» Tue May 15, 2012 8:26 pm I am just really underwhelmed by the progress made on the NPCs in this game since Oblivion. While they definitely look better, they still behave like weird robots and do the weirdest most inhuman things just about all the time. I know Bethesda was super excited about their Radiant AI in Oblivion (which is it's own discussion entirely) but it seems they looked at Oblivion, said, "Good enough!" and just didn't make on effort to improve the NPC situation other than to make them not hideous, which is appreciated.
The NPCs in this game:
-Constantly bump into each other. Get in your way, each others way, it's endless! They're not so much human beings as they are bumper cars.
-Stare at you all the time, which painfully awkward. It's especially awkward when they're having a conversation with someone else. What!? This whole head follow player character mechanic is so 2001, and fairly worthless. No one cares if the NPCs look at you all the time. I'm not so self centered.
-Repeat the same lines over and over. I like the random bits of conversation you've added in, but the fact that NPCs continually repeat the same line ad nauseum, goes a long way to remind you you're playing a video game. Why can't they just say their special line once, then perhaps from then on, just greet you simply or better yet say nothing. It's unrealistic. I mean, have you ever walked around a city? You know how many times I announce my life story to people passing by? If I want to know someone's life story, I will talk to them.
-The animation is still lacking. People just stand there with their hands at their sides completely emotionless. At least make them gesture with their hands once in a while. The aspect of communication through body language is sorely overlooked in this game. As humans we're constantly moving our hands. Hell, give everyone cigarettes to gesture with!
Blah blah blah, whine whine whine, anyway, the game is still really fun and I'm enjoying Oblivion 2.0 -- what Oblivion should have been! I just really had to vent on this aspect of the game which has been tragically neglected over the last several years of development.
Hopefully some mods can go a ways to reducing NPC awkwardness. At the very least find a way to reduce the amount they regurgitate the same line. But, hey, at least no one is talking about mudcrabs!
INB4: Now I'm not saying characters animation/NPC realism is the end all be all most important aspect of RPGs, but it seems Bethesda has gone out of their way to make NPCs which pull me out of the game every chance they get.
