Interview Oblivion Q&A at GamesFirst!

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

<a href="http://gamesfirst.com/">GamesFirst!</a>, the exclamation point is apparently part of the site's name because it's so damned exciting, has put up <A href="http://gamesfirst.com/v4/index.php?m=l&i=419">an interview</a> with <b>Gavin Carter</b> of <A href="http://www.bethsoft.com">Bethesda</a> about the fourth installment of the <A href="http://www.elderscrolls.com">Elder Scrolls</a> series. Here's one of the big questions of all time answered:
<br>
<br>
<blockquote><b> GamesFirst!: How have the NPCs been revamped for Oblivion as opposed to Morrowind?
<br>
<br>
Gavin Carter:</b> Reworking our NPCs is a major focus for us with Oblivion. Everything about NPCs has been redone from the ground up. For starters, all of their dialog is fully voiced. Being able to actually hear the characters speak out loud really adds to the atmosphere. We’re making revisions to how dialog functions in the game as well. Gone are the encyclopedic database characters of Morrowind who had lists of generic topics that scrolled off the screen. We’re trying hard to give all NPCs a sense of personality and keeping their topics down to things that are interesting and unique. <u>The dialog system itself has been revamped to remove the hyperlink-style keywords sprinkled in among the dialog. You’re now presented with topics and dialog choices in between NPC dialogs.</u> We find this helps you focus on the information (as well as our incredible facial animation system) much more, instead of just hunting through the dialogs for the colored words like in Morrowind.
<br>
<br>
The biggest change, though, is probably our world-spanning 24-hour AI system, dubbed “Radiant AI.” We use this system to provide a goal-based framework for an NPC’s daily schedule. We can dictate when they get hungry, where they sleep, what type of items they want to acquire, where they like to shop, and any number of other things. All of this is accessible through menus, so no scripting is involved. We’ve used this system to set up everything from normal NPC town schedules, to rival adventurers you run into in some dungeons who are out looking for the same treasure you are.</blockquote>
<br>
Hot damn! That's the one thing I've been waiting to hear about this game since it was announced.
<br>
<br>
Thanks, <b>Art</b> and <b>Steve</b>!

 

[Sol Invictus]

THANK GOD. A real dialogue system!

 

[Balor]

Re: Oblivion Q&A at GamesFirst!

The biggest change, though, is probably our world-spanning 24-hour AI system, dubbed “Radiant AI.” We use this system to provide a goal-based framework for an NPC’s daily schedule. We can dictate when they get hungry, where they sleep, what type of items they want to acquire, where they like to shop, and any number of other things. All of this is accessible through menus, so no scripting is involved. We’ve used this system to set up everything from normal NPC town schedules, to rival adventurers you run into in some dungeons who are out looking for the same treasure you are.

Looks like someone over there is jealous of S.T.A.L.K.E.R's hype about revolutionary AI. But, along with hype, will they inherit extra year(s) of developing it?
They may have a narrower scope, but nonetheless.
And besides, I heard Venom (the game GSC released before STALKER) already had very good AI (for that time, of course) - therefore, they bound to have some good AI programmers.
Morrowind's AI was shit worthless. Even basic pathfinding and pathtracking was majorly screwed up... so, its really suspicious. I mean, from dirt to duke? It may happen, but I’ll not get too expectant.
Oh, and about dialogue - well, one thing is to make them branchy. An OTHER thing to make them interesting, deep and RPish... most unfortunately.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Here's a news flash: Nobody cares about S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Bethesda's always had a hard-on for NPC schedules and AI reactions. They've been going on about making a system like the Radiant AI since Morrowind was out.

 

[Fez]

Proper dialogue choices! Come back MSFD, all is forgiven. At least we can start thinking of other things to complain about now that this has been confirmed.

 

[corvax]

THANK GOD. A real dialogue system!

catch a glimpse at http://games.tiscali.cz/clanek/screen.asp?id=7903
on one of the shots

 

[jiujitsu]

Whoa whoa whoa, where the hell did those screenshots come from? *click click click*

 

[corvax]

a number of them were obviously scanned from some magazine (can tell by the qualtiy)
Rpgdot posted this few days ago, I guess some of you missed it

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Here's a news flash: Nobody cares about S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

I do.

 

[Kamaz]

Ehh..it just might be I play this game. Well, and that means no wiki for Fallout3 - HURRAY! Maybe it also means they will follow pseudo-isometric route afterall? (Bearing in mind they were willing to sacrifice their own dialogue system no one but only they liked.)

And yeah, MSFD, really come back.
* Kamaz puts some GOATSE traps around the place.
Here, msfd, here, here..

 

[Ellester]

Well they say the right things, revamped NPC’s and dialog. No NPC with the same face and better combat. One other thing I hope they address is the variety of monsters they have. There was some variety but not enough. For a world that big there should be more than 20 monster types. Hopefully this gets addressed.

All in all, sounds real good, but so did Morrowind. So we’ll just wait and see what happens. But it’s looking like it’s going to be real hard to pass this one up, everything I loathed about Morrowind is seeming to be addressed and fixed.

But the best statement was “No more Cliff racers”

 

[Andyman Messiah]

Goddamn, maybe Oblivion is going to be something to check out other than for the graphics? At least the dialogue in that screenshot looks lively, on contrary to Morrowinds sterility.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Re: Oblivion Q&A at GamesFirst!

