non-playable characters Archives

AppWizard

June 12, 2026

PC Game with ‘Papers, Please’ Vibes Is Free for a Limited Time

Not a Customer is an indie game available for free on Itch.io until June 15. It features gameplay similar to Papers, Please, set in a nightmarish retail environment where players act as a cashier facing unsettling NPCs. The game includes survival horror elements, allowing players to use tools like a shotgun for self-defense. Developed by Opv Game Studio, it has low-poly graphics reminiscent of PlayStation games.

AppWizard

June 11, 2026

You can just bypass Fable’s ‘complex, nuanced’ reputation system with enough gold

The reboot of Fable features a 30-minute gameplay demonstration showcasing an innovative reputation system that influences player interactions with over a thousand NPCs. Players earn reputational adjectives based on their actions, affecting how NPCs perceive them. Choices such as sparing a life can earn titles like "merciful," while reckless actions may lead to a "reckless" reputation. Players can alter their reputation by paying a fee to a town crier, raising questions about the balance between gameplay challenge and convenience. The developers note that negative reputations, like "killer" or "criminal," will persist unless players invest time to amend them or pay for intervention. This duality reflects trends in RPG design, where the complexity of choices can conflict with the desire for a smooth gameplay experience. The mechanics of the reputation system promise nuanced interactions and varied outcomes based on player decisions.

AppWizard

June 7, 2026

CD Projekt Red’s mysterious Project Hadar will be an ’emotional, open-world experience’ similar to The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk

CD Projekt Red is developing several projects, including The Witcher 4, Cyberpunk 2, and a new intellectual property called Project Hadar. As of March 2026, the foundation for Project Hadar has been established, focusing on creating an emotional, open-world experience with a narrative-driven approach. Job listings indicate that the game will include quests and non-playable characters (NPCs) and may feature melee combat. Additionally, a third expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, titled Songs of the Past, is being developed by Fool's Theory and is expected to be substantial in scope, similar to the Blood & Wine expansion.

AppWizard

May 11, 2026

Elder Scrolls 6 is a ways off, but who needs it? The world’s most specific game jam is back with 40 playable entries all based off Oblivion’s wonderful/awful persuade-o-wheel

Nostalgia significantly influences player experiences in video games, exemplified by the wheel system for NPC disposition in Oblivion, which allowed players to engage in a minigame to affect relationships with NPCs. This system differed from Skyrim's approach, which focused on quest completions and faction memberships. The fondness for Oblivion's mechanics has led to the creation of Wheeljam 2, a game jam where participants submitted 40 playable experiences incorporating the lockpicking minigame or persuasion wheel. Many of these entries embrace the original mechanics' charm, with 27 games available to play in web browsers. The voting for Wheeljam 2 will conclude in about five days, but the games will remain accessible for players.

AppWizard

April 26, 2026

This new Skyrim mod is unashamedly vibe-coded, but it lets you swing NPCs into each other with ragdoll physics, so we all win

The Drag and Drop mod for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Special Edition allows players to drag and drop non-playable characters (NPCs) as if they were objects. The mod was created by Gerkinfeltser, who utilized knowledge of Skyrim's Havok physics and SKSE hooks to guide AI in its development. The mod introduces chaotic gameplay, enabling players to swing NPCs around and crash them into each other, enhancing the humor associated with ragdoll physics. It also supports configurable sound effects for added customization. The mod is available on Nexus Mods, and Skyrim Special Edition can be purchased for .99, often on sale on Steam.

AppWizard

April 12, 2026

One of the Best Legend of Zelda Games Is Getting a PC Port

A dedicated development team, linifadomra, is working on a PC port of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess titled "Courage Reborn." They recently showcased a playable version of the Ordon Village section, demonstrating that the game is designed to run at a native 60 frames per second. The demo features functioning core systems, including NPC interactions, combat mechanics, and horseback riding. The game will support keyboard and mouse setups as well as controller configurations, and will be compatible with PC, Mac, and Linux platforms. The main menu will offer new graphical options for customization. The project has been in development since 2025, and while significant progress has been made, it remains incomplete, with no release date announced. Players will need a ROM of the original GameCube version to run the PC port.

AppWizard

April 11, 2026

You can finally rescue Half-Life’s guards and scientists thanks to this mod inspired by Lemmings

Half-Life: Lemmings is a mod for Half-Life: Source that allows players to rescue up to 45 non-playable characters (NPCs), such as scientists and guards, within the Black Mesa facility. The mod features custom animations for rescuing NPCs, enhanced navigation capabilities for them, and upgrades for guards who can now use shotguns, MP5s, and grenades. The mod covers gameplay from the beginning of the Unforeseen Consequences chapter to the Apprehension chapter. It is available for download on ModDB, although Half-Life: Source is not listed on the Steam store but can still be purchased for £8.50.

AppWizard

March 21, 2026

Xbox Project Helix Specs Leak: Why Microsoft’s New Console is Amazing

Microsoft's gaming console, codenamed Project Helix, integrates console and PC ecosystems, featuring a custom AMD System on Chip (SoC) with a 3nm process, and a GPU based on AMD's RDNA 5 architecture. It reportedly rivals Nvidia’s RTX 5080 in rasterization and outperforms the RTX 5090 in ray tracing. The console includes a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for enhanced AI capabilities, supporting both Xbox and PC games natively. It utilizes AMD’s FSR Diamond technology for near-native 4K visuals and incorporates DirectStorage technology for faster load times. Project Helix supports four generations of Xbox games and is expected to have alpha development kits available in early 2027, with a consumer launch in 2028, priced between ,000 and ,200.

AppWizard

January 6, 2026

Kingdom Come 2 Studio Cut This Feature Because It Was “Too Bizarre And Too Much Work”

Warhorse Studios revealed that an ambitious eating system for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, which would allow the protagonist Henry to gain or lose weight based on food consumption, did not make the final cut. This feature would have influenced Henry's wardrobe choices and the sizes of non-playable characters (NPCs) in the game. Players could alter Henry's physique through his eating habits, affecting which clothing items fit him. However, the feature was deemed too complex and not enjoyable, leading to its exclusion. The game is currently available for purchase and has received a 9/10 rating from GameSpot, being praised for its complexity and player choice.

AppWizard

November 17, 2025

21 Years Ago Today, One of the Best Games Ever Came to PC

Half-Life 2 was released on November 16, 2004, as a sequel to the original Half-Life from 1998, developed by Valve using the Source engine. The game introduced a broader narrative and memorable characters, including Gordon Freeman, Alyx Vance, and Father Grigori, while featuring a sophisticated physics engine and the Gravity Gun. It received widespread acclaim, achieving a perfect score from Edge magazine and selling over 12 million copies within seven years across multiple platforms. Half-Life 2 was instrumental in establishing Steam as a dominant digital distribution platform and set new standards for storytelling in action games. Despite its success, there has been no formal sequel, although episodic content and a prequel, Half-Life: Alyx, have been released.