Do you think it would be possible to add an option in the final game to add our own custom NPC to the game, through setting up their initial variables, name, etc.

I think this would be very interesting since it is a single player game, to allow for friends to say, create an NPC, and you can use them as an NPC entity in the universe, either starting in the same system, or just somewhere in the galaxy. Whether you choose to interact with the custom NPC would be up to you, but it would be pretty cool to be able to check in on how he was doing, or even hire him as a wingman.

This could be similar to create-a-player in a sports game, where you just are allowed to create a custom NPC, who acts just like a normal NPC when the game starts, however, you adjust his starting variables and attributes. A list of past created characters could be saved, a "roster", and you could choose who to add to the current game when you begin. The ability to add these NPC's to any game you start (reuse so you don't have to keep creating the same one) would be cool as well.

This would allow for multiplayer like features, with the only thing that had to be added to the game being the creation and storage of the NPC's, which seems extremely doable with the systems already in place.

I just wanted to get this suggestion out there, because I personally would love to see it, adding some more "connection" to the universe, with the option to add family, friends, or just unique NPC's that I already knew since I created them. There would be added thoughts and backstory to these NPC's that the game wouldn't have to specifically worry about, but would make it feel much more interesting to the player since they already had a personal connection to these NPC's. Not only this, but it opens a variety of other gameplay areas as well, such as following around a custom group of NPC's, watching rather than playing.

Of course, if added, this system could be completely optional when playing a game, I just thought I would get the suggestion out there.

Interesting, but the NPC's of Limit Theory are supposed to have "minds of their own".

This means the NPC's you create could work against you, with you, or move to the other side of the universe and never be seen again.

Interesting, but the NPC's of Limit Theory are supposed to have "minds of their own".

This means the NPC's you create could work against you, with you, or move to the other side of the universe and never be seen again.

Exactly, that's what would make it so interesting. You just set their personality, and name so you can identify them, but they do as they wish in the universe. They are custom in the sense that you have an idea of what they are like, and who they are, but they still act like a normal Limit Theory NPC.

In a way, you could be putting your friends, family, and enemies in the game as characters who are similar in personality (to their real-life counterparts), but act and react to the universe around them as they see fit. Also, you could just add interesting NPC's (not that there wouldn't interesting be generated ones) or NPC's created by others (if possible game-file wise).

Hmm, That would be interesting, but I can't see it being something you could regularly do; it would seriously unbalance the game if you could just spawn a bunch of ships with a helpful disposition whenever you find yourself in a losing fight...

However, I think that you might be able to work it out on the planetary markets. When you land on a planet, you could put out a "job offer" for a very specific sort of NPC to arise. If the planet's NPC attribute-generation-range fits that specific mindset (don't ask for Mordrog, Lord of Pain on Flowerpower 17a), the next NPC to spawn will fit closely with your request. I haven't thought out all the implications of this yet, but I would fully expect an NPC to be able to do this as well, to request a spawn for an NPC that suits their own motives...


I think that just like Josh's "Kaboom" and "Steal Asset" buttons in his Developer (read: Cheat) console, there should also be a button for creating a custom NPC, where you can manually set its personality, assets, affiliations, ambitions, etc. Maybe even design it's ship, get in it's head and choose it's immediate task. Then *POP!* there it is in front of you. Honestly though, I suspect that such a thing already exists, because I cannot imagine a more useful tool for creating cinematic assets, which can be created for the purpose of recording the interactions you know will happen, rather than hoping the seed will generate and you will stumble upon what you wanted to record.

it would seriously unbalance the game if you could just spawn a bunch of ships with a helpful disposition whenever you find yourself in a losing fight...

This is not meant to spawn AI, this is meant for when you create the universe initially, to have the custom NPC's being part of the universe, be it in your system, a nearby system, or a completely random system.

