Non-player character

A non-player character (sometimes "non-playable character" or "non-player class"), often shortened to NPC, is a character in a role-playing game or video game. A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. An NPC may be a bot in a computer game, but traditionally NPCs have been human-controlled characters, and even in some online games there may be NPCs played by humans. A bot, most prominently in the First person shooter PC game types (FPS is a robotic computer controlled entity that simulates an Online or LAN The history of role-playing games begins with an earlier tradition of Role-playing, which combined with the rulesets of Fantasy wargames in the 1970s to give rise to Online games are games played over some form of computer network.

1 Role-playing games
- 1.1 Playability
- 1.2 Dependents
2 Computer and video games
3 See also

Role-playing games

In a traditional role-playing game such as Dungeons & Dragons, an NPC is controlled by the gamemaster. A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by A Gamemaster or Game Master (often abbreviated as GM) is a player in a multiplayer Game who acts as organizer arbitrator and officiant in rules situations Non-player characters populate the fictional world of the game, and can fill any role not occupied by a player character (PC). A player character or playable character (PC is a Fictional character in a Video game or Role playing game who is controlled or controllable Non-player characters might be allies, bystanders or competitors to the PCs.

NPCs vary greatly in importance, from the NPC innkeeper seen once by the player characters, to the NPC arch-nemesis who comes back time-and-again for an entire campaign. While every inhabitant of the game's world except the PCs are NPCs, very few are given any detail by the gamemaster (GM). A Gamemaster or Game Master (often abbreviated as GM) is a player in a multiplayer Game who acts as organizer arbitrator and officiant in rules situations In fact, most of the minor ones are invented on the spot as needed—doing this well is in fact one of the hallmarks of a good GM. There is some debate about how much work a gamemaster should put into an important NPC's statistics; some players prefer to have every NPC completely defined with stats, skills, and gear, while others define only what is immediately necessary and fill in the rest as the game proceeds. A statistic (or stat) in Role-playing games is a piece of Data which represents a particular aspect of a Fictional character. There is also some discussion as to just how important fully fleshed-out NPCs are in any given RPG, but it is general consensus that the more "real" the NPCs feel, the more fun players will have interacting with them in character. In Character is an Acting term referring to an Actor playing the part of a character either in a format setting (e

Playability

In some games and in some circumstances, a player who is without a player character of his or her own can temporarily take control of an NPC. A player character or playable character (PC is a Fictional character in a Video game or Role playing game who is controlled or controllable Reasons for this vary, but often arise from the player not maintaining a PC within the group and playing the NPC for a session or from the player's PC being unable to act for some time (for example, because they are injured or in another location). Although these characters are still designed and normally controlled by the gamemaster, when players are given the opportunity to temporarily control these non-player characters it gives them another perspective on the plot of the game. Some systems, such as Nobilis, encourage this in their rules. Nobilis is a Role-playing game created by R Sean Borgstrom in which the Player characters are "Sovereign Powers"

Dependents

Many game systems have rules for characters sustaining positive allies in the form of NPC followers; hired hands, or other dependent stature to the PC. Characters may sometimes help in the design, recruitment, or development of NPCs.

In the Champions game (and related games using the Hero System), a character may have a DNPC, or "dependent non-player character". Champions is a Role-playing game originally by George MacDonald, Steve Peterson, Bruce Harlick, and Ray Greer, published The Hero System (or HERO System) is a Generic role-playing game system that developed from the Superhero RPG This is a character controlled by the GM, but for which the player character is responsible in some way, and who may be put in harm's way by the PC's choices. A player character or playable character (PC is a Fictional character in a Video game or Role playing game who is controlled or controllable

Computer and video games

The term Non-player character is also used in console and computer role-playing games to describe entities not under the direct control of players. A console role-playing game is a video game genre that has its origin rooted in Video game consoles and includes game mechanics and frequently settings derived A computer role-playing game ( CRPG) is a broad Video game genre originally developed for personal computers and other home computers Nearly always the connotation is that an NPC is allied with, or at least neutral toward, the player, rather than being an enemy.

NPC behavior in computer games is usually scripted and automatic (see artificial intelligence), triggered by certain actions or dialogue with the player character(s). In certain multi-player games, (Neverwinter Nights and Vampire: the Masquerade series, for example), a player that acts as the GM can "possess" both player and non-player characters, controlling their actions in order to further the storyline. Created by Mark Rein·Hagen, Vampire The Masquerade was the first of White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness live-action More complex games, such as the aforementioned Neverwinter Nights, allow the player to customize the NPCs' behavior by modifying their default scripts or creating entirely new ones.

In some online games, such as MMORPGs, NPCs may be entirely unscripted, and are essentially regular character avatars controlled by employees of the game company. A massively multiplayer online role-playing game ( MMORPG) is a genre of Computer role-playing games (CRPGs in which a large number of players interact with These "non-players" are often distinguished from player characters by avatar appearance or other visual designation, and often serve as in-game support for new players. In other cases, these "live" NPCs are virtual actors, playing regular characters which drive a continuing storyline (as in Myst Online: Uru Live). Myst Online Uru Live is a Massively multiplayer online game developed by Cyan Worlds, featuring several diverse D'ni Ages designed in the

In early and less advanced RPGs, NPCs have only monologue. Code directs the appearance of a dialogue box, floating text, cutscene, or other means of displaying the NPCs' speech or reaction to the player. A cut scene is a sequence in a Video game over which the player has little or no control often breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot present NPC speeches of this kind are often designed to give an instant impression of the character of the speaker, providing character vignettes, but they may also advance the story or illuminate the world around the PC. Similar to this is the most common form of storytelling, non-branching dialogue, in which the means of displaying NPC speech are the same as above, but the player character or avatar responds to or initiates speech with NPCs. A player character or playable character (PC is a Fictional character in a Video game or Role playing game who is controlled or controllable An avatar is a computer user's representation of himself/herself or alter ego whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games a two-dimensional Icon In addition to the purposes listed above, this enables development of the player character.

More advanced RPGs feature interactive dialogue, or branching dialogue (dialogue trees). A good example are the games produced by Black Isle Studios and White Wolf, Inc.; every one of their games is multiple-choice roleplaying. Black Isle Studios was a division of the computer and video game developer and publisher Interplay Entertainment, created specifically for the development When talking to an NPC, the player is presented with a list of dialogue options, and may choose between them. Each choice may result in a different response from the NPC. These choices may affect the course of the game, as well as the conversation. At the least, they provide a reference point to the player of his or her relationship with the game world. True dialogues with NPCs are usually very complex, however after you talk with an NPC and turn right back around to talk with them again, no matter how many times you do this, usually they will give you the same exact conversation.

Ultima is an example of a game series that has advanced from non-branching (Ultima III and earlier) to branching dialogue (games thereafter). Ultima III Exodus is the third game in the Ultima series Exodus is also the name of the game's principal antagonist

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