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NAMED NPCS IN RPGS
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Prinnyhero
1605
Prinnyhero
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CloseI am wondering what everyone's thoughts are on named characters in games that they play/make. Do most people prefer characters to have names like Man/Woman/Girl/Boy/etc? Or do people prefer to have NPCs given names?
My thoughts are that when I'm playing/making a game I enjoy surprises and I find it's very easy to spot who an important character is by the fact that they have a name and everyone else in the room is Man/Woman/Old Guy. However when all characters have a name it's harder to spot who will be important and who wont, so perhaps you allowed something bad to happen to a character who may or may not have joined your team/given you something cool which adds a little bit more to the experience.
What have you done in all of your games? What do you enjoy seeing when you play other's?
My thoughts are that when I'm playing/making a game I enjoy surprises and I find it's very easy to spot who an important character is by the fact that they have a name and everyone else in the room is Man/Woman/Old Guy. However when all characters have a name it's harder to spot who will be important and who wont, so perhaps you allowed something bad to happen to a character who may or may not have joined your team/given you something cool which adds a little bit more to the experience.
What have you done in all of your games? What do you enjoy seeing when you play other's?
bicfarmer
3601
Sprites tend to be bigger spoilers.
Anyway, yes, sometimes name will spoil who's important to the plot, etc. In my ultimate game I'm planning to leave RTP characters as generic and I think it's fitting too, they appear all over the place.
Anyway, yes, sometimes name will spoil who's important to the plot, etc. In my ultimate game I'm planning to leave RTP characters as generic and I think it's fitting too, they appear all over the place.
dethmetal
990
Why not give them a generic name until it becomes known to the characters who they are? Giving each NPC a unique name seems like a lot of unnecessary work.
I think NPC names do add a little more flavor, but I don't think it's something that players actively notice. I don't use man/woman/girl/boy either usually, since I don't use a separate name box window.
Depends on how big a role the NPCs play. If they're flavor NPCs that you talk to once and move on, I don't really care what their names are.
But if they're a small handful of characters that I'll see time and time again, names can be really helpful to give them an identity. A good example would be Mother 3, where most of the game revolves around one central village and you see the same characters numerous times throughout the course of the adventure.
But if they're a small handful of characters that I'll see time and time again, names can be really helpful to give them an identity. A good example would be Mother 3, where most of the game revolves around one central village and you see the same characters numerous times throughout the course of the adventure.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
Suddenly I'm reminded of Wild Arms 3 where not only did every single random NPC in the game have a name, but also you could rename any of them that you wanted.
Frankly I think it's pretty stupid to have visible names for characters who haven't told the player their names.
Obviously, then, you're right that once an NPC introduces themselves it becomes obvious that they might have some role in the game. But, like... half of the time that role is something like "guy who sells wagon rides" or "assistant to the blacksmith." And the other half of the time it's really helpful - I can't keep track of 600 NPCs in my head, it's really useful to know which ones I should try to remember. In a movie or TV show they would have close-up shots that focus on this character for a longer period of time, and give the character speaking lines. In a book they would spend an extra paragraph describing the character's appearance and demeanor. In a video game they give the character a name, a face, a unique graphic, and maybe a voice actor. These are all very helpful things to do for the benefit of the audience, so they know which parts of the story to pay attention to.
Frankly I think it's pretty stupid to have visible names for characters who haven't told the player their names.
Obviously, then, you're right that once an NPC introduces themselves it becomes obvious that they might have some role in the game. But, like... half of the time that role is something like "guy who sells wagon rides" or "assistant to the blacksmith." And the other half of the time it's really helpful - I can't keep track of 600 NPCs in my head, it's really useful to know which ones I should try to remember. In a movie or TV show they would have close-up shots that focus on this character for a longer period of time, and give the character speaking lines. In a book they would spend an extra paragraph describing the character's appearance and demeanor. In a video game they give the character a name, a face, a unique graphic, and maybe a voice actor. These are all very helpful things to do for the benefit of the audience, so they know which parts of the story to pay attention to.
I like to give hometown NPCs names because the character you're playing would know those names. Also, NPCs that they would have interacted with before the player took control (so Tom, the son of the town baker, who left to become a soldier or Janet the travelling merchant that you meet from time to time). Of course, indicating that they're people the character would know is needed for it to work.
In other towns, it's probably better to name NPCs only once they introduce themselves, but sometimes your characters can make assumptions about one person being another - say, if they were told to talk to Mary, the pink-haired girl at the Inn in Thavos, when they turn up there there might be three pink-haired girls and each would be called Mary? since the character is assuming one of them is the right girl.
I don't think only important-to-plot NPCs are the only ones that should introduce themselves, though. Sometimes it's nice to have non-essentials mixed in so that your player can't guess where the plot is leading. That woodcutter, Rob, who introduced himself might have more to do with the story than Eric the Great Hero who you met that one time and might expect to be a major player in the political game. It's misdirection and I think it's a fine idea.
In other towns, it's probably better to name NPCs only once they introduce themselves, but sometimes your characters can make assumptions about one person being another - say, if they were told to talk to Mary, the pink-haired girl at the Inn in Thavos, when they turn up there there might be three pink-haired girls and each would be called Mary? since the character is assuming one of them is the right girl.
I don't think only important-to-plot NPCs are the only ones that should introduce themselves, though. Sometimes it's nice to have non-essentials mixed in so that your player can't guess where the plot is leading. That woodcutter, Rob, who introduced himself might have more to do with the story than Eric the Great Hero who you met that one time and might expect to be a major player in the political game. It's misdirection and I think it's a fine idea.
Sooz
They told me I was mad when I said I was going to create a spidertable. Who’s laughing now!!!
5354
Love it. Haven't done it much, but now I'm considering it. It's just a fun little detail, and I'm always a fan of fun details. Especially ones that show that the creator is thinking of the world outside the protags.
I tend to assume that in these cases, the introduction happened, we're just not shown it because it would be tedious as fuck to show the entire conversation you have with every single goddamn person. Much like one can assume that RPG books are not just a few lines of text and a bunch of blank pages; most players are not interested in skimming past the index, foreword, and opening chapters.
author=LockeZ
Frankly I think it's pretty stupid to have visible names for characters who haven't told the player their names.
I tend to assume that in these cases, the introduction happened, we're just not shown it because it would be tedious as fuck to show the entire conversation you have with every single goddamn person. Much like one can assume that RPG books are not just a few lines of text and a bunch of blank pages; most players are not interested in skimming past the index, foreword, and opening chapters.
i think if you're putting effort into really town-focused world-building, absolutely. show the naming schemes of this region, to the point where a character you meet later on has a clear origin based on their name.
if that's not the focus or your cup of tea, then whatever. not a big deal. mundane npcs that add nothing, well, add nothing, so if you're gonna add them at least put some effort in i guess?
if that's not the focus or your cup of tea, then whatever. not a big deal. mundane npcs that add nothing, well, add nothing, so if you're gonna add them at least put some effort in i guess?
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