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The NPC and You


What is it that makes a character come alive and leap from the screen
in the hearts of millions? Just what is this intangible attraction
that draws us to seek out computerized beings and fall in love with
them? I may not be able to tell you all there is to know on the
subject - in fact, I'm sure I can't - but I'll tell you everything I
know. Here's a list of things that a sucessful author is aware of
with his characters:

Personality Quirks
Motivation
Physical Appearance
Speech Characteristics
Actions
Reactions
Abilities

Of these, there are three that stand out as important to the
character's likability, and two that are essential to its usefulness
in your game. Quirks, speech, and motivation are the three most
important things that I look at when deciding if a character will be
liked. Reactions and abilities are the two important things that
contribute to your game as a whole. Appearance and actions are almost
secondary, aiding in the visualization of the NPC, but not essential
to it. It is possible to have NPCs that are not described and take no
original actions of their own, yet remain interesting and
entertaining. On the other hand, the NPC must react to the player's
actions or the player will quickly become bored with it. It is
usually, but not always, better to let the player have the initiative
when dealing with NPCs. This preserves the illusion of freedom
better, by allowing a larger number of options to the player.

Personality Quirks

The details are what bring a character to life. Sam the grocer is 87
years old, constantly smokes cheap cigars, is Jewish, uses the word
"oi" constantly, and has a wife that only a mother-in-law could love.
These little tidbits and others are a part of the heart and soul of
your character.

Motivation

Just what makes the NPC tick? Why is he wasting time chumming around
with the player when he so many other important things to do?
Everyone has an angle, what's the NPC's? Is he friend or foe, ally or
judas, lover or archenemy? An NPC should have SOME opinion of the
player, rather than ignoring him - this falls under reactions. You've
got to know these things, even if the player doesn't and never will.

Physical Appearance

Now, while we've all heard "Don't judge a book by its cover." we all
know what a load of crap that is too. Maybe in your game setting
there is no racism, sexism, chauvenism, or judgemental folks, but in
most worlds there will be, unless everyone is identical. A man sees a
pretty woman, and his hormones kick in. He only sees her assets, and
doesn't care what she's really like. Or, you meet a guy with a really
big nose, later, one of your friends asks you about Joe, you look
blank until he adds, "The guy with the big nose." It is part of our
make-up, as a very visually oriented people. It shames us and we try
to hide our ugly secrets from everyone else, and never quite suceed.
It's always there with us, a very important part of how we were
raised. The player should know what his character is seeing (and
thinking, if you use a pre-defined character). Point out the obvious
first, like a wart on the nose, huge pectoral muscles, or whatever.
Be sure not to stick thoughts in the player's mind unless you are
using a well-defined character though; many people resent having words
put in their mouths.

Speech Characteristics

Mark Twain is one of the most famous authors to use this technique.
He wrote down the southern accents just as he heard them. It's quite
simple to do the same for any other accent. Simply establish certain
patterns of speech and stick to them. The classic gangster, for
example, has a thick New York accent, so replace "ir" with "io" and
make second person pronouns plural, like "yous". There are other
aspects to that accent, but I leave them to you to play with. If you
inventing an accent, so much the better. Simply pick those parts of
speech that come across as "improper" and make sure to stick to your
changes, breaking that rule only on purpose. Otherwise the NPC steps
out of character, and that is not good.

Actions

Amazing how little initiative NPCs in text adventures have, isn't it?
Well, it leaves the player room to maneuver. NPCs are there to spur
the player on, or to provide a solution to a puzzle, or present a
puzzle themselves. Any actions they take will neccessarily be related
to their primary purpose. A troll will attempt to kill the player
with an axe, for instance, or a grocer will tell the player about
today's specials. For the basic NPC, this is enough. For more
complex ones, you must decide how they can best serve their purpose.
Just some advice though, keep the NPCs simple to use, if possible.
NPCs are one reason I favor a pre-defined character for the player to
control. It allows me more lattitude in defining the player's
reactions, and I feel more comfortable spending extra time to expand
the NPC into a fully rounded being, since the player can have advance
knowledge of it.

Reactions

Reactions are perhaps the most important thing an NPC has going for
it. Begin by assuming that every NPC will be kissed, killed, taken,
kicked, made love to, eaten, and used as an ashtray. Players love to
abuse the NPCs in horrible little ways. Be prepared, betatesting is
not for the weak of stomach. The sad fact is that you will be
expected to somehow magically divine every single action that a player
can inflict on an NPC. You won't be able to of course, but try
nonetheless. It saves time. NPCs must either fulfill a goal, or
provide atmosphere. No, I take that back, they must always provide
atmosphere, whatever their purpose. Most NPCs tend to personify
stereotypes of some sort. This is acceptable, if somewhat
predictable. In addition, NPCs nearly always have a straightforward
motive urging them along. This I tend to disagree with. People are
complex, and NPCs are people. In using a stereotype, I prefer to use
it to mislead the player. I don't do this a lot, but I do it in
certain strategic places. It's a good dramatic device, used
sparingly.

