying to acknowledge these possible actions requires more resources in the development of game and may only be worthwhile if one if aiming to support [[Sandbox Gameplay]]. Having [[NPCs]] provide [[Loot]] is also related to their [[Thematic Consistency]] and can make them [[Resource Sources]].
 There is actually another, even more basic, aspect of making [[NPCs]] to have [[Thematic Consistency]]. This is that their representations should mimic their states as appropriate for the setting (a form of [[Diegetically Outstanding Features]]). In games like the [[Super Mario series]] this may be that the Bob-ombs [[Enemies]] flash and sound before exploding while in games with high granularity in their [[Combat]] system such as the [[Fallout series]] this may require [[Visual Body Damage]] and [[Dissectible Bodies]]. In games which simulate [[:Category:Sports|Sports]], it might even be appropriate to let [[NPCs]] perform [[Ragequitting]], [[Sid Meier's SimGolf]] is an example of this in that the [[NPCs]] opponents one is playing [[Golf]] against can give up and leave an ongoing game if their mood turns sour.
@@ Line 87: / Line 87: @@
 ==== with [[Internal Rivalry]] ====
 [[Puzzle Solving]]
 ==== with [[Preventing Goals]] ====
@@ Line 116: / Line 119: @@
 [[Game Element Removal]],
 [[Game Masters]], [[Initiative]], [[Internal Rivalry]],
 [[Main Quests]],
 [[Memory of Important Events]], [[Open Destiny]], [[Others fortune affects own Mood]], [[Own Agenda]],

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 == Using the pattern ==
-[[Non-Player Characters]] are fundamentally diegetic game elements. Their most important characteristics are which role they play in relation to the players and the [[Game Worlds|Game World]] they inhabit, and this can be modulated through their appearance and disappearance through [[Game Element Insertion]] and [[Game Element Removal]]. Since some [[NPCs]] mainly have roles as extras, in fact being [[Self-Service Kiosks]] that serve as [[Helpers]], this somewhat paradoxically mean that it is not necessary for all [[Non-Player Characters]] to be [[Characters]]. Instead, it may be more important that they can recognized during gameplay for what they are, which for [[NPCs]] that are supposed to individually distinguishable probably means that they need to have [[Diegetically Outstanding Features]]. The lack of [[Characters|Character]] does not mean that they cannot play essential parts of [[Narration Structures]], they can perform these roles through [[Cutscenes]]. In fact, through the use of [[Cutscenes]] [[NPCs]] can be part of games even if they rarely or never can be perceived or interacted with in the actual [[Game Worlds|Game World]]. One specific example of this is ''Browser'' in many of the [[Super Mario series]], he is typically encountered early during gameplay and then several times throughout the game through [[Cutscenes]] but is only possible to interact with him as a [[Boss Monsters|Boss Monster]] during the final fight of the game.
+[[Non-Player Characters]] are fundamentally diegetic [[Game Elements]]. Their most important characteristics are which role they play in relation to the players and the [[Game Worlds|Game World]] they inhabit, and this can be modulated through their appearance and disappearance through [[Game Element Insertion]] and [[Game Element Removal]]. Since some [[NPCs]] mainly have roles as extras, in fact being [[Self-Service Kiosks]] that serve as [[Helpers]], this somewhat paradoxically mean that it is not necessary for all [[Non-Player Characters]] to be [[Generic Adversaries]] or [[Characters]]. Instead, it may be more important that they can recognized during gameplay for what they are, which for [[NPCs]] that are supposed to individually distinguishable probably means that they need to have [[Diegetically Outstanding Features]]. The lack of [[Characters|Character]] does not mean that they cannot play essential parts of [[Narration Structures]], they can perform these roles through [[Cutscenes]]. In fact, through the use of [[Cutscenes]] [[NPCs]] can be part of games even if they rarely or never can be perceived or interacted with in the actual [[Game Worlds|Game World]]. One specific example of this is ''Browser'' in many of the [[Super Mario series]], he is typically encountered early during gameplay and then several times throughout the game through [[Cutscenes]] but is only possible to interact with him as a [[Boss Monsters|Boss Monster]] during the final fight of the game.
