thoughts/discussion on NPC's

[d.walker43 196]

Hi guys. Before I begin, I already know the devs and Dean are against NPC's. Im not asking for info. What this thread is for is to see the communitys thoughts/ideas on the subject. Know that that's out of the way, here we go.

 

What is everyones thoughts on adding NPC's, doing quests for them, and stuff like that? My personal thought is that they would be a great thing to add to the game. I think that if added, they should not be super common, and any that are found should be either in specific known areas, or have some sort of identification as an NPC. This would help distinguish between NPCs and actual players. These NPCs could give quests for you to do, and reward you for fulfilling specific tasks. For example, there could be a NPC in cherno trying to find a specific item or something, and bringing them said item will give you a different item, cash, or something else.

 

The NPC's could also have limited abilities to trade and do actions like that. There could be a general store somewhere (or multiple places) that is run by an NPC, where you could sell/buy items. There could be groups of them that patrol certain towns/bases, and could either be friendly unless provoked, or if they see you holding a weapon of some sort they might attack. Or tell you to leave or they will shoot. something along those lines.

 

The ideas are endless. I don't think NPC's should become a main focus, but I do think they should be implemented. This would give something else to do, might help reduce KOS, and would add some more "meat" to the game. Overall I think they would help.

 

Thoughts? Please keep posts constructive, and use common sense. Also don't just tell me what the devs think. I don't care what they think, I want to see what the community thinks. Thanks.

[TheFarm 158]

as you said it is basically confirmed that the developers will not add any npc. Modders though, i expect this will be one of the things the steam workshop will be popular with.

You may have noticed dayz epoch server owners regularly ask for people to make custom scripts for them, with the standalone this will probably be the case as well. Want to play dayz zelda with quest giving npcs? Theres servers for that. Want to play counterstrike elektro? Servers for that...

[hannibaldaplaya 1095]

No, sorry. Wait for mods, though I don't want them, its clear others do, and there is no problem with that.

[DMentMan 707]

dean said there will be no NPC´s

[ChainReactor 922]

dean said there will be no NPC´s

 

OP said he knows about that in the very first line of the thread.

 

Come on, read the rest :P

[Kirby12352 67]

I would absolutely hate it if NPC's were added. The thing is, real players are unpredictable. They could do a whole number of things. NPC's on the other hand, only do what they were programmed to do. I know that certain NPC's would do different things, but it kinda just throws the whole point of the game out the window. This game is supposed to be played with real people, not some computerized person who only says what his programmer tells him to say. I know, real people would be in the game too, but it just wouldn't feel the same to talk to an NPC.

[d.walker43 196]

dean said there will be no NPC´s

Obviously you didn't read what I said. I know what his thoughts are. I was asking the communitys thoughts. Please read what I said before you just look at the title and start posting away.

[terminal_boy 860]

Play Fallout 3.

[d.walker43 196]

I would absolutely hate it if NPC's were added. The thing is, real players are unpredictable. They could do a whole number of things. NPC's on the other hand, only do what they were programmed to do. I know that certain NPC's would do different things, but it kinda just throws the whole point of the game out the window. This game is supposed to be played with real people, not some computerized person who only says what his programmer tells him to say. I know, real people would be in the game too, but it just wouldn't feel the same to talk to an NPC.

I understand. But if that's the case, 1 of 2 things, or both, needs to happen. 1: people need to actually trust each other a little and 2: there needs to be far more players per server. If KOS is reduced greatly somehow, I would totally agree with you. The people could fulfill the roles that NPC's do in other games. The problem is that probably 90% of the playerbase shoots people on sight. If people trusted each other a little and actually played how they would in a real life scenario, things like stores and towns being patrolled and other examples I gave would become a reality. I don't know, I just think it would help give players some things to do besides kill each other.

[d.walker43 196]

Play Fallout 3.

I do :P  and its a great game. many things could be used from that in DayZ, and it would make this game have the potential to be legendary.

[terminal_boy 860]

How would an MP game handle NPCs and quests?

[a_ruttle 199]

Kind of on topic with NPCs, I think Rust style airdrops [and the tense search for the DZ] would be pretty cool though why airdrops are/would be being made I just don't know.

[JPWiser 251]

No need for npc... Just give me 100 man servers and ruthless zombies and I'm happy.

[Bororm 1156]

No please.  The only npcs I want are zombies/animals.

