Lifelike NPC: Creating a world of intelligent and intuitive supporting characters

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• July 13, 2022

Insight summary

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming video games by creating more realistic and adaptive non-player characters (NPCs), enhancing the gaming experience. Techniques like reinforcement learning and modeling allow NPCs to learn from player behavior, resulting in more dynamic interactions and personalized gaming narratives. This advancement not only improves player engagement but also influences AI development in other industries, prompting a need for new regulations and job roles in the gaming sector.

Lifelike NPC context

Game developers are increasingly incorporating AI to create NPCs with more realistic behaviors and responses. Companies like Ubisoft in France and Electronic Arts (EA) in the US have established dedicated AI research teams. These teams focus on developing NPCs that can predict and adapt to players' actions, aiming to enhance the gaming experience by providing more natural and engaging interactions. The goal is to create NPCs that are more dynamic and less predictable, moving away from traditional, scripted responses.

The use of reinforcement learning is a key technique in this endeavor. This approach involves AI learning through trial and error, gradually improving its responses and actions based on the outcomes of previous interactions. By continuously adjusting to players' behaviors, NPCs can offer a more personalized and challenging gaming experience. Moreover, this learning process enables NPCs to evolve over time, creating a more immersive and evolving gameplay environment.

Another significant method employed is modeling, where AI observes and learns from players' tactics and strategies. This allows NPCs to adapt their behavior to either mirror or counter the players' moves, creating a more competitive and strategic gameplay. As a result, NPCs are evolving beyond mere background elements to become integral parts of the gaming narrative and experience. They are designed to interact more fluidly, move more realistically, and communicate in a manner that closely resembles human speech.

Disruptive impact

A recent example of fully developed NPCs is the 2020 open-world game Watch Dogs Legion, which uses a Census system to populate its dystopic version of London with NPCs that players can recruit for their missions. These NPCs come with fully developed skills, biographies, and habits (visiting bars even). 

Aside from fleshing out background stories, game developers are also looking into making movements more natural, particularly in sports games. For its latest soccer game, FIFA 22, EA used a technology called HyperMotion, which captured the movement of soccer players wearing motion-capture suits. The data were then fed into software that created more than 4,000 animations. 

Another area where AI is being used is in natural language processing (NLP) for NPCs. In particular, GTP-3, the NLP model developed by Elon Musk-owned company OpenAI, seems to be the most promising (2021) as it can already write magazine and newspaper articles just from reading large amounts of texts. Game developers are hoping that through NLP, NPCs would be able to adapt their conversations to any given situation. 

Implications for NPCs being made to be increasingly lifelike 

Wider implications of lifelike NPCs in games may include:

• Enhanced realism in games leading to more engaging and immersive experiences, attracting a broader audience and potentially increasing overall gaming industry revenue.
• Advanced NPCs adapting to player strategies, fostering more complex and strategic gameplay that challenges and develops players' problem-solving skills.
• Real-time narrative generation in games based on player actions, offering unique and personalized story experiences that increase player retention and loyalty.
• Independent yet cohesive group behavior of NPCs in multiplayer games, enhancing team dynamics and cooperative play, fostering a sense of community among players.
• The emergence of social-focused games with advanced NPCs, reducing feelings of isolation by providing virtual companionship and social interaction.
• The increasing sophistication of NPCs leading to a heightened risk of gaming addiction, as more realistic interactions and narratives make games harder to disengage from.
• Development of advanced AI in gaming influencing AI advancements in other sectors, leading to broader applications in fields like education, training, and simulation.
• The need for new regulations and ethical guidelines in gaming, addressing concerns like addiction, data privacy, and the psychological impact of highly realistic NPCs.
• Job market shifts, with increasing demand for AI specialists and narrative designers in the gaming industry, while potentially reducing the need for traditional game development roles.
• Environmental implications of increased gaming demand, requiring more energy for data centers and leading to greater electronic waste as hardware requirements evolve.

Questions to consider

• If you’re a gamer, what other improvements have you recently observed in NPCs?
• How do you think NPCs could evolve in the future?