NPC's with Generative AI

[Cosmo]

"NVIDIA ACE for Games is a new foundry for intelligent in-game characters powered by generative AI. Developers of middleware, tools, and games can use NVIDIA ACE for Games to build and deploy customized speech, conversation, and animation AI models in their software and games."

This would improve NPC interaction a lot for ED.

 

[Rubbernuke]

KI_Asp.exe approves of this.

 

[Factabulous]

It is getting there

give me examples of an NPC in Elite Dangerous sending me on a mission

ChatGPT
Certainly! Here are a few examples of an NPC in Elite Dangerous sending you on a mission:

NPC Mission Giver: "Commander, I have a job for you. We've received distress signals from a stranded explorer in an uncharted system. Your mission is to locate their ship and provide assistance. Time is of the essence. Can we count on you to help save a fellow pilot?"

NPC Mission Giver: "Ah, Commander! I have a lucrative opportunity for someone with your skills. A valuable cargo shipment needs to be transported to a distant outpost. It's a high-risk assignment, but the rewards are substantial. Are you up for the challenge?"

NPC Mission Giver: "Greetings, Commander. We have identified a group of pirates operating in a nearby asteroid belt. Our intel suggests they are carrying stolen goods. Your mission is to intercept their convoy, neutralize the threat, and recover the stolen cargo. We need your expertise to keep the space lanes safe."

NPC Mission Giver: "Commander, we've been experiencing a series of attacks on our mining facilities by hostile forces. We require a skilled pilot to defend our operations. Your mission is to patrol the designated mining sector and eliminate any threats that approach. The safety of our workers is in your hands."

NPC Mission Giver: "Attention, Commander. We have an urgent rescue mission. A passenger liner has suffered a catastrophic failure and is adrift in deep space. Your task is to locate the stranded ship, assist in the evacuation, and ensure the safe return of the survivors. Lives depend on your swift action."

NPC Mission Giver: "Ah, Commander! I have a special assignment for you. Our scientists have discovered an ancient alien artifact on a distant planet. We need someone to retrieve it and bring it back to our research facility. But be warned, there may be hostile forces guarding the artifact. Will you accept this extraordinary mission?"

NPC Mission Giver: "Greetings, Commander. We're facing a food shortage in a nearby system due to crop failure. We need emergency supplies to sustain the population. Your mission is to source and deliver the requested commodities to the designated distribution center. The clock is ticking, Commander. Can we rely on you?"

NPC Mission Giver: "Commander, we have a covert operation that requires a discreet touch. Our intelligence suggests an illegal facility hidden within a nebula. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate the facility, gather any sensitive data, and extract without detection. Success will have significant repercussions for our cause."

Feel free to adapt and modify these examples to suit the specific narrative and gameplay needs of your mission in Elite Dangerous.

edit: ofc the issue is that while the text is 'in character' for the game the suggested missions are not ones supported by the game.

Re: the video in the OP - hmm, talking to game NPCs .. that's a culture shift, not sure how it will work with ppl who play while chatting to friends online. I don't even tend to have much game music on (I like to listen to me own music)

It would be good to get more general AI - imagine being able to walk up to Palin and say "So, about those Sensor Fragments you wanted - where would I even get them?"

 

[metatheurgist]

Re: the video in the OP - hmm, talking to game NPCs .. that's a culture shift, not sure how it will work with ppl who play while chatting to friends online. I don't even tend to have much game music on (I like to listen to me own music)

Can't wait:
Commander! Are you listening to me! I'm trying to tell you about the time I served on a Federal Corvette! I don't feel appreciated!

 

[Cosmo]

"The following video demonstrates the use of Inworld AI to power NPCs in Skyrim with a custom-built story engine for dialogue interactions. With Inworld's powerful AI character platform, you can now chat with NPCs in Skyrim on your own terms. Get almost instant responses that stay true to each character's unique personality, and immerse yourself even further in the game's universe. This is the future of roleplaying games."

Fdev should implement something like this.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Great, so in future I do have tp come up with the witty remarks myself? I dont think that'll work out so well. If I want dialogue I play MP, why would I want to talk in a SP game.

 

[Astaran]

Great, so in future I do have tp come up with the witty remarks myself? I dont think that'll work out so well. If I want dialogue I play MP, why would I want to talk in a SP game.

I almost feel sorry for all those weebs who can't talk to a woman in RL and suddenly can't talk to their waifus ingame anymore either

But to be a bit more serious, this AI stuff is pretty interesting. A few days ago me and my D&D DM played around with Chat GPT. The magic items it created for a randomly generated dungeon were even cooler and more balanced than the stuff from the Dungeon Master's Guide and other rulebooks.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

I almost feel sorry for all those weebs who can't talk to a woman in RL and suddenly can't talk to their waifus ingame anymore either

But to be a bit more serious, this AI stuff is pretty interesting. A few days ago me and my D&D DM played around with Chat GPT. The magic items it created for a randomly generated dungeon were even cooler and more balanced than the stuff from the Dungeon Master's Guide and other rulebooks.