 

NPC/AI humans ruin the whole experience of player encounters.  There's a certain tension of seeing another human character (non zombie obviously), of knowing that it's another person and as a result not knowing their intentions and all the unease that comes along with it.  I've played mods like epoch and the ai just completely kills that.  You go "oh shit a player, oh wait no it's just ai" and that whole feeling is completely ruined.

 

Same for helicopter crashes imo.  There were flying helicopters that would crash/could be shot down in a lot of mod variations, and while they were cool they also completely killed the whole experience of seeing a helicopter in the air being meaningful.  When it's only player helis, you know some one put in the effort for that, and again you have no idea of their intentions.  Are they going to spot you?  Are they going to land nearby?  Everything that goes along with knowing it's another person, all that goes out the window when the majority of the time it's just a lame ai chopper.

 

DayZ isn't the game for this stuff, if people want to mod it then fine, but the base game needs to be focused on the player experience.  There's already a ton of games with npcs.

[Mor (DayZ) 57]

I think that NPC can be a valuable addition to certain Mods. On a basic level they can take the role of traders\guards in certain scenarios. They can also be used to set some basic scenarios on RP servers or if someone really goes overboard and attempt to build a more realistic case of post apocalyptic society.

[JokersWarPig 16]

I wouldnt mind there being random NPC's that are being attacked by zombies in some of the larger towns, or military NPC's that shoot people (bandits) on sight

[gibonez 3633]

Zero need for npcs.

Any desire or addition of npcs can happen with modding.

[Mos1ey 6301]

Kind of on topic with NPCs, I think Rust style airdrops [and the tense search for the DZ] would be pretty cool though why airdrops are/would be being made I just don't know.

 

A similar system for heli crashes would be nice IMO.

[igor-vk 909]

I played many servers with different NPC. Some were good, some were very stupid. I liked helis patroling and shooting at zeds or players. In Origins mod, NPCs run out of fuel and land helicopter and continue on foot, but heli is boobie traped and explodes if you start engine. Id like military NPCs around military base.

[kichilron 8550]

The problem with NPC's in this game would be for starters that they wouldn't even give out any Quests - as anyone that sees them would just kill them immediately.

[pale1776 375]

The problem with NPC's in this game would be for starters that they wouldn't even give out any Quests - as anyone that sees them would just kill them immediately.

This. Hopefully the devs will keep cranking out survival goodies and while we will deal with the ERMAGERD REEMOVE WETHER AN DEG..DEGREDASION IZ 2 HRD! threads, at least they will leave and it will be like the first month of the DayZ Mod :D

Or, to help decrease the work load on goring up places, and remove the usual Eh, dead body is always there, what if wr did this: On ech restart, AI would spawn in random areas. Some would have a suicide script active, and others would be unarmed. And they would all.spawn randomly around the map. So bsically, random AI will spawn to kill theirselves, and some AI would spawn to be mauled by zombies. Hell, at heli crshes maybe they could spawn some soldier AI and a ton of zombies as well to swarm them, it would make more sense to loot an M4 off a dead body at heli crash than to see it on the ground at a fresh but nongory heli crash.

Tl;Dr: Add random AI spawns that either kill theirselves ot are swarmed by infected at restart to add gore and make it so that you never memorize where dead bodies spawn. Increase gore and lore, decrease work on map designers.

[General Zod 1114]

NPC ?

Quests ? 

Mate you are playing a wrong game. 

[d.walker43 196]

The problem with NPC's in this game would be for starters that they wouldn't even give out any Quests - as anyone that sees them would just kill them immediately.

Not neccesarily. I know for a fact that if I saw a person, id stay hidden and make sure it was an NPC, then definently see if it had a quest for me. I know the KOS players might just shoot them, but theres ways to deter this. Just make it so NPC's drop little or really crappy loot. Then it wouldn't be worth shooting them unless they were hostile.

[d.walker43 196]

NPC ?

Quests ? 

Mate you are playing a wrong game. 

At the current moment, your correct. But if some of these things were added, it could make this game legendary if they were done correctly.

[General Zod 1114]

Then it wouldn't be worth shooting them unless they were hostile.

You really just underestimate the pleasures you can get from KoS. NPC would be killed just so that you can't get quests from them. You know make if griefy. 

 

 

At the current moment, your correct. But if some of these things were added, it could make this game legendary if they were done correctly.

No it would not. It's meant to be player based story and interaction (or lack of it). Adding NPC that give you things for quest would ruing the game.  

Edited October 30, 2014 by General Zod