Someday I wish I could be a NPC
I’ll show you its easy:
gang gang
gang gang
whoohoo I’m a cowboy
gang gang
When he started talking about cats vomiting I knew that he was going to mention either Dorf Fort or Rimworld. And RW has no taverns so…
It is the middle of the day, why are you not at your store?
Because you can only stare the microwaves oven for so long.
But I think that a common trait shared by good enemy video game NPCs is a competent level of AI.
Not quite.
Example from Chrono Trigger
Consider the example the Son of the Sun boss:
The SoS itself is the eye; it doesn’t move, attacking yields no damage, and makes it counterattack. The five flames rarely shuffle around, otherwise they stay put; attacking one with a physical attack damages the SoS by a fixed amount, attacking the other four unleashes a counterattack. Once in a while they attack spontaneously.To defeat it, you need a specific strategy:
- You need equipment against fire. You can’t avoid some attacks and counterattacks.
- You can’t simply cheese the boss with a high level. Or strong spells for all that matters.
- Don’t bother attacking the SoS. Focus on the flames.
- You want to find the right flame to attack ASAP, before they shuffle. So area techniques (preferably physical) are essential.
- Once you find the right flame, you keep attacking it until they shuffle.
Is there any “competent AI” here? Nope, it’s simplistic. And yet it’s a fucking great enemy NPC because it challenges the player. Some other enemy NPCs can be great due to their immersion value. And, while both things could be reasonably provided by a competent level of AI, as the example shows there are other ways to do it.
