Talk and Trade with Other Characters

Other characters managed by the computer and not the player are called nonplayer characters, or NPCs. This includes enemies and monsters the hero must vanquish, but it can also include characters that make up part of the backdrop and contribute to the player’s journey in small though significant ways. Speak To Me Most RPGs handle conversations between the player and these characters via a dialog tree mechanism. The player selects an NPC in the game world to speak to. A window opens, presenting a list of possible things the avatar can say to the NPC. Most of the time, the options are limited to three or four choices, to keep it simple. The player chooses one, and depending on what option she picked, the NPC replies. Usually all of this conversation is done in text, although many newer RPGs feature audio recordings, too. Asking the right questions or saying the right things elicits useful information from the NPC and sometimes gains experience points for the player. Conversation can further the game story, open up new quests, or lead to other discoveries. Of course, not every NPC wants to stick around and chat. Some of them are little better than window-dressing, helping make the game world look more populated, and their conversations are slim to non-existent. Others don’t want to talk; they want to sell you something! Show Me Your Wares Most RPGs allow players to buy and sell goods with friendly merchant NPCs. The game world often has blacksmiths, apothecaries, farmers, and so on, who run businesses that offer to buy or sell goods and services. The shop interface is similar to the conversation interface mentioned above, with a list or set of images of all the available items on sale. The player can choose to purchase new items or sell an item he already owns to get more money. Items purchased go directly into the hero’s inventory.