That's what alcohol is for. But I don't want to mutate into alcoholic either just to loosen my tongue in order to play a game more successfully. Not to mention the language problem. I play games in English - that doesn't mean I can speak English just as well, especially not "conduct conversation". And localisation is more or less mostly crap.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

In the end it's gonna be some cheapskate AI dialogue instead of proper dialogue writing, but the game won't become cheaper - my guess it's gonna all flow into the gfx budget to increase the bling for marketing ads. Sounds all good on paper, but I doubt AI can replace any creative writing. It's good for basic smalltalk maybe and, honestly, who needs that really?

 

[Chaparral]

This sort of thing is going to be huge for modable games. I imagine you can provide the AI a list of parameters personality wise and possibly link to script triggers for in game events.

 

[Far Beyond Driven]

"NVIDIA ACE for Games is a new foundry for intelligent in-game characters powered by generative AI. Developers of middleware, tools, and games can use NVIDIA ACE for Games to build and deploy customized speech, conversation, and animation AI models in their software and games."

This would improve NPC interaction a lot for ED.

Good job I found you, Nvidia Ace.

 

[metatheurgist]

I almost feel sorry for all those weebs who can't talk to a woman in RL and suddenly can't talk to their waifus ingame anymore either

They can't do it even with scripted prompts! One of the funniest things about Dragon Age was the constant "How do I romance X" threads. I'd have thought it was bleeding obvious, but maybe they were trying the "negging" techniques they'd learned on the 'net and were picking the most insulting lines.

"The following video demonstrates the use of Inworld AI to power NPCs in Skyrim with a custom-built story engine for dialogue interactions. With Inworld's powerful AI character platform, you can now chat with NPCs in Skyrim on your own terms. Get almost instant responses that stay true to each character's unique personality, and immerse yourself even further in the game's universe. This is the future of roleplaying games."

Fdev should implement something like this.

My worry is that they will. They should aspire to something better than what an amateur is hacking together in their bedroom with experimental tools.

 

[Morbad]

If I want dialogue I play MP, why would I want to talk in a SP game.

Immersion.

Of course, the interactions should eventually have potential gameplay implications beyond conversation. Let something slip you shouldn't have? Well, that's a rumor that gets around, or an ambush. Offend the wrong person, get a bad reputation. And so on and so forth.

But even just having NPCs not be limited to the same three canned responses is a start.

 

[GroG79]

I already automated my forum posting. My life improved

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Immersion.

Of course, the interactions should eventually have potential gameplay implications beyond conversation. Let something slip you shouldn't have? Well, that's a rumor that gets around, or an ambush. Offend the wrong person, get a bad reputation. And so on and so forth.

But even just having NPCs not be limited to the same three canned responses is a start.

Gameplay implications? Now the games are gonna write themselves?

 

[Morbad]

Gameplay implications? Now the games are gonna write themselves?

Games are supposed to be an interactive entertainment medium. Hopefully better AI will expand on that.

 

[Astaran]

Gameplay implications? Now the games are gonna write themselves?

Hah, that would only improve the industry

---
There are two ways I see it:

a) It's a pretty cool thing that games become more interactive and maybe even change depending on the way the player interacts with them (e.g. forging alliances, making enemies, doing the unpredictable). That's some serious replay value and immersion.

b) Obviously, this also adds a second "skill ceiling" to the game. It's not only about how good you shoot, jump or think. With such an AI mod your social skills are also tested. This could be a bad experience for people with bad social skills (for whatever reason).


Truth be told, I think in the end I'd rather see the usual "select dialogue option" in an RPG. Coming up with questions, "talking" to an AI and having to type everything I'd like to say or ask...that's a lot of work. I can imagine that becoming very tiresome very fast.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Hah, that would only improve the industry

---
There are two ways I see it:

a) It's a pretty cool thing that games become more interactive and maybe even change depending on the way the player interacts with them (e.g. forging alliances, making enemies, doing the unpredictable). That's some serious replay value and immersion.

b) Obviously, this also adds a second "skill ceiling" to the game. It's not only about how good you shoot, jump or think. With such an AI mod your social skills are also tested. This could be a bad experience for people with bad social skills (for whatever reason).


Truth be told, I think in the end I'd rather see the usual "select dialogue option" in an RPG. Coming up with questions, "talking" to an AI and having to type everything I'd like to say or ask...that's a lot of work. I can imagine that becoming very tiresome very fast.

I don't understand where you all get the "interactivity" from. I see potential of more variety in dialogue. In turn needing an always online service to pull from databases, even if it's only a SP game. If that variety is interactiviy then OK, if not - where does the interactive part come from?

 

[Surefoot]

Gameplay implications? Now the games are gonna write themselves?

Ah ! Almost, if you consider proc gen. Unlike the previous bland attempts, proc gen could generate a huge world with interesting NPCs and even AI generated quest lines that are much better than the limited, recycled "lego blocks" attempts of the past. So yeah, in a way, I think this is going to change the landscape of open world RPG games, at least.

 

[Surefoot]

(...) where does the interactive part come from?

AI generated quest scripts