Along with the named characters of Skyrim would you like to see generic filler NPC's like in Fallout 3? I feel that Generic NPC's would make the game world feel more populated and alive. When they die they can just be replaced by another Generic NPC so the world never gets underpopulated. Cities can finaly feel like cities with hundreds of residents instead of just 20 to 30 named NPC's. So what are your views on generic NPC's?

I understand where you are coming from but I do believe dialogue is a big part of TES.
In Fallout New Vegas over half the world was populated by generic NPCs with about 10 lines of dialogue between them.

Yes, only to preserve the economy when the player or rivals murder each other.

On the other hand, each and every npc was special in the previous games. Each one more or less had a story behind him/her. Unfortunately there wasn't much depth to begin with.

I would love it if npcs entered and left Skyrim to and from their provinces. If a shopkeeper dies, there will be a new job opening, etc.

Yes, absolutely. I don't care if every NPC doesn't have essential stuff to say or an essential role to say. Lots of them can just be there to add "atmosphere" to the game. From what I understand, this is what one of the things the BEtter Cities mod added to Oblivion

Of course, but they should have name anyway (name generator?), just to make them look like ordinary people, that have nothing to do with you.
And city assaulted by dragon when tens and hundreds die from flames and claws (or friendly backstabbing), would look much better

I prefer some generic NPCs. It saves time when you're looking for quests. A named person is obviously more important than "skyrim settler" or whatever.

As long as they don't have generic names like Riften Citizen. Just no title at all.

How exactly we know the names of everyone in Tamriel has always bothered me anyway. If none of the NPCs floated around with their names over their heads, I wouldn't even notice if many of them didn't have names. You'd have to stop, talk, and ask about their name to even find out.

So... just don't give us an option to ask about the name. Make it so that "named" NPCs that are important will just tell you who they are when you start talking to them.

I'd be all for generic NPCs, so long as they were designated using a random name generator. Mass workers like miners or field laborers might get away without names, like how Oblivion's guards weren't named, but that's about it. I want more "people" in Skyrim for the flavor it gives, and a dude in the inn called "Bar Patron" isn't as good as a dude in the inn called "Anggun the Swine" or what have you.

Yeah you could probably just not have any NPC's name pop up when you put the cross-hair over them and not at the side during conversation either so that you can't really tell the difference between generic and normal NPCs without trying to enter in to a proper conversation with them...that would make finding the right NPC for a quest a lot more interesting i.e you could have to ask around for where they live or spend their time etc.

I'm generally against (nameless) generic NPCs though... playing Fallout:NV at the moment and it just feels a bit wrong having someone called 'Freeside citizen' or 'Gambler' etc. Just give the characters names and not much to say other than quest-related rumours and directions like (I think) it was in Oblivion...

No generic NPC's please. This isn't Fallout. This is something I feel strongly about.

I'm split on the issue. It has goods and bads.


PS this would make a great poll

I would like it. So many of Oblivions NPCs were just ''Generic NPCs with names''

This is exactly why I don't want them.
I remember in NWN2 there was much debate about what quest a named NPC belonged to. Turned out the quest he was for had been cut.
I don't want to walk in a bar and know only Noggin and the Masked Stranger are worth talking to.

I greatly prefer all npcs to be named like in previous Elder Scrolls. Even if they do not have a specific quest related role all npcs should be named in my opinion. It completely breaks immersion for me when i see a "settler" branded npc. It's quite boring to know these npcs are useless right from the get go. Part of the fun in an open world rpg is finding that npc among the crowds who is in need of aid.

I think all NPCs will be named, and they also will have a home, a family and possibly a job, they just won't have unique dialog unless the radiant story adds one for them...

YES! I've been saying Oblivion needs this ever since Fallout 3 was released. You walk into this huge town that has like 2 people walking around.................... It's not like I talk to every single person or want to, which on Oblivion, there wasn't very many to begin with.

There've always been a few non-named people wandering the gameworld of Elder Scrolls. Arena and Daggerfall had the people you'd come across in dungeons (Thief, Archer, Mage, what have you), Morrowind and Oblivion had the various guards, with Oblivion adding unnamed bandits and marauders to the mix. I'm perfectly fine with this sort of thing. The multiple citizens of the two Fallouts was a tad odd, but it filled its purpose and made the little settlements seem more lived in.

No idea how Skyrim will do it. My gut feeling is that Bethesda will treat it more like the past Elder Scrolls, with guards and most of the hostiles nameless.

As long as they have proper schedules, and names I don't mind. But if it's GTA/AC style where they disappear after you leave, then that's a big no from me.

As do I.
One of the things I disliked about Oblivion were the nameless 'bandits' etc.
I very much prefer the Morrowind system where what you did actually mattered. Hostile humanoids were all unique and it was possible to feel you made Vvardenfell a safer place by ridding it of smugglers and bandits.
Now, I understand that maybe from a gameplay perspective it is better to have generic enemies that respawn rather than run out of enemies at some point, but I draw the line at cities and towns.
I very much dislike all the 'settlers' I encounter in New Vegas who are basically just moving scenery.
There is no room to imagine a history or character for them, they have nothing unique.
I want NPC's to have a name, a home, and a schedule.
I want to be able to develop an odd like for someone like City-swimmer and imagine we are friends. Visit them.
I do not want cardboard generic filler NPC's.

Well said Merari, I couldn't agree more.

I think NPC's will have names this time around too, they have families now, we know that. They have schedules now too, better ones, we also know that.
Notice the "I THINK" at the beginning, so that people won't make any mistakes misreading what I'm writing...

Anyway, I absolutely agree with you 100%. I loved how in Morrowind everyone had depth, although some did not and only provided things that others provide as well... but the "background" option was interesting. Not very meaningful or deep, but interesting.

I think basically they are doing what's best for the game now. There may be some background NPCs, but at least they'll react to us. At least they have a schedule, a life, a family, they've got a home and kids nonetheless!

I think NPCs will be even deeper this time around considering they have found a better way to compress voice files and now they can basically have as much voiced dialogue as they want without overloading the disc.

I have a good feeling about this

I agree to an extent, I think that NPC's should all have a name, a home, and a schedual. But I also believe that generic NPC's can have all of these things. Nothing broke immersion more for me than seeing people named "Megaton Settler" in fallout 3, but I believe this problem can be fixed with a random name generator. All these NPC's can have a home and a schedual as well, but if they are killed someone else can move in an fill the role that they did. Lets say a generic NPC named Paul lived in a house in a small town and worked the mill, he didn't have any important dialouge and wasn't related to any quest. Now lets say Paul was a casualty in a dragon attack. Someone still needs to work the mill, so another Generic NPC named Joe moves to town to replace Paul. Maybe there could be a radiant schedual generator, where NPC's follow a basic script but with some slight deviations. For example Paul might have gone fishing after work, but Joe who replaces Paul go's to the tavern instead. As you can see I think Fallout 3's generic NPC's were far too shallow, I hope that they can be much more fleshed out in skyrim.

Yes it would be best.
But curently it is choice between
having generic NPCs (maybe with randomly generated names), or having empty cities and villages.
What ruines immersion more?

I really hope they don't do this to Skyrim. I could support a situation where everyone is nameless to begin with until you start to talk to and know people. Otherwise, please no.