Nvidia demoed its capabilities for AI and unique character building during Computex 2023. The gaming giant showed how an innocuous NPC could provide generated, off-the-cuff responses to player’s unique prompts during an in-game interaction.
Contemporary titles can have anywhere between a handful and hundreds of non-playable characters (NPCs).
Primarily intended to carry the overarching narrative forward by delivering missions, these secondary characters carry the bulk-load for creating a sense of emotional investment and fleshing out the playable world to seem lived-in and believable.
Like other aspects of gaming, the graphics and basic dialogue of these characters have advanced over time. Compare the original edition of Skyrim, for instance, to contemporary titles like Hitman 3 or Red Dead Redemption II and you’ll see how drastic an improvement has been made in the last decade.
Though the overall standard has risen, however, that’s not to say there isn’t room improvement — and a lot at that. Aside from a few exceptionally crafted titles, engaging with NPCs can still feel obligatory, overtly scripted, and at times…
