» Fri Jan 09, 2015 12:31 am Oblivion and Skyrim have been praised for having NPCs with more depth and character than previous TES games.
The problem with that is ... these personalities often have to be programmed by hand. Mind you, this is a good thing; NPCs wouldn't be considered as "having a personality" if they weren't all unique in some way. The problem lies in incorporating these personalities into gameplay in meaningful ways.
However, while some things - such as backstories - have to be programmed manually, there's some character traits that can be programmed in mass numbers. These are character traits that everyone possesses: They just possess a different one than others do.
For example, most people have a "favorite food" that they would prioritize during meal time if they have any of that food on hand. They also have a favorite color, and NPCs in the TES games are going to have favorite dieties (even if you worship the Nine Divines as a whole, there's going to be a particular divine that the NPC favors over others).
They'll also have favorite hobbies which they would engage in during what their schedules refer to as "free time." Examples of such hobbies can include ... reading, working out, practicing a crafting skill, etc.
These persoality traits can be programmed into each NPC's "index page" in the Costruction Set/Creation Kit/Whatever they end up calling it. They can be programmed right alongside raace, gender, and class (or, in Oblivion, they also had aggression, confidence, and responsibility), since EVERYBODY HAS ONE!
With these programmed personality traits, it would be much easier for Bethesda to incorporate these traits into gameplay. One method which comes immediately to mind is through disposition.
For example, NPCs would give you a disposition boost if you're wearing an amulet (or, in the case of daedra-worshippers, brandishing an artifact) of their favorite diety, while you would take a drop in disposition if you're seen worshipping their favorite diety's enemy (such as a Stendarr worshipper having disdain for any daedra-worshipper).
Also, giving them gifts would boost their disposition, and giving them gifts which correspond to their favorite whatever would give you bigger disposition boosts. For example, if an NPC's favorite hobby is reading, giving them a book would result in a big boost in disposition; for worker-outers, giving them some arrows to practice with would have a similar effect. Extra disposition points if the gift is their favorite color.
Anyone else think this would be a cool addition to the franchise?