 A primary choice when designing [[NPCs]] is whether they should have agency within the [[Game Worlds|Game World]]. Making them [[Agents]] is typically achieved through the use of [[Algorithmic Agents]], [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]], or [[Game Masters]], but can sometimes be done through [[Spectators]] (especially in games with [[Pervasive Gameplay]], e.g. [[Prosopopeia]]).  An additional option to adjust the level of agency is to consider giving the [[NPCs]] [[Initiative]], although this may lead to a loss of [[Predictable Consequences]]. When [[NPCs]] have agency, they can take the opposing roles of [[Enemies]] (and [[Boss Monsters]]) or supporting ones of [[Companions]] by giving them [[Preventing Goals|Preventing]] and [[Supporting Goals]] respectively. By using these options, [[Quests]] can easily be modified to provide [[Casual Gameplay|Casual]], [[Complex Gameplay|Complex]], or [[Challenging Gameplay]]. The role of [[Enemies]] can make it possible to allow activities requiring many participants, e.g. [[Races]] or [[King of the Hill]] competitions, in [[Single-Player Games]] although in contrast to [[Multiplayer Games]] this is typically done as part of some [[Meta Games|Meta Game]] where the player can improve [[Skills]] or [[Abilities]]. That being said, in many cases it is not necessary to consider the possible [[NPCs|NPC]] aspects of [[Enemies]] - it is sufficient to simple see them as [[Enemies]]. One example of this is as opponents that make [[Evade]] goals more difficult; in this case the primary concerns is how the [[NPCs]] can move in the [[Game Worlds]] and perceived events that take place there. The use of [[Companions]] can be predetermined by [[Predetermined Story Structures]], the [[Rewards|Reward]] of successfully completing [[Gain Allies]] goals, or be possible to create as [[Player-Created Characters]] during the initial set-up of games. [[NPCs]] used as [[Companions]] can also affect [[Narration Structures]] by having [[Linked Destinies]] or being the cause of [[Internal Conflicts]] for players. The options players have in interacting with [[NPCs]] can through these means easily be made into [[Character Defining Actions]].
@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 A basic requirement for this to be possible is that the [[NPCs]] is in a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] so that it has a space to act within (which may be the real world for games using [[Real World Gameplay Spaces]]). How they behave in this world needs to have [[Thematic Consistency]] for the [[NPCs|NPC]] to fit there, and this may require [[Awareness of Surroundings]], [[Context Dependent Reactions]], and [[Memory of Important Events]]. The [[NPCs]] in the [[Fallout series]] partially exhibit these characteristics: they make comments about their surroundings and commonly known world events but ignore corpses in their immediate proximity.
-A second basic requirement is that they are [[Agents]]. As mentioned earlier, this is typically done through [[Algorithmic Agents]] or [[Game Masters]] but can in some cases also be done through [[Spectators]]. Examples of ways to increase players impression of [[NPCs]] agency (in contrast to simply making them more powerful) includes providing them with [[Initiative]], [[Own Agenda|Own Agendas]], [[Competing for Attention]], [[Barge-In]], and [[Unpredictable Behavior]]. The four first of these are present in the interactive drama [[Façade]] while the last one may result from the system's inability to parse player input - this does not necessary need to be a bad thing and is part of the reason why [[ELIZA]] works (in combination with using [[Ambiguous Responses]]). [[Others fortune affects own Mood]] is related both to having [[Thematic Consistency]] in response to what happens in the [[Game Worlds|Game World]] and to having agency - it can be expressed through how [[Memory of Important Events]] are made visible or through attacking those that threaten others in one's [[Factions|Faction]]. For games striving for [[Replayability]], it can be important to provide each [[NPCs|NPC]], or at least for the most important ones, with an [[Open Destiny]] to avoid risking that players take the [[NPCs]] experiences as predetermined and thereby not necessary to involve oneself in.
+A second basic requirement is that they are [[Agents]]. As mentioned earlier, this is typically done through [[Algorithmic Agents]] or [[Game Masters]] but can in some cases also be done through [[Spectators]]. Examples of ways to increase players impression of [[NPCs]] agency (in contrast to simply making them more powerful) includes providing them with [[Initiative]], [[Own Agenda|Own Agendas]], [[Competing for Attention]], [[Barge-In]], and [[Unpredictable Behavior]]. The four first of these are present in the interactive drama [[Façade]] while the last one may result from the system's inability to parse player input - this does not necessary need to be a bad thing and is part of the reason why [[ELIZA]] works (in combination with using [[Ambiguous Responses]]). [[Others fortune affects own Mood]] is related both to having [[Thematic Consistency]] in response to what happens in the [[Game Worlds|Game World]] and to having agency - it can be expressed through how [[Memory of Important Events]] are made visible or through attacking those that threaten others in one's [[Factions|Faction]]. For games striving for [[Replayability]], it can be important to provide each [[NPCs|NPC]], or at least for the most important ones, with an [[Open Destiny]] to avoid risking that players take the [[NPCs]] experiences as predetermined and thereby not necessary to involve oneself in. Games using [[Generic Adversaries]] to create [[NPCs]] can for the discussed reason here want to make them at least have different appearances and possibly varied [[Characteristics]] even if they are [[Generic Adversaries]].
