Here are some things I think might help address the feeling of isolation in the game that comes from NPCs not being robust enough. I think these may be fairly conservative additions that could give a lot of 'bang for the buck'... FACTIONS Many NPCs will be a member of one or more factions. There would be a faction for each species in the game, but also some other factions, such as industry guilds, nations, etc. By your treatment of these NPCs, you will affect your standing with each faction, and this will modify their reactions to you. RELATIONSHIPS You can build a relationship (shown on a little bar graph or something) with each character in the game. Especially good or bad relationships will also affect your standing with their faction. INTERACTIONS Standard conversation trees: Every non-hostile NPC, when you click 'E' on them, could have a menu: a) Converse When you converse with an NPC, it would randomly generate one of the following (or more) responses. These are all modified by your standing with their factions and any previous relationships. - Nothing going on: (with various quotes like, "Good day!", "Bugger off!", "Hey.", "Meh." etc. - Rumor: (Have you heard about?...) This would be a tip about nearby large mineral deposits, dungeons on the planet, creatures, or other special resources and their direction. - Mission: A randomly generated mission (please bring me x in exchange for y!). Completing also improves relationship and reputation with their faction if they have one. - Jokes (relationship boost) d) Trade Sometimes uninterested, but other times, in a trade window, some random assortment of items and pixels would be generated, as well as some various interests (and he would say, "do you have any x, y, or z?"). You could drop various items into the window and they may be uninterested and offer 0 pixels, but may also offer some amount. If you happen to have what they're interested in, they will offer a lot for those things, up to the amount of pixels they have on them. You can also buy the items they have. Some kinds of characters would be really good to trade with and others would not be. They character (species, job, etc) type might also modify what they have and what they're interested in. e) Give If you give items or pixels to a character it will improve your relationship with them, and to some smaller degree, your reputation with their faction, if they have one.
and maybe there would be more dialogue and depending on that NPCS personalty it might offend them or lead you to a secret or just boos relation such as saying kluex is a bunch of garbage maybe leading you to learn there a grounded or the entire village would want you dead except for one who would be a grounded I dunno im just bored and leaving suggestions
This idea is flipping awesome! I've posted a suggestion in regards to followers, because I haven't seen one about them that's actually delved into the mechanics on how they would work. I figrued I would take up the idea, and I mentioned your thread here: http://community.playstarbound.com/index.php?threads/followers-and-ideas-regarding-them.61893/ I think It'd be a pretty great system to implement with followers so yeah . Factions are especially interesting, as there already seems to be loads and loads of tension within the Apex on their own, and between the Floran and Hylotl in specific.
Also, hobbies. So much could be done with game mechanics in the ways of what NPC's do in their own spare time and how it relates to you as the player^. Fetch quests for blueprints anyone?
great idea and not that hard to implement. Maybe the npcs could interact more with other npc's. For example, make relationship by denselves, marry, get kids etc
Sounds interesting but it almost sounds like that could be an entirely different game as well. Too reminiscent of those managing your tribe type games where you have to keep their happiness, hunger, and social stats high. But I definitely would like more conversation trees and intractable menus. Higarian's idea was also kind of nice where NPC's could form relationships by themselves and with each other. Specially the one's you spawn in your home. What i'm most concerned about is how the NPC system still needs a lot of work. I bought myself 5 Hylotl villagers and 1 guard and that was quite costly as it is but now I worry when they start walking outside because they get slaughtered by the birds. (Still waiting for those barren planets...) So first of all, basic things are in order like making it so that you don't accidentally kill your self spawned/bought NPC's. I accidentally swung my sword and slayed 2 doctors, a stim pack seller and a villager. It was depressing to say the least.
True. The game definitely needs an "ally/party" type mechanism that makes it impossible to injure the other person. In a 2D game it's just too easy. This could come into play when you're with other PCs you want to party with, or with any NPCs you spawn.
