Non-Player Characters
Diegetic persons in game worlds that are not controlled by players.
Note: the use of characters in this pattern and the pattern named Characters differs. Here, the usage of character complies to the common usage in the gaming community of referring to the graphical representation of a person in the game world (a sort of non-player version of the Avatar patterns). Although the common usage may also often imply the presence of the Agents and Characters patterns, this is not necessary and not presumed when used here.
Note: the abbreviation NPCs is very common for Non-Player Characters and is used here as well.
Contents
Examples
The later instances in the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series have NPCs that have daily routines, go through the actions of eating and sleeping, and have short conversations with other NPCs. They also have allegiances to various social groups and will come to the defend of other members of these groups if they are attacked.
Sometimes the issues of whether a diegetic person is an NPC or not depends on the play mode, and can be mostly a subjective opinion. For example, when playing the Left 4 Dead series with other players it is quite clear that they are not NPCs but when playing one of these games alone offline they are more likely to be treated as NPCs. Playing alone online is more unclear since other players may join but one does not know that until after the fact (one could argue that the designers see them as NPCs in this case since the server shuts down if one disconnects).
Using the pattern
Non-Player Characters most important characteristics are which role they play in relation to the players and the Game World they inhabit. Since some NPCs mainly have roles as extras or very specialized service providers, this somewhat paradoxically mean that it is not necessary for all Non-Player Characters to be Characters and allows them to be the building blocks of Units.
A primary choice when designing NPCs is whether they should have agency within the Game World. Making them Agents is typically achieved through the use of Algorithmic Agents or Game Masters, but can sometimes be done through Spectators (especially in games with Pervasive Gameplay, e.g. Prosopopeia). When NPCs have agency, they can take the opposing roles of Enemies or supporting ones of Companions by giving them Preventing and Supporting Goals respectively. The agency can also be used to make Units take some Initiative, e.g. so that Units in Warcraft or Starcraft attack enemies found after having moved to a location specified by a player.
, or neutral ones providing the functionality of Self-Service Kiosks.
Actions Have Diegetically Social Consequences
Torchlight Character Defining Actions Enforced Agent Behavior Factions
Awareness of Surroundings Open Destiny Unpredictable Behavior Binding Promises Brokering Competing for Attention Context Dependent Reaction Eavesdropping Either You are with Me or against Me False Accusations Favor Gain Allies Gossip Guide and Protect Hierarchical Factions Linked Destinies Maintaining Lies Match-Making Memory of Important Events
My Enemy’s Enemy is my Friend Others fortune affects own Mood Outcast Outspoken Support Requesting Support Diegetic Social Maintenance Diegetic Social Norms Social Gatekeeper Traitors Initiative Incremental Dialogue Processing Chunk-based Dialogue Processing Single-Initiative Dialogues Mixed Initiative Dialogues Basic Input Feedback Barge-In Canned Text Responses Diegetically Consistent Dialogues [[Context Dependent Dialogue Contextualized Conversational Responses Gameplay Integrated Conversations Location-Specific Dialogues Character-Specific Dialogues Colloquial Mastery Delicate Phrasing Ambiguous Responses
Note that NPCs do not actually need to be able to perform actions that change the game state, and more specifically players do not have to able to interact with them at all. The core of NPCs are their role in a Narration Structure, and as such they can exist only as Diegetically Outstanding Features or only be seen through Cut Scenes.
Diegetic Aspects
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[1]. 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 World so that it has a space to act within (possible the real world for games using Real World Game Space). 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.
There is actually another, even more basic, aspect of making NPCs to have Diegetic Consistency. This is that their representations should mimic their states as appropriate for the setting. 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.
Interface Aspects
The amount of interaction available with NPCs can easily become overwhelming. Although breaking Diegetic Consistency, this is often solved through the use of Secondary Interface Screens to provide separate interfaces for activities such as Trading and Dialogues.
Narrative Aspects
Consequences
Since the creation of any NPC implies a Game World it consists in, have a NPC either requires a more fully developed Game World or creates one anyway but without Diegetic Consistency.
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.
Relations
Can Instantiate
Can Modulate
Can Be Instantiated By
Game Elements
Can Be Modulated By
Possible Closure Effects
Potentially Conflicting With
History
New pattern created in this wiki. However, most of the material is collected from earlier research papers [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lankoski, P. & Björk, S. (2007). Gameplay Design Patterns for Believable Non-Player Characters. Paper presentation at DiGRA 2007, Tokyo, Japan.
- ↑ Lankoski, P. & Björk, S. (2007). Gameplay Design Patterns for Social Networks and Conflicts. Paper Presentation at Computer Game Design and Technology Workshop, John Moores University, Liverpool.
- ↑ Lankoski, P. & Björk, S. (2008). Character-Driven Game Design: Characters, Conflicts, and Gameplay. Paper presentation at GDTW, Sixth International Conference in Game Design and Technology, 2008.
- ↑ Brusk, J. & Björk, S. (2009). Gameplay Design Patterns for Game Dialogues. Paper presentation at DiGRA 2009: Breaking New Ground: Innovation in Games, Play, Practice and Theory. London, UK.
- ↑ Lankoski, P. (2010). Character-Driven Game Design - A Design Approach and Its Foundations in Character Engagement. D.A. thesis at Aalto University. Publication Series of the School of Art and Design A 101. ISBN 978-952-60-0002-2.