I think that just like Josh's "Kaboom" and "Steal Asset" buttons in his Developer (read: Cheat) console, there should also be a button for creating a custom NPC, where you can manually set its personality, assets, affiliations, ambitions, etc. Maybe even design it's ship, get in it's head and choose it's immediate task

This is kind of similar to what I am saying, but it is missing the overall point.

What a "roster" of custom NPC's would do, would allow you to start a game with certain custom NPC's, which you could use in multiple games (they are created outside of the playable game, like at the main menu).

These NPC's aren't biased towards you, they are just like any other NPC in the game, except you have knowledge of them as a player. You created them and feel a connection towards them because you made them in the image of something. Be that you friends, family, or just a cool idea. You don't need the option to set up their belongings, or anything like that. The game engine treats them as any other NPC when the game begins, so they have no special privileges, and all the same rules apply to them. The only difference is the connection that the player feels towards them, and the fact that they have a custom name/attributes that you specified.

Because it is at the start of the game, and they are treated as any other NPC, the engine should take care of spawning them, or worrying about those kind of problems. Although the ability to add NPC's to a game that is already in progress would be fun as well, my initial post was thinking of "placing" these custom NPC's as when you start a game.

I love this idea, if only because that idea of seeing an NPC that you "know" at different stages of the game would be cool. What if your old friend Tom "Woozle" Anthony started off as just a small time miner, but ends up as the head of a mining empire. That would just be cool!

EKHawkman wrote:I love this idea, if only because that idea of seeing an NPC that you "know" at different stages of the game would be cool. What if your old friend Tom "Woozle" Anthony started off as just a small time miner, but ends up as the head of a mining empire. That would just be cool!

That is pretty cool actually, maybe just an option to add a list of npc names the game can use would be the easiest solution to this.

EKHawkman wrote:I love this idea, if only because that idea of seeing an NPC that you "know" at different stages of the game would be cool. What if your old friend Tom "Woozle" Anthony started off as just a small time miner, but ends up as the head of a mining empire. That would just be cool!

You know, on a bit of a tangent, I would love to see something like this where you're two friends and something happened in the past that made him indebted to you, he disappears off the grid for awhile, only to re-emerge as the head of a mining empire, and because he still thinks of you as a friend, he's offering all these other things. In a bit of a trouble with some pirates? Here comes trundling along some assets of his and a "Hey, I thought you could use a hand!" type thing.

Those are the types of things that would take this universe beyond alive and downright epic.

I love ideas like those soooo much.

DWMagus wrote:You know, on a bit of a tangent, I would love to see something like this where you're two friends and something happened in the past that made him indebted to you, he disappears off the grid for awhile, only to re-emerge as the head of a mining empire, and because he still thinks of you as a friend, he's offering all these other things. In a bit of a trouble with some pirates? Here comes trundling along some assets of his and a "Hey, I thought you could use a hand!" type thing.

Yes, this would be good. I remember saying something similar ages ago, though on a slightly different topic.

It would be kind of cool to have a bunch of sliders to generate a story for the main player that seeds some NPCs with personal relationships at the start of the game.

That is pretty cool actually, maybe just an option to add a list of npc names the game can use would be the easiest solution to this.

That's kind of missing the point. Yeah, you would add a name, but the reason it's interesting is that you could make them have a personality that is similar to the person you are naming them after, so it seems like that person.

Also the consistency in personality over various games, if you choose to import them to multiple games, would allow for interesting scenarios as well. Just having a name would kind of defeat the purpose.

Here are a couple of ways you could use this:

Scenario 1: Create an in-game "family"

When I am beginning a new game, I want to make a character that is a great explorer. His family was a line of great explorers, from his father to his two brothers. So, when I begin the game, I choose to import four NPC's that I made in a separate part of the menu.

The first of these is the father. The name is Sebastian Jorges. He is heavily inclined towards exploration, and his personality traits reflect this. He is also a strict father, which is shown in his lack of understanding in others (presumably somewhat possible to simulate with the NPC variables).
The second - fourth are my brother/sisters, who are also influenced by exploration. My brothers are a little more adventurous than my sister, who is also an intellectual.