 Another aspect of [[NPCs]] [[Thematic Consistency]] is how player can interact with them. That one cannot interact in all the ways people can interact with each other in the real world is typically accepted just as one cannot perform all the actions possible in the real world. However, when there are inconsistencies in that one can perform certain actions towards some [[NPCs]] but not others problems can arise (the same goes when some [[NPCs]] can perform actions and others cannot but diegetically should be able to). For example, it is not possible to attack [[NPCs]] of your faction in [[World of Warcraft]]. Although this might be argued to be [[Enforced Agent Behavior]] to preserve the [[Thematic Consistency]] it can also be seen as limiting players' [[Freedom of Choice]] and limiting the [[Creative Control]] of players by making the [[Roleplaying]] of their [[Player-Created Characters]] difficult or impossible. However, allowing this can ruin [[Predetermined Story Structures]] and lead to [[Unpredictable Behavior]] in the eyes of other players. Another example of this is the inconsistency in the [[Fallout series]] regarding if it is possible to kill children or not. Besides the moral issues related to these types of design questions, typically trying to acknowledge these possible actions requires more resources in the development of game and may only be worthwhile if one if aiming to support [[Sandbox Gameplay]].
@@ Line 106: / Line 106: @@
 [[Diegetically Outstanding Features]],
 [[Game Elements]],
 [[Self-Service Kiosks]],
 [[Tutorial Neighbors]]

@@ Line 62: / Line 62: @@
 Since the creation of any [[NPCs|NPC]] implies a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] it consists in, have a [[NPCs|NPC]] either requires a more fully developed [[Game Worlds|Game World]] or creates one anyway but without [[Thematic Consistency]]. Further, since the core of [[NPCs]] is to present a diegetic person it is at odds with the [[Units]] patterns, both because [[NPCs]] typically have some individual variation and that they by definition are not controlled by players.
-While giving [[NPCs]] [[Preventing Goals]] introduces [[Conflict]] and possibly [[Combat]] in games, [[Cooperation]] and [[Team Combos]] can be achieved through giving them [[Supporting Goals]] instead. One example of this is that situations where players have [[Internal Rivalry]] with [[NPCs]] can lead to them having to engage in [[Puzzle Solving]]. Agency of any type in connection to [[NPCs]] automatically provide [[Enforced Agent Behavior]] and typically leads to [[Complex Gameplay]] (except when used in conjunction with [[Supporting Goals]] when it instead can provide [[Casual Gameplay]]). This complexity is typically multiplied by the level of detail put into the [[Characters|Character]] connected to each [[NPCs|NPC]], if any.
+While giving [[NPCs]] [[Preventing Goals]] introduces [[Conflicts]] and possibly [[Combat]] in games, [[Cooperation]] and [[Team Combos]] can be achieved through giving them [[Supporting Goals]] instead. One example of this is that situations where players have [[Internal Rivalry]] with [[NPCs]] can lead to them having to engage in [[Puzzle Solving]]. Agency of any type in connection to [[NPCs]] automatically provide [[Enforced Agent Behavior]] and typically leads to [[Complex Gameplay]] (except when used in conjunction with [[Supporting Goals]] when it instead can provide [[Casual Gameplay]]). This complexity is typically multiplied by the level of detail put into the [[Characters|Character]] connected to each [[NPCs|NPC]], if any.
 == Relations ==
@@ Line 89: / Line 89: @@
 ==== with [[Preventing Goals]] ====
-[[Conflict]], [[Combat]]
+[[Conflicts]], [[Combat]]
 ==== with [[Supporting Goals]] ====

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 Another aspect of [[NPCs]] [[Thematic Consistency]] is how player can interact with them. That one cannot interact in all the ways people can interact with each other in the real world is typically accepted just as one cannot perform all the actions possible in the real world. However, when there are inconsistencies in that one can perform certain actions towards some [[NPCs]] but not others problems can arise (the same goes when some [[NPCs]] can perform actions and others cannot but diegetically should be able to). For example, it is not possible to attack [[NPCs]] of your faction in [[World of Warcraft]]. Although this might be argued to be [[Enforced Agent Behavior]] to preserve the [[Thematic Consistency]] it can also be seen as limiting players' [[Freedom of Choice]] and limiting the [[Creative Control]] of players by making the [[Roleplaying]] of their [[Player-Created Characters]] difficult or impossible. However, allowing this can ruin [[Predetermined Story Structures]] and lead to [[Unpredictable Behavior]] in the eyes of other players. Another example of this is the inconsistency in the [[Fallout series]] regarding if it is possible to kill children or not. Besides the moral issues related to these types of design questions, typically trying to acknowledge these possible actions requires more resources in the development of game and may only be worthwhile if one if aiming to support [[Sandbox Gameplay]].
-There is actually another, even more basic, aspect of making [[NPCs]] to have [[Thematic Consistency]]. This is that their representations should mimic their states as appropriate for the setting (a form of [[Diegetically Outstanding Features]]). In games like the [[Super Mario series]] this may be that the Bob-ombs [[Enemies]] flash and sound before exploding while in games with high granularity in their [[Combat]] system such as the [[Fallout series]] this may require [[Visual Body Damage]] and [[Dissectible Bodies]].
