Death is so final, But life has so many possibilities!

[Nynuc]

Hello, I was just wondering if Npcs in the game will instantly try and kill you if you enter a physical conflict, Or will there be other things that could happen, Like being captured or left for dead? I noticed in all games it seems like there's never a point where the enemy really yields or goes down from a powerful strike, or runs in fear even.

 

[turtleman155]

I loved in shadow of mordor when you did something supernatural or a brutal kill some of the enemies would run away tripping over themselves even the bosses did it

 

[Nynuc]

I loved in shadow of mordor when you did something supernatural or a brutal kill some of the enemies would run away tripping over themselves even the bosses did it

Yep kinda like that. Enemies showing fear, or showing each npc has some sort of sympathy or emotion towards your character, honor even, By not ending you with a lethal blow

 

[Fawz]

It would indeed be very cool if the game didn't deal in the extremes at all times. It would be a lot of fun if NPCs really cared for their lives and what they saw they were close to death changed tactic drastically. It could be going in a frenzy and charging, running away in fear, begging for mercy or just giving up. Considering that NPCs that respawn I think it would be a great opportunity to have NPCs react dynamically when close to death.

Likewise it would be a lot of fun if the player didn't always die, but could sometimes be incapacitated or captured. I found it really neat in The Forest when I was beaten by the natives and it didn't always lead to death but sometimes you would wake up hanging upside down in a cave.

 

[Madoc]

There's plans for things like this. AI characters that flee or yeld is definitely something we're going to introduce and there's a fair bit we can do there. Our aim with AI is to give it situationally plausible behaviour so any significant circumstance should affect their decision making and actions (down to how they fight for example). Our pathfinding even allows us to model urgency and make NPCs variably mindful of obstacles and make tradeoffs so when panicked they might trip over stuff and the like.

 

[tiny lampe]

There's plans for things like this. AI characters that flee or yeld is definitely something we're going to introduce and there's a fair bit we can do there. Our aim with AI is to give it situationally plausible behaviour so any significant circumstance should affect their decision making and actions (down to how they fight for example). Our pathfinding even allows us to model urgency and make NPCs variably mindful of obstacles and make tradeoffs so when panicked they might trip over stuff and the like.

This is great to hear, and a fantastic step to communicate that NPCs in the game are not one-dimensional bots whose sole purpose in life is to kill the player or die trying.

While I like the fact that NPCs surrendering and fleeing opens up the possibility of sparing their lifes, what I like even more are the potential future consequences of such acts of mercy. Because NPCs in Sui Generis are persistant instances that have opinions and goals based on what they have experienced, sparing an NPC now may make it an ally the next time you encounter it. Or maybe that NPC interpreted your willingness to spare him as an humiliation, and it will actively try to seek revenge as a result.

As the title of the topic says, life has so many possibilities indeed.

 

[Nynuc]

This is great to hear, and a fantastic step to communicate that NPCs in the game are not one-dimensional bots whose sole purpose in life is to kill the player or die trying.

While I like the fact that NPCs surrendering and fleeing opens up the possibility of sparing their lifes, what I like even more are the potential future consequences of such acts of mercy. Because NPCs in Sui Generis are persistant instances that have opinions and goals based on what they have experienced, sparing an NPC now may make it an ally the next time you encounter it. Or maybe that NPC interpreted your willingness to spare him as an humiliation, and it will actively try to seek revenge as a result.

As the title of the topic says, life has so many possibilities indeed.

Or if you enter a cave guarded by three bandits
one goes down, and two escape the cave, leaving you to continue into their lair
you may progress through the cave, killing everyone else, but in the back of your mind
there's that thought of the two bandits still existing in the world that escaped your grasp.
and what will happen when you meet again someday

 

[Don Kanaille]

If I remember correctly, this also includes the player character. If you are struck by a hefty blow to an unprotected body part and fall, you´re likely to die but if you get knocked out due to stamina damage, you are just that - knocked out. What happens to you while you are unconscious is up to the NPCs which defeated you. Some will simply finish you off, others may just take your stuff, capture you (?) or leave you alone.

Maybe it is als influenced by surroundings. For example, if you are in the wild´you are much more likely to simply get off´ed, while when you are in a city with actual authorities that keep order and persecute people this would be much less likely.

 

[Elaxter]

Dwarf Fortress, a modern-day ASCII freeware game, is being updated with NPCs that have emotions. Fear, hate, love, etc. It's buggy at the moment, but soon NPCs will have a simple conscience. If a team of two working on an ASCII-style game can make emotions for NPCs, no doubt Bare Mettle can too!

 

[Nynuc]

If I remember correctly, this also includes the player character. If you are struck by a hefty blow to an unprotected body part and fall, you´re likely to die but if you get knocked out due to stamina damage, you are just that - knocked out. What happens to you while you are unconscious is up to the NPCs which defeated you. Some will simply finish you off, others may just take your stuff, capture you (?) or leave you alone.

Maybe it is als influenced by surroundings. For example, if you are in the wild´you are much more likely to simply get off´ed, while when you are in a city with actual authorities that keep order and persecute people this would be much less likely.

Yeah, I also think things that make npcs feel real, is that they feel flawed in some way. And by that I mean make decisions that don't really make sense sometimes. for example,

-A brave villager stands to take you on, with nothing but a rusty pitchfork. Not because he was programmed this way, but because his opinions, personality, and feelings towards you are so strong.

Or

-A knight in shining armor cowers before you, Even though you're only wielding a short-sword, He's heard tales of the things you have done, and thinks twice before engaging you.

Or

A group of bandits decide to jump you one afternoon. They have not heard of you, but your posture, confidence, and bravery is enough to make them back down.

Or

You go to a local tavern for a drink. An npc forgets to charge you, But thanks you when you remind her.

It's the little things.

 

[Don Kanaille]

It's the little things.

It is especially those things which make a RPG great. I can tell from my Pen&Paper experience.

 

[AlexJM]

It would indeed be very cool if the game didn't deal in the extremes at all times. It would be a lot of fun if NPCs really cared for their lives and what they saw they were close to death changed tactic drastically.

Personally when I get close to death I generally play a lot more carefully, I focus on always blocking before I hit (as opposed to trying to hit my opponent mid-swing). It would be neat if the AI would play more defensively at a low health, because I currently know some NPCs will play aggressively to the very end.

 

[Knave]

I tend to play berserker mode when I'm about to die. That means I'll attack over and over trying to overwhelm my opponent. It normally works. I'd like some sort of meaningful deaths. IE: you find a corpse on an altar who happens to be the last adventurer who tried to mess with that thaumaturgist, some monster grawing on some steamfriend's bones, a zombie version of your last deceased character or some player bandit rightfully put in the gallows after killing some guards.

Or simply to wake up naked and battered after being knocked unconscious by said bandit. Not everything has to end in death.

 

[MindSliver]

I love the idea of a last chance. Say you commit some crime and lose your fight with the guards. you wake up in the stocks and people are throwing stones at you... you get to rattle around and if you're lucky squeeze out of the stocks and get to make a run for it XD