Hi, Being completely bored at work (as normal) I happened upon the ICO website [http://www.icothegame.com] and it reminded me of how you become attached to Yorda, the elfin like princess you are tasked with protecting. More importantly I am trying to gauge how designers create this attachment with the virtual character in the game. Apart from the standard "she is weak, you are strong" ways, has anyone got any ideas on how it is done? With ICO again, the way that yorda needs you but you also need her to survive adds a lot to relationship with the NPC. Another very interesting way ICO also adds to this is by making the monsters (disturbing shadow like creatures) always go after Yorda, always ignoring you unless they pause to knock you down so they can get to her. This coupled with the frailty off Yorda really helps to make you want to protect her. The most unique way I see in ICO is the way Yorda reacts to new things that she sees. If it is a window with light beaming through she will stand a look up at it as to hint at her desire to escape the castle. Yorda also gives hints to player during the game. These are quite unique in my opinion, and thats why I feel ICO was one of the only game to really get me involved in it and it is a reason I still play it time from time. What I find even better is the bond with Yorda is created without any speech, Yorda does say things but not in a language you understand. So my question is, how would you, as games designers encourage and create a emotional link between the player and an important NPC? I think if I have to do it would use a lot of the techniques used by the ICO developers.

Well, for one thing a character has to be written to an individual player's sense of endearment.

For instance, your description of "she is weak, you are strong" doesn't appeal to ME as a player. A weak female character doesn't garner any emotion out of me... except for contempt at her uselessness.

As an example, I've never enjoyed an NPC more than that bitch who got axed in FFVII. The one who used the staff. She was in need of 'protection' but very quickly she became able to defend herself. In fact, right before she got dead she was a valuable member of your team. Other things about her that I believe worked: she was an integral part of the story line and she interacted with you and the other NPCs appropriatley (i.e. remained in character).

Those things will change from player to player though, but I would bet your best resources are in creative writing, not game design. Writers are constantly faced with the challenge of making their readers respond emotionally to a character that exists in no other place than on paper.

Good luck!

--Ben

The character you refer to is Aerith (or Aeris) and I was going to mention her in my orginal post.

The thing with FFVII is it is heavily plot\scripted things will happen and you cant stop them, I dont know what effect this has on creating a bond between a player and a NPC but it must surely limit it in some way.

I just feel the subtle touches make characters seem more life like, like in my orginal post, where Yorda when left for a few minutes starts to wander round on her own and just stare at thing . It probably has a lot to do with the animation as well, but it just seems to make her more "life like".

Im not saying FF7 did not have them, but due in part to the limitations of the media it didnt have the subtle animations and what not.

Im trying the create a list of "things" that can help to make a character more life like, but its difficult :-S

So far I only really have the obvious ones:

* Dependancy: you depend on the NPC. The NPC depends on you to complete the game.
* Frailty: the NPC cannot survive without the skill of the player. Although like yourself, not all players like this.
* Human like touches: just make the NPC do things when the player is involved in something else, like walk up and talk to other NPCs, chase birds etc.
* Script: Obviously one of the most important ones (although ICO has little if none) Make the NPC script constant.

Aeris, yes thank you.

All I was trying to say is that what a player finds "attractive" or endearing or life like about a character in the game changes from player to player. You keep talking about dependence and frailty, but why does that make her more life-like? What about a sharp wit or good sense of humor?

Maybe what you're looking for is a 'realistic' implementation of life-like charactaristics? It's fine to tell the PC that a character is frail, but how do you illustrate that in the game?

--Ben

I am not just using frailty. As I mentioned in my second post the script is probably the most important part, within this I mean how they act personality etc.

Remember the rather mad special agent you work with in Beyond Good and Evil, he is not frail yet he still makes an impression due to how he is portrayed (funny script and animation). Just the example I mentioned (Yorda) happend to use frialty as a way to make the player bond with her.

And yes, I am looking at ways to portray life like characteristics and mannerisms on an NPCs to make them more enduring to the player.

The sciprt probably is the most critical part of this, yet I find it strange that ICO managed it without much dialogue at all.

Anyways thanks for the responce.

I never really liked Yorda, and never really got into ICO, simply because it was pretty frustrating that she was so weak.

Then again, I never got emotionally involved (I think) with any RPG to the point where I really cared about the characters, beyond what spells they cast, etc.

But I can see where you are coming from, and I think the key here is a sense of humanity behind the characters, whether it be from good scripting to creative AI programming - if we can imagine that it's not just some code running behind the screen, we can relate to the characters and "get to know them" in a sense.

Just my two cents.

Yeah its going to come down to the scripting and AI programming. I hope I can make the AI seem radnom while being consitent (ie the character does stuff randomly but the stuff she\he does doesnt clash with the players perceived view of the character)

I personally believe that in the way you get someone emotionally involved with the characters (if they are so inclined) is more based on the story line and who the character is and how far in depth you go into the character's behavior and interaction with other characters in the game. Its not based on certain attributes... its all based upon how well you get to know the character. For instance with FFVII with Aeris the reason we got attached to her was because she had a deep storyline behind her character, and the same with all the characters in FFVII. All good games do this where they make a background story to describe the character.

I agree with everything you say Terlenth, but surely back story and character interaction (via dialogue) are just two aspects of it.

I feel myself that the little things also help a great detail, like the way yorda sees things and stairs at them and points things out to ico.

Well I have a lot of great ideas now, and I will keep postings my findings during the research that I do.

Yeah, the word is pecualiarity. Little details of behavior are also important to support a well written storyline. Once you have a good character, that has story and a good relation with your world, you should also give him life through little details.

I like to use behavior issues, and interaction with environment, just like the game you mentioned.

Forgive my poor english.