Companions
Agents controlled by the game system that follow and help players as the move through the game environment.
Like in other endeavors, it may be easily to succeed in games if one has help. While these may be other people, games can also provide characters and other entities, commonly called Companions, that follow the players progress and try to help. They may be gained and lost during gameplay or may be incorporeal presences only giving advice, but provide players support in overcoming problems or offer new ways of trying to do so.
Contents
Examples
Many roleplaying games such as Dungeons & Dragons and GURPS allow players to get trained animals, hirelings, mercenaries, etc. with their game masters permission. The control of these are typically shared in some way, with game masters having the final authority but doing as the players' order as long as it is does not clash with the Companions' natures.
The action-adventures Fable II and Torchlight provide players with a pet that accompany them in their adventures. They can help in combats as well as provide some additional support, such as identifying treasures and being able to exit dungeons to sell loot respectively.
the Fallout series
The advisors present in the Civiliation series can be seen as a form of Companions. Like the player, they have no direct manifestation within the game world but they do follow players' progress throughout the ages and provide tips and tricks.
Using the pattern
Avatars Units Characters Fable series Enemies Factions Internal Rivalry Loyalty Testing Achievements
Companions are not players per se, since their definitions is that they should accompany a player. Even if they may be more powerful than players in some areas, so that different Functional Roles can be filled, players do need to have some Privileged Abilities in relation to the Companions. These abilities may at a minimum be to have the power of actually completing goals and controlling the group's Movement (so the game doesn't play itself and players can become Spectators) but typically include many other abilities so players have an Exaggerated Perception of Influence compared to the Companions. For these reasons, Companions differ from AI Players used to fill Teams.
Diegetic Aspects
Interface Aspects
Narrative Aspects
Consequences
Companions are Algorithmic Agents that function as Helpers to players. As they often are partly defined as Characters, they are also often examples of Non-Player Characters.
Functional Roles Exaggerated Perception of Influence
Relations
Can Instantiate
Agents Exaggerated Perception of Influence Functional Roles Helpers Non-Player Characters
Can Modulate
Can Be Instantiated By
Can Be Modulated By
Possible Closure Effects
Potentially Conflicting With
History
New pattern created in this wiki.
References
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Acknowledgments
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