+There is actually another, even more basic, aspect of making [[NPCs]] to have [[Thematic Consistency]]. This is that their representations should mimic their states as appropriate for the setting (a form of [[Diegetically Outstanding Features]]). In games like the [[Super Mario series]] this may be that the Bob-ombs [[Enemies]] flash and sound before exploding while in games with high granularity in their [[Combat]] system such as the [[Fallout series]] this may require [[Visual Body Damage]] and [[Dissectible Bodies]]. In games which simulate [[:Category:Sports|Sports]], it might even be appropriate to let [[NPCs]] perform [[Ragequitting]], [[Sid Meier's SimGolf]] is an example of this in that the [[NPCs]] opponents one is playing [[Golf]] against can give up and leave an ongoing game if their mood turns sour.
 [[Tutorial Neighbors]] are a special kind of [[Non-Player Characters]] which have some characteristics of passive players. They are used as ersatz [[Neighbors]] in [[Massively Single-Player Online Games]] such as [[CityVille]] and [[Ravenwood Fair]] where they provide initial places for [[Visits]] and give players [[Quests]].
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 [[Memory of Important Events]], [[Open Destiny]], [[Others fortune affects own Mood]], [[Own Agenda]],
 [[Player-Created Characters]],
-[[Preventing Goals]], [[Secondary Interface Screens]], [[Social Gatekeepers]], [[Spectators]], [[Supporting Goals]],
+[[Preventing Goals]],
 [[Traitors]],
 [[Transferable Items]],

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 [[Thematic Consistency]], [[Trading]], [[Quests]]
-==== with [[Algorithmic Agents]], [[Characters]], [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]], or [[Game Masters]] ====
+==== with [[Algorithmic Agents]], [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]], or [[Game Masters]] ====
 [[Complex Gameplay]], [[Enforced Agent Behavior]]

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 One design goal with [[NPCs]] can be that they should be believable as humans or self-aware individuals with the same emotional and social responses as those associated with humans. This can be rephrased as the goal of making players take an intentional stance towards the [[NPCs]] when anticipating their actions<ref name="Lankoski2007a"/>. This may be an unreachable goal using current technology but temporary successes are possible (most famously shown already with the [[ELIZA]] program in the 1960s). The suggestions below provide options that designers can apply depending on how much effort they wish to put into placing people in an intentional stance and keeping them there.
-A basic requirement for this to be possible is that the [[NPCs]] is in a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] so that it has a space to act within (which may be the real world for games using [[Real World Gameplay Spaces]]). How they behave in this world needs to have [[Thematic Consistency]] for the [[NPCs|NPC]] to fit there, and this may require [[Awareness of Surroundings]], [[Context Dependent Reaction]], and [[Memory of Important Events]]. The [[NPCs]] in the [[Fallout series]] partially exhibit these characteristics: they make comments about their surroundings and commonly known world events but ignore corpses in their immediate proximity.
+A basic requirement for this to be possible is that the [[NPCs]] is in a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] so that it has a space to act within (which may be the real world for games using [[Real World Gameplay Spaces]]). How they behave in this world needs to have [[Thematic Consistency]] for the [[NPCs|NPC]] to fit there, and this may require [[Awareness of Surroundings]], [[Context Dependent Reactions]], and [[Memory of Important Events]]. The [[NPCs]] in the [[Fallout series]] partially exhibit these characteristics: they make comments about their surroundings and commonly known world events but ignore corpses in their immediate proximity.
 A second basic requirement is that they are [[Agents]]. As mentioned earlier, this is typically done through [[Algorithmic Agents]] or [[Game Masters]] but can in some cases also be done through [[Spectators]]. Examples of ways to increase players impression of [[NPCs]] agency (in contrast to simply making them more powerful) includes providing them with [[Initiative]], [[Own Agenda|Own Agendas]], [[Competing for Attention]], [[Barge-In]], and [[Unpredictable Behavior]]. The four first of these are present in the interactive drama [[Façade]] while the last one may result from the system's inability to parse player input - this does not necessary need to be a bad thing and is part of the reason why [[ELIZA]] works (in combination with using [[Ambiguous Responses]]). [[Others fortune affects own Mood]] is related both to having [[Thematic Consistency]] in response to what happens in the [[Game Worlds|Game World]] and to having agency - it can be expressed through how [[Memory of Important Events]] are made visible or through attacking those that threaten others in one's [[Factions|Faction]]. For games striving for [[Replayability]], it can be important to provide each [[NPCs|NPC]], or at least for the most important ones, with an [[Open Destiny]] to avoid risking that players take the [[NPCs]] experiences as predetermined and thereby not necessary to involve oneself in.