Skyrim - Storytelling AI - future of Gaming?

[aries100]

Gamespy has penned an editorial where they ask this question: Is Skyrim's AI Storytelling the Future of Gaming? It looks into what could become the future storytelling in games, based on Bethesda's Radiant AI-system. A quote:

Within the Radiant AI system, Bethesda's encoded the idea of a quest which the player can pick up at inns throughout the province. One of its formulae is: "{NPC} has been captured, and is being held at {Location}." Those variables are decided by the game on the fly. This would be an easy source of the infinite gameplay that Bethesda advertised, but Skyrim takes it a step further: To add meaning -- and perhaps drama -- the system determines which NPC should be captured by examining your character's history and picking an NPC that you've actually had a relationship with in the past. Maybe an old companion, or a shop owner you've sold surplus gear to. An NPC, that is, the player knows and might care about. Secondly, the system picks a nearby location that the player hasn't explored yet.

Do you think Bethesda's Radiant AI system has a part in future games?
More information.

 

[Burress]

The system is a great idea. The system's effect in Skyrim is minimal because Bethesda doesn't make NPCs you care about and also because no one will remember what you did.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

They should rather implement Siri, imho.

 

[Twotricks]

Great idea. Skyrim works excellent on the levels we dont actually understand. But feel in game translated to fun.

 

[crpgnut]

I thought Radiant Story was a very important baby step, and hopefully the next Bethesda game will take it further. I was saddened when Alvor was killed by a dragon, when Riverwood was attacked. I was gladly surprised that his wife noticed his death and remarked upon it in subsequent visits. I laughed because the body has been there for over a month now, right where he was killed. Radiant Story needs work but it's a vastly needed step in the right direction

 

[Maylander]

It generally works out well if the scope is as massive as Skyrim's scope. I still prefer handcrafted stuff though, but I realize the scope has to be smaller in such cases.

That being said, they still need to fix the current system. For example, it's unacceptable to be given the exact same quest twice.

 

[Thrasher]

I've played hundreds of hours and haven't experienced this kidnapping radiant quest nor read about it in the guide. I doubt it really exists. Lots of repeated fetch or kill radiant quests, though. But they have no tie in to particular NPC relationships with the PC. So I am not getting this article. Procedurally generated quests are nothing new, they were done in Daggerfall. I like them, but don't see them as "storytelling".

 

[borcanu]

well, it's their definition of the term, that is not important. But yeah, that would mean that the NPC number is severily decreased right? like x3
That fact alone increases chances to remember a NPC .
But yes, having any kind of history with a NPC you are supposed to rescue (when usually its someone you don't know, and will not know after meeting him.)
So yes it touches a core problem
But I think they should also focus on another obvious one, NPC design is poor, bad animations, bad personality, nothing special about the dialog. Each quest should try to pull out a wow out of the player. And if you fail at that, hit the books, or resign, cause you are bad as a game designer.

 

[gumbomasta]

Pretty much every side quest in Daggerfall was made this way.

 

[badmofo]

Artificial intelligence will always feel artificial - there's only so much you can do with zeros and ones. It has it's place, but I don't think it could ever be better than handcrafted story / quests.

 

[vurt]

I'd love to see more AI and less static NPC's / stories, i get that fix from books and movies anyways, the game medium will always be inferior (when it comes to for example characters) to movies with real actors, or books that will always have more "fleshed out" characters. I'd really like to see some randomly generated worlds too. Games needs to be unique experiences to differentiate this experience enough from movies. Much more interesting and fun, i like the "create your own adventure" approach, a lot more appealing - let games be games (yes im aware im starting to sound like a corny commercial…)

 

[CountChocula]

I've played over 400 hours and have yet to experience a radiant story encounter like the one described.

I suppose the closest thing would be when a follower died I received an inheritance.

 

[Thrasher]

Yeah, I got that one too, but after the Hi Res patches a lot of the radient quest generated parts of the notes (like treasure hunter notes, and inheritance notes) are blank, so I didn't know who gave me the inheritance... :/

 

[Daddy32]

Artificial intelligence will always feel artificial - there's only so much you can do with zeros and ones. It has it's place, but I don't think it could ever be better than handcrafted story / quests.

Haha, no. There's no limit to what you can do with zeros and ones (well, potential computational strength of the universe is the only limit). Someone, someday could simulate you.

As for this supposed future of gaming - those are really just lazy procedurally generated quests following small set of patterns. Certain roguelikes were full of these years ago.

 

[crpgnut]

Weird. I've rescued kidnapped folks a few times, but it is pretty rare. It is also rare, but it has happened, to see other companions out on their quests or coming back from one. There needs to be a lot more of this, but I imagine the console market is holding us back. Once they upgrade to much higher processor, memory, and graphic capabilities, we'll get a nice bump in complexity too, I hope.

 

[vurt]

Weird. I've rescued kidnapped folks a few times, but it is pretty rare. It is also rare, but it has happened, to see other companions out on their quests or coming back from one. There needs to be a lot more of this, but I imagine the console market is holding us back.

Mods are gonna expand upon the AI just like it did with Oblivion where you could meet other adventurers raiding dungeons etc. All that stuff they hyped about the radiant AI was actually there, just not used very much at all..

 

[crpgnut]

Hopefully, since the pc version has sold "many millions", it might get more love. Bethesda has seen that the pc version can hang with the console versions, so it's not a total waste to develop "pc extras" outside of the creation kit. I'd love to see some patches that opened up even more options for the pc owners of the game.

 

[rune_74]

I think the only way you are going to see it fleshed out to any degree from bethesda is if they focus just on the quests and not making a whole world to go with it. It just seems implossable to have the amount of time to develop that and everything else required for the game. Though thinking about it, a number of tables with random selectors could fashion an interesting quest. You could even get down to individual specifics which are randomized with filters to ensure they work together. For instance imagine 100 tables with specific quest related items, chained together to generate a coherent quest line....perhaps even tying back into that procedural quest generation at completion to create a chain. Interesting.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Someone, someday could simulate you.

This is an interesting point. There has been an article or a small series of articles on that in the rather technically oriented PC magazine I'm regularly reading.

One of the "Letters to the editor" was particularly interesting. In it, the author of the letter pointed out to the question of why we have a consciousness which is able to experience itself or why we are not so-called "physical zombies" which are functioning according to the laws of physics, but are not able to experience themselves / their functioning.

And in fact, this is one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of mankind yet : Not only the question why we are able to experience our selves, which includes not only what we are doing, but also to be self-aware - being aware of the self. But also the question why the whole evolution - not only the genetic evolution, but also the "evolution" that began with the forming of the laws of physics - has led to beings - us - which are able to be aware of their consciousness.

You see, there is still something to learn from Philosophy ...

 

[Daddy32]

This is an interesting point.
...
You see, there is still something to learn from Philosophy …

Yes, I'm fully aware of philosophical (even metaphysical) background of my claim.
- I was a bit provocative on purpose, as I'm what you could call an "orthodox computationalist".
From my point of view, everything that happens in a brain can be described as or by a computation. Our understanding of these computations is incomplete, but that doesn't mean they're transcendent, hidden from all understanding forever. At one point in our knowledge and technical strength, we will be able to create artificial, self-aware "brains". Or at least those that would appear self-aware to our limited senses