Other good reactions to plan for include gift-giving and questioning.
Try to have the NPC maintain its illusion of sentience as much as
possible by letting it know about relevant topics, as well as personal
ones. In my games, I try to discourage wanton NPC murder. That's up
to you, of course. In any event, just try to have the NPC react
believably as often as possible.

Abilities

Finally, you need to carefully catalog what the NPC is going to do for
the player. You must be careful here, as a broad ability is subject
to abuse. If you have a blacksmith who fixes a sword, expect him to
be confronted with every metallic object in your game afterwards. If
a wizard casts a spell, he should answer questions on magic, and have
a very limited repertoire of spells. And if a beast eats a glove,
expect the cruel players to attempt to feed it that poisonous ginsu
weed you mentioned 8 rooms back. As long as an NPC is suitably tested
and annoyed, you'll have no problems in this department. <P>

To end, here's a short example of how a player might treat Sam the
grocer, if he were to be so unfortunate as to meet the player. Watch
for examples of the techniques I've mentioned.


<look>

The Grocery Store

You are surrounded by food and drink of every description.
Towards the rear of the shop lies a deli, with a banner overhead
proclaiming "For Kosher Meat, we can't be beat!" Next to the stand is
a barrel of pickles. A fat, elderly woman works the register. The
back room is to the east.

There is an old man wearing an apron here. Clutched in his mouth is
the nastiest cigar you've ever had the pleasure to be downwind of.
Wiping his hands on his apron, he extends his right hand to you to
shake. He speaks around the cigar, sounding quite a bit like Mel
Brooks. "Hullo. I'm Sam. Welcome to my humble store. You want
meat? Oi! Have we got meat. You want cheese? We've got so much
cheese that our mice die of indecision. And bread? Oi! Such a
selection we have! The only thing we don't have is bananas. Never
could stand them, all long and yellow and firm, the smug bastards. My
first wife left me for a banana. Speaking of bananas, that's my
latest wife, Ethel, minding the register. Don't worry, she's been
declawed.

<look at sam>

Sam is old and fat. He wears a dirty apron and smokes a cheap
cigar. His hair is black, curly, and unkempt, matching his moustache
in all but curl. Still, Sam's hairline is receeding, as you can tell
by the faint scent of rogaine as he nears you.

<kiss sam>

"What are you, some sort of maladjusted pervert? In my day, men
didn't kiss men. At least I think they didn't. Who knows, stranger
things have happened."

<kill sam>

Your hands close around Sam's throat, and you squeeze your
hardest. Sam only smiles and nods approvingly. "My boy, you would
make a fine masseuse! Oi! What hands!"

<ask sam about pickles>

"Pickles? So what's there to know? They're green, they float,
you eat them. You want them, I'll let them go for $1 apiece."

<ask sam about mice>

"Don't you worry about the mice. Those mice eat better than I
ever did. Still, they ever get out of hand, I slip some of Ethel's
fruitcake in the back room and you can watch them stampede out the
front door."

<ask sam about fruitcake>

"Oi! You ARE crazy. Still, you take a piece of that fruitcake
off my hands, I'll give you $5!"

<get fruitcake>

Sam quietly slips you $5, not wanting Ethel to notice.

<east>

<DT>

Sam follows along behind as he sees you walk into the back room.
"Hey, what are you doing? You can't go back there! Don't make me
call the police, mister."

The Back Room

Filled with old, expired food, the back room is a haven for mice
of all kinds. Big ones, little ones, fat ones, skinny ones. There
are even a few that could probably take your arm in two bites.

Sam stands behind you, wringing his hands and asking you to leave.

<drop fruitcake>

Suddenly there is a mad scramble as the rodents head for the front
door, en masse. Soon the store room is cleared of mice. Sal hugs
you. "Oi! I never really thought that would work. Just a joke,
don't you know? Still, you've saved my store, so let me present you
with a token of my thanks. Taking you by the hand, Sam pulls you back
out into the main store, back to the deli, and makes you a six foot
submarine sandwich, the way only he can. Truly a handsome reward.
With the $5, you buy lottery tickets, and win 40 million the next
week. You move to Rio and live your life in the lap of luxury.
Congratulations!

(Adapted from some posting on rec.games.mud)