Meta:Exclusive Interview with Pawel Weder, RP's game designer

This Q&A was posted to the website twoworldsvault.ign.com by propheet on November 17, 2008.

Questions and Answers

Exclusive Interview with Pawel Weder, game designer for Reality Pump. Interview taken on November 17, 2008.

IGN Vault: "Two Worlds" have been repeatedly accused of having too shallow AI system, which was especially visible in NPC's interactions (or lack thereof). What has been done to improve the interactivity?

Pawel Weder: AI behaves in a very different manner now. We have created a world full of life, vibrant with activities, and – first and foremost – interactive. When player enters the city, he can see guards, beggars and merchants. Each character has its own daily routine, highly dependant on the day-night cycle. For instance, there’s no sense in visiting a blacksmith at night, seeing as he’s either fast asleep or in the tavern, and won’t help us either way.

IGN Vault: What about NPC to NPC reactions?

Pawel Weder: NPCs will also react to behavior presented by a hero or other NPCs in the vicinity. For instance, if NPCs come across a musician, they will clap their hands to the rhythm, sing along or dance. They can also completely disregard the band and be on their way.

IGN Vault: Will they react to the hero’s actions, then?

Pawel Weder: Well, if player starts behaving out of the ordinary, let’s say by jumping the roofs or climbing the walls, NPCs will notice that. They will acknowledge stunts by shaking heads, pressing their hands in anticipation, pointing fingers at our hero, and – should he break any laws in the process – may even start calling the guards.

IGN Vault: So do we take it that there’s a new crime system around for that last bit? Original TW had many flaws as far as the crime system is concerned, players often pointed out that it was not possible to shake the guards off or to commit silent assassinations – even walls had ears in Two Worlds, seeing as the system triggered even if there was no-one around! How’s new system better?

Pawel Weder: In TW: The Temptation, player has to be inconspicuous. It’s in the game’s new story that he’s a fugitive, always on the run. That’s why he learnt how to lose the guards chasing him through the narrow streets of the cities, so that they forget all about his crimes. On the other hand, as a persona non grata in Antaloor, almost any violent act will bring guards hard on him. Escaping and finding safe-spots is now crucial to survival. After a moment of hiding, if the hero is out of sight of the guards, they will cease to look for him. Another innovation is that due to the story, there’ll be no more lengthy dialogues or bribes. Guards will react swiftly and violently to any crime, they now shoot first and ask questions later.

IGN Vault: So the new system is not just an overhaul of the old, it’s the completely new all-round AI solution?

Pawel Weder: Yes. You can witness it in NPC-to-NPC interactions as well as in their activities regarding the surroundings.

IGN Vault: Which interactions of this type have you implemented? What of ways to interact with the player and surroundings?

Pawel Weder: Well, I mentioned dancing, or clapping to the rhythm in presence of a musician. The NPCs may negotiate prices when doing their daily shopping. Then there’s new awareness of the NPCs, as you undoubtedly have seen in the gameplay movie. Player’s and NPCs movements will be noticed, and if you brush against people or stumble into them, they won’t be all happy about it. They may even voice it loudly which will improve immersion.

IGN Vault: All right. Our readers have often wondered about the dialogues, the most basic interaction player has in any RPG. Are there any news regarding the way player and NPCs interact in conversations?

Pawel Weder: First of, the world around the players locked in the dialogue isn’t static. If there’s an attack, conversation will naturally cease. This brings a whole new immersion to the dialogue. Also, since anonymity in TW:TT is part and parcel of hero’s life, only meaningful, known characters will have something to say. You still can engage with them in small-talk, but you won’t be able to speak to every single NPC in the game. After all, most of them you don’t know, and most of them have no desire to speak to you anyway. This is also interactive, as attempts at talking to them will trigger their reactions, like snarling at you or asking you to leave them alone.

IGN Vault: Any other improvements to AI? What about pathing, long journeys, etc??

Pawel Weder: New system is much more complex in this manner. NPCs will be able to travel, follow you, note if you follow them, go for walks outside of the city walls, that sort of thing. Another new addition are mercenaries.

IGN Vault: Wait. Mercenaries in TW? Really?

Pawel Weder: Yes. There will be henchmen available, it’s now part of the game. This will be especially important in the player-built villages in multiplayer. Henchmen will be able to perform simple tasks as ordered by the player, much like the mage’s summons.

IGN Vault: Are you trying to tell us that summons in TW:TT are now steerable?

Pawel Weder: Yes. There are commands to be issued, and they will be obeyed.

IGN Vault: Any examples of commands?

Pawel Weder: Well, both summons and NPCs will be able to react to simple instructions like ‘follow me’, ‘wait here’, etc.. This is what makes it possible to have 'escort and protect' quests.

IGN Vault: Wow, we missed those!

Pawel Weder: Yeah, the player will even have some quests in which it’s HE who has to follow an NPC. And remember, the day-night cycle will factor into that too, night is not the best for socializing after all! It goes even further, as there’ll be quests linked to it, for instance clearing up the merchant’s supply routes.

IGN Vault: Great! So it’s another example of how NPCs react to the changes evoked by the player. What about global changes in the world, any reaction to that from the AI?

Pawel Weder: Of course. There are some events that player will bring on with his actions, events minor – like, e.g. tumbling over the merchant’s stall(causing e.g. crates to fall), and events global – like wiping out the city of enemies. In this first example, NPCs are intelligent and will try to restore order, by moving the items back into their places. In the latter example, NPCs will notice when it’s safe to return to their homes, and they will move back in.

IGN Vault: I see, so the new physics system is also tied in with AI?

Pawel Weder: Yes. If there’s an assassination quest, you can for instance choose weapons to sneak up on someone, but you can also drop something very heavy from above to reach similar effect.

IGN Vault: Ok, this has become a rather lengthy talk, there’s just one more thing. How far along is the AI system now, especially NPCs reactions and behavior?

Pawel Weder: Well, the cities are already bustling with life. The crowds react much the way one would expect them to. Right now we’re working on modifying individual, idiosyncratic behavior of the NPCs and enemies – one of the flaws of the original system were very uniform, predictable attack patterns and behavior rhythms. We are trying to reach the state where each type of enemy displays unique, interesting behavior, which also takes into account hero’s own actions, and even time of day or presence of other attackers. The system, as I said, is as complex as it gets.

IGN Vault: Thank you very much for your time!