Posts tagged npc 
The Daily Grind: Do you buy from a vendor?
In your average, run-of-the-mill themepark MMO, you'll encounter waves of NPC merchants tucked away in their own little market districts, offering everything from consumable potions to crafting materials to weapons, armor, and more. But often times, what they have to sell is nothing compared to ...
Storybricks: Opening the Pandora's box of MMO design
"I could make a better game than this!" At one point or another, we've all said this, usually in disgust after we've become fed up with another tired MMO trope or lazy quest design. Unfortunately, most of us don't have the good fortune to work for a major game studio and thus will never see ...
Lost Pages of Taborea: Faction flags
I love taking screenshots. There, I said it. Give me endless zones with nooks and crannies to explore around every corner and I'll take screenshots of them. I'm currently sitting at 11.2 Gigs -- just for Runes of Magic. Buildings, landscapes, caves, outfits, weapons, mounts; You name it, and I've ...
One Shots: Storyteller
I'm always captivated with NPC life in MMOs -- what these not-so-essential characters are doing in the background of our unbridled heroism. Here's a charming scene in Lord of the Rings Online's Hobbiton, where a matronly storyteller is spinning a yarn for two fascinated children and one sleeping ...
The Secret World lead writer talks MMO characters
Funcom has released the latest salvo in its story-focused marketing campaign for The Secret World, and the new info comes courtesy of a dev blog by lead writer Dag Scheve. Scheve talks at length about NPC characters in the game and even goes so far as to lay out something of a mission statement. ...
Darkfall activity report highlights game-changing revamps, recent patch
The March 31st patch was a big step for Darkfall, with everything from skill gain rates to the meditation system to the alignment and crafting systems on the receiving end of some developer love. Aventurine is just warming up, though, and the latest activity report illustrates what's next for ...
Final Fantasy XI brings updates for adventuring fellows
While Final Fantasy XI's Adventuring Fellows have always been an excellent idea, some of the implementation hasn't been quite as strong. A combination of a short summon time and strict limitations on where your fellow can be active have always hampered the system. The next update for the game is ...
Darkfall blog details PvE tweaks, hints at big PvP changes
Exciting things are afoot in the world of Agon, and Aventurine's weekly Darkfall activity report is here to fill you in on all the grisly details. Whether you're keen on seeing one of your personal weapon designs imported into the game or curious about the ongoing PvE and AI updates, this week's ...
The Perfect Ten: The secret lives of NPCs
It is fun, I've decided, to overthink things in life. This is especially relevant in MMOs, where we've long since taken absolutely bizarre staples as the accepted status quo. Sure, it's all polite fiction that allows developers to merge necessary game mechanics with a veneer of credibility, but ...
The Daily Grind: What NPCs stick in your memory?
I'm not fond of a lot of the storytelling on display in the Prophecies campaign of Guild Wars, but I have to admit that, against all logic, I was happy when Gwen showed up again. I joked about her, I complained about her uselessness and her irritating habits, but the fact that she turned up alive ...
