Amonica’s co-founder, Yat Siu, has raised his thoughts that more intelligent Non-player characters NPCs will show up in 2024. This was following his talk about game developers melding AI into NPCs.
Nonplayer characters in games, known as “NPCs,” could one day be completely powered by artificial intelligence and even be made to “live forever” on the blockchain and in multiple games.
AI-driven NPCs in games have been here over the years, with developers continually striving to enhance their intelligence, adaptability, and responsiveness to player actions. These characters can simulate human-like behaviors, learn from interactions, and offer more immersive gaming experiences.
“Games will start building experiences specifically around interacting with NPCs,” Siu told Cointelegraph.
He also said, “You’ll see inklings of that in 2024. You’ll find AI agents that act on your behalf.”
Some open-source have already released game mods that allow players to talk with NPCs by plugging their in-game characters into generative AI platforms that generate responses and synthesize a voice.
It’s safe to say that AI is improving NPCs in games. Though some aren’t perfect yet, they can talk back and show facial expressions.
Big tech companies like NVIDIA and Microsoft are also into this. NVIDIA has ACE for Games, helping developers make smarter NPCs using AI. Microsoft‘s Xbox joined with Inworld AI for tools to create better stories and dialogues in games.
A Stanford University study in April had AI characters in a virtual town. They had parties and talked like humans, making researchers think they behaved believably.
A blockchain-based NPC AI would also need to find a way to sustain itself and “afford to pay their bills, literally, in terms of the data,” Siu added.
