My 2 cents (and sorry if this has already been suggested, haven't read the entire thread yet). I think it would fit perfectly with the upgrade system. Maybe, at first, its just a console that you can talk to (to further emphasize the whole you're ship is really damaged thing), then after the first major upgrade is a hologram or something. And finally, after getting a robotics table, they build a body for themselves. You could even add in a little silly lore to stuff like mech type techs that you aren't pilotting directly by saying your ship AI is providing backup for you via the mech.
I think it would be great if as we upgrade our ship, the associated A.I grows more and more intelligent and aware with a personality. For example, starting out as a simple "Yes, No" data log, then slowly developing a personality and opinions on various scenarios.
I'd be on board (hoo hoo) with an AI helper. It'd be a great way to give each race more personality, not to mention the modding potential.
HAL 9000 (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) is one could argue the antagonist character of Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 a space odyssey and the sequel 2010, a n artificial computer intelligence that is very creepy. It is the inspiration to the later "Mother" computer of Alien and the "WOPPR" of Wargames the movie, not tomention the "great great great great grandfather" of GlaDOS or Holly of RedDwarf fame. Most commonly recognised as a red glowing iris and its calm almost psychopatic personality.
well, i like these updates alot more than no updates or plugs for other games, so... good idea. and i also like the ship ai thing. hope it makes it into the game.
Hooray, glad everyone moved in =3. Now that everyone is there the magic/science/awesome can commence!
Well they persist into server play, where they double as a private party members only area. So there is that.
The AI could open a big screen that shows various things like funny in universe ads, or news reports, like a TV, or incoming calls or emergency signals and stuff. In later stages it could exist as a hologram that follows your around. It should definetally also make snarky remarks and stuff. Maybe showing statistics and commenting on the players actions. Considering that you are not really limited to the usual size of the normal characters, facial expressions are a big and important thing!! Like seriously, FACES! DO THEM! But not only faces, but gesture too, like a hand kinda bent back, to point at some text and stuff on the right!
Nice to see progress from the team, keep it up The AI sounds like it'd be good and I echo others' remarks that it should upgrade from a text console to something with a physical presence. Hopefully you can add a bit of multiple choice to the interaction too, so its personality will change over time depending on how you talk to it. Treat it like a machine and it'll become pissy and rude. Treat it with respect and it'll be more informative. That way you have humour on one hand (the pissy hand.. as it were) and efficiency on the other. Of course, judging by how the team wants to keep everything as open as possible there would probably also have to be a system wipe command (or item) that could reset its personality.
The dopefish lives? On topic, I see everyone jumped on cortana, pilot, etc... I wonder if I'm the only one who imediately thought of navicoms from dive alert. For those who havent played it, it was a game about submarines. Your sub has an onboard AI but had a selection of avatars and personalities to choose from. I could see something like that working here. I love Hurgablurgs idea that the AI is damaged with the ship when you start. I think some beginner quests to get it repaired and actually able to do more than basic yes/no type stuff would work well. But lets take it a bit further. There may be computer modules in the apex labs, or the human prisons, or any other races dungeon, that could upgrade your AI and further tune it towards that races look and manners of speech. Throw enough floran parts in and maybe your ship starts commenting on how the light of the star you are around tastes, or that the ice planet you are about to beam down to is too cold for plants to survive?
As much as I like the idea of having AI in my ship, is this really the right place and thread to drop all our personal suggestions for it? Because that's basically what we're doing and the purpose of this thread didn't even came anywhere close to that... it was about NPCs with "depth" to them. From a technical standpoint, I guess I could see how an AI would become an NPC, its basically what the Glitch are, but I think they're different situations. Actually, are Glitch event considered electronic enough to be an "AI"? I always thought electronics were different from mechanical. And I just had a mental image of romance mods for Glitch and the ship AI...
