i remember reading articles about how when they were developing radiant AI for oblivion they had situations where the entire town would end up in a large scale battle because someone stole a broom from someone else. has anyone read any similar situations while developing the radiant story AI for skyrim? where games go wrong are some of the most interesting reads because some of them are hilarious.

Did I not notice it, or did the NPC's in oblivion steal from eachothers? I read somewhere else that they did but Ive honestly never seen it.

This actually got me thinking; will radiant story place a role in the economy system?

Like if you stole or bought everything a merchant owned, will it lead him to closed down his shop?

Where did you read this article? Link please, sounds funny and i would like to read it.

I remember them saying they had to limit the freedom of NPCs, not because they were stealing brooms, but because they were killing each other for them.


But that is something for Oblivion discussion... not Skyrim.

I've seen it only twice, once outside of Skingrad, but I'm sure it was scripted, and I don't know the other time.

I remember this article.


They were referring to Oblivion. What they did was they gave two worker NPCs in Skingrad scripts that referenced items: one had a script to use a hoe and the other had a script to use a rake. Then, out of curiosity, they wanted to see what would happen if they swapped the character's items with each other, and the result was that both NPCs got royally pissed off and started fighting each other to the death. This confused other NPCs who marked it as theft and murder and assault and and and until eventually, somehow, the guard faction and the citizen faction were at war.

And as for theft, yes, some NPCs do steal. It's not scripted, but rather a random possible decision by their AI if all of their disposition levels are just right. There's only a couple though. Off the top of my head, there was a redguard in Skingrad, Big Head from Shivering Isles and both beggars in Bravil had a habit of stealing. Usually all this did was result in their deaths though.

Yes hahah. An NPC would go looking for the nearest farming tool, and pick it up, if it belonged to another NPC that NPC would attack and then the guards would get involved and all the NPCs with positive disposition towards them would help and vice versa. Bahahahah. I would actually have liked that if NPCs respawned.

Yes, this topic belongs in the Oblivion discussion.

Even now, playing Oblivion I come across NPCs who are battling to the death for no obvious reason. Just outside Bruma on the southwest side of town, I come across two imperial rangers who are shooting arrows at each other, and even Martin Septim and the Blades grandmaster are with me casually observing the duel. Another time I was completing the Anvil mages guild recommendation when the two battlemages who were sent to help me are suddenly attacked by an imperial legion soldier, and he ends up killing them both. Just little things that made me think.

i heard somewhere that when they were testing oblivion a guy in prison who was a part of a quest just ended up dead and they couldn't figure out why turned out that the guard would run out of food and steal the prisoners and they would fight and the guard would kill the prisoner! XD always found that funny

Yeaa hahaa!
I read that one, it was great!