The interactivity of NPCS in Starfield vs other Bethesda titles

 





The release of Starfield is quickly approaching and we gamers are going to be having much fun with it. It has become one of the highly anticipated games of the year and I am itching to get my hands on it. This is going to be a game that everyone is going to be talking about for many years just like Skyrim. One of the aspects of the game that really interests me is the Artificial Intelligence in the game. While ChatGPT came too close to release for it to have any real impact on Starfield's development, I am very interested to see what type of interactions we can have with the many NPCs in the game. 

The interactions between NPCs are one of those things that I love to see in other games. I will just spend time just walking around, taking a look at the people and machines interacting with each other. It is a true delight to see such technology in action, especially in games such as this.

NPCS in Starfield: Mixed results


While the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind was well known for having very static NPCs that really did not really contribute to a living and breathing environment. However, within a span of a couple of years, Bethesda released the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and showed what AI can do in video games. 

The NPCS in Oblivion all had their own times they woke up and then when to sleep. They had routines and would do certain things in the game like reading books and performing magic spells. I would just love spending time just watching NPCs walking around and acting out the illusion that they had a greater role in the game than just being set dressing for the environment or a resource for the player.

Skyrim would continue the trend of giving NPCS something to do than just being set dressing for the environment. The game would tone down the level of conversations but emphasize the jobs that people had in the world of Skyrim. This was one of my most favorite parts of the game because it showed how the NPCS had something to do other than being window dressing like in the Morrowind games. These were people with lives outside of the player.

Starfield is a massive game that cost some 200 million dollars to make. Of course, Starfield can't be everything to everyone. However, Bethesda has tried very hard to accomplish this. As I have played the game, Starfield has this jack of all trades vibe to it. It is a jack of all trades and a master of none.

This is okay, considering that Starfield has modding support and can be turned inton whatever the player wishes.

What I wish the game had been more interactive npcs. It is somewhat disappointing that they do not seem to have schedules but I eventually came to the conclusion that Starfield is more about the game not necessarily the experimental simulations that we saw in Oblivion. 

Starfield is a great game and these issues with the NPCs will be resolved with modding. The developers should be applauded for giving us players and prospective programmers a great canvas to build our own adventures in the game. This will provide the game with a great amount of longevity and replayability in the years to come. 

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