<u>The dialog system itself has been revamped to remove the hyperlink-style keywords sprinkled in among the dialog. You’re now presented with topics and dialog choices in between NPC dialogs.</u>

And there was much rejoicing...Southerners were screaming "Hot Damn!" and unloading 6-shooters in the air, religious folks thanked God for the miracle, and the practical ones sent for the ambassador to ask for forgiveness....

Anyway...I must be reading it wrong because I don't see a lot of changes in that underlined quote. That, of course, doesn't mean that there are no wonderful and amazing changes in the dialogue system, but simply that what's been reported is pretty much what's been there before.

Topics instead of keywords. Isn't that the same thing basically? Dialogue choices. Didn't we have those before? I accept / I don't accept. Last, but not the least, is this an example of the new and improved dialogue system?

 

[Sol Invictus]

That's the NPC talking. Obviously you can't talk or have any dialogue options to talk until they finish their sentence. That's no different from Fallout, VD.

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

Goddamn, maybe Oblivion is going to be something to check out other than for the graphics? At least the dialogue in that screenshot looks lively, on contrary to Morrowinds sterility.

Not to mention the emotions NPC's will convey as they speak. Every line of dialogue is tagged with an emotion relevant to how they feel about what they're saying. Also, when you're in dialogue, the NPC's facial expression will reflect their disposition towards you.

I'm still here folks -- I read the forums every day

And Exitium's correct -- that's what you see when an NPC is talking to you. When they finish you see a different set of controls and dialogue choices (something we have not shown yet).

 

[Fez]

No cliff racers and decent dialogue = a development house that listens to the fans properly! :shock:

 

[Vault Dweller]

That's the NPC talking. Obviously you can't talk or have any dialogue options to talk until they finish their sentence.

Maybe. Maybe not. In many games you could see the options while an NPC is talking. This screen shows nothing, and thus can hardly be a proof that the system is different.

That's no different from Fallout, VD.

Take a look

 

[Vault Dweller]

When they finish you see a different set of controls and dialogue choices (something we have not shown yet).

What is the role of choices? What can you choose? What are the consequences if any of your dialogue choices? Are there any requirements like skills, race, etc or do all characters get the same choices?

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

When they finish you see a different set of controls and dialogue choices (something we have not shown yet).

What is the role of choices? What can you choose? What are the consequences if any of your dialogue choices? Are there any requirements like skills, race, etc or do all characters get the same choices?

Hmm I'll have to defer to the designers on that one. I'm not sure what's been revealed about that, and I don't work on that system (I'm programming magic & combat AI).

 

[Greatatlantic]

Here's a question that you may be able to answer.

In conversation do have a lock on the face, sort of an in engine talking head?

Which also makes me want to ask, was Fallout the first game to use "talking heads"? I'm trying to think of an earlier game and am drawing a blank, which could just be the lack of breakfast.

Anyways, it looks like dialogue will be improved, though I'm not sure to what degree. I mean, Neverwinter Nights had dialogue, but a lot of it was not exactly something to get excited over.

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

The character turns to face you and the camera zooms in on them (switching to first person if you're in third). In a sense it's a talking head, but it's the same art as if you just walked up to them.

 

[Sol Invictus]

That's the NPC talking. Obviously you can't talk or have any dialogue options to talk until they finish their sentence.

Maybe. Maybe not. In many games you could see the options while an NPC is talking. This screen shows nothing, and thus can hardly be a proof that the system is different.

Big whoop, so in Fallout (which had limited VO) you could read your responses before reading what the NPC had to say. I'd hardly call that engrossing. Actually, I'm not even sure if that's how it worked with the VO characters. Even so, there were many dialogues in Fallout where you could not respond until after the character finished speaking. The only apparent difference, really, is that you could see a short log of what they just said to you while coming up with a response. There's no evidence that this won't be the case with Oblivion, and even if you can't read what they just said to you while you're choosing your response, is it really that big a deal? I don't know many people who suffer from acute memory loss.

So how do you think the system works? There is no "maybe" or even a "maybe not". MSFD already clarified that I was correct. Please don't argue for the sake of having an argument.

 

[NeutralMilkHotel]

edit: nevermind


I'm glad I gave bethesda the benefit of the doubt. Even if there's no skills, consequences etc. in dialogue, It's still quite and improvement over morrowind. And that will make the game playable in the long run to me.

 

[Vault Dweller]

There's no evidence that this won't be the case with Oblivion, and even if you can't read what they just said to you while you're choosing your response, is it really that big a deal?

I agree, it's not a big deal. What I'm saying though is that what we've seen and been told doesn't show that the system is very different from that in MW.

So how do you think the system works?

I don't know, but it can easily work in exactly the same way as the old one did plus some minor tweaks.

There is no "maybe" or even a "maybe not". MSFD already clarified that I was correct.

MSFD only clarified that the rest of the info wasn't shown. What is this info is unknown at the moment. It could be easily the MW style info with topics and yes/no responses.

Please don't argue for the sake of having an argument.

I don't. I explained my position above.

 

[Volourn]

This is ES4. The dialogue is gonna suck. Next.