When I start the game, I select to put these NPC's in my or nearby systems, and the game continues as normal from that point on.


Scenario 2: Create real-life family/friends

I'm playing the finished Limit Theory, and surprisingly all my friends and family are interested in watching because it's so awesome. They soon begin to lose interest, however, because although it is very interesting, they are not connected to the game as I am. So I decide to start a new game.

I go to the NPC creation at the main menu of the game. Each family member and friend creates an NPC that they either make after themselves, or just thought was a cool idea.

When this is done, I generate a new Universe, choose to put these NPC's in my game, selecting to put them in my system, and start playing like normal from that point on.


Scenario 3: Create a unique story in a game (rival)

I'm starting a new game of Limit Theory. I already have a good idea of the character I want to make. He's a bounty hunter/ merc who is like one of those classic movie cops, only interested in helping others and making the universe a safer place. However, I want to make things a bit more interesting.

Since I have an idea of the guy I want to make, pretty much a hero bounty hunter/ merc, I think "What's the point of a good guy without a bad guy to fight?". Now I know the game will generate "bad guys", but I want something more.

I create an NPC who is the exact opposite of my character, in every way. The anti-myCharacter. I also give him an awesome name.

When I start the game, I choose to import this guy, to somewhere in the universe. I don't know if I'll ever specifically see him, or even hear from him again, but I know that somewhere, out there is the anti-myCharacter, causing mayhem and destruction, because he's so evil. Who knows, some day I might find him and be able to destroy him.

*On a side note, the option could be given to "track" the custom NPC's by showing their name, current system, and any other relavent stats in a list that is populated when you begin the game, if you choose to use custom NPC's.

**Also, these custom NPC's are just a fraction of the NPC's in the game world, not the only NPC's, if that is not clear.

Like some form of 'create nemesis' system? I like it.

Like some form of 'create nemesis' system? I like it.

That is just one of the many ways this system could be used, although one that I thought would be really interesting.

Hopefully we'll hear more about these types of customization systems once the simulation and major implementation systems are in place.

oooh I would have so many ideas if this were added....

Make a guy that has an evil/combat with good leadership named cobra commander, and in the end game it would be awesome if he was a pirate faction leader.

Han solo, a freight hauler that can smuggle goods into an empires territory and can outrun any ship of its class.

I would also probably make NPCs for each of my friends and my favorite youtubers.

But if this were done, it would be nice if, since they are custom, if they could have their own icons/pictures. Like if you click on an NPC you made and ask for more details or personal information, it would show a picture of them that you get to choose upon NPC creation. Also it would be nice to change a few other things, like in my Cobra idea above, it would be nice if there was some sort of "if NPC starts faction/corporation use this logo on all owned ships and stations (if that is an option in game, which I hope it is)

i imagine this could be done in the form of the data editor but I can't imagine this level of control initially or outside of the data editor which is afaik going to be considered a cheat tool of sorts and need to be enabled. Whether or not it creates the gameplay you seek is another matter entirely and imo it shouldn't really. I wouldn't really want time to be invested in creating what essentially becomes scripted NPC behaviour. Creating this in the form of emergent behaviour is a bit difficult. Though if all NPC's have semi-permanent memory and can act based on how they remember you and 'disappear' off-grid for awhile then return I don't see why that wouldn't have a similar effect. Though if it happens frequently it might lose its charm.

I dislike the idea of a nemesis system as it tends to create a narrative... a specific narrative that may not necessarily interest everyone. And if it is literally a "pick an npc to have as a nemesis" it's kind of silly. If it's dynamic based on any NPC you wrong then you might end up with a lot of enemies and while I think that would be okay and make a lot of sense it would also potentially create very negative gameplay for people who like to fight.