Author Topic: Actors to play NPCs  (Read 2291 times)

Nilbog

  • Minion
  • **
  • Posts: 35
Actors to play NPCs
« on: April 28, 2013, 04:44:22 PM »
It would be cool if actors/players were hired and payed full time to control npcs to have a heavy presence withing the world and regularly/randomly play with the community. They would have a working relationship with creative so they can hint at what's coming and they could have Dev tools to be able to pop into instances/missions.


Would be interesting if the npcs had as much depth as the player's characters.

this is prolly just a Freudian attempt to create the dream job i would like :/

TimtheEnchanter

  • Elite Boss
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,466
  • There are some who call me... Tim?
Re: Actors to play NPCs
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2013, 04:50:16 PM »
Heh, well why the heck not? This is how LARP games usually work.

healix

  • Elite Boss
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,695
  • Every good friend was once a stranger
Re: Actors to play NPCs
« Reply #2 on: April 29, 2013, 01:22:59 PM »
In Oblivion, Patrick Stewart and Lynda Carter were voicing some of the characters.
Listen to the 'mustn'ts'. Listen to the 'don'ts'. Listen to the 'shouldn'ts', the 'impossibles', the 'won'ts'. Listen to the 'you'll never haves', then listen close to me... Anything can happen . Anything can be.

GuyPerfect

  • Mary Poppins
  • Titan Staff
  • Elite Boss
  • ****
  • Posts: 1,740
Re: Actors to play NPCs
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2013, 01:38:01 PM »
Aren't "player" and "NPC" kind of... mutually exclusive?

Segev

  • Plan Z: Interim Producer
  • Elite Boss
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,573
Re: Actors to play NPCs
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2013, 01:39:58 PM »
In LARPs, the distinction is that "player characters" are created by the people playing them and are free to do whatever the player chooses to have them do. "NPCs" are played by actors, not players, and while they have to improvise, their role is set by the game master and they have scripted actions at certain times and events.

Remember, a GM is also playing a tabletop RPG with his friends; all the NPCs are controlled by him, so they're "played" by a player, even though they're non-player characters.

MaidMercury

  • Elite Boss
  • *****
  • Posts: 470
Re: Actors to play NPCs
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2013, 03:26:22 AM »
I prefer unknowns to be cast.

'Twilight Zone', 'Outer limits' took relatively unknown actors,actresses to prominence.

.....I would gag if we had to suffer Tom Cruise or Charlie Sheen in our Paragon Universe. :-X

TimtheEnchanter

  • Elite Boss
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,466
  • There are some who call me... Tim?
Re: Actors to play NPCs
« Reply #6 on: April 30, 2013, 03:33:40 AM »
I prefer unknowns to be cast.

'Twilight Zone', 'Outer limits' took relatively unknown actors,actresses to prominence.

.....I would gag if we had to suffer Tom Cruise or Charlie Sheen in our Paragon Universe. :-X

I don't think literal actors was implied. Or at least, not actors that have epically popular names in show-biz. Just GM's with RP experience who could assume the roles of major in-game characters full-time. So you could go to Positron for missions, or if you wanted to, you could just chat it up. Or a monster could show up and Positron would be right there with you trying to take it down.

We occasionally actually saw this happen in CoH. Far more than other MMO's ever did. The only exception maybe being MxO. The Wachowski's were actually allowing that game to write the future CANON of the Matrix universe. The players could have an actual impact on what direction the story took, and many famous characters were portrayed by full-time GM's to enhance the experience.

Rotten Luck

  • Elite Boss
  • *****
  • Posts: 766
  • "I'd rather go out a hero than a coward."
Re: Actors to play NPCs
« Reply #7 on: April 30, 2013, 12:15:51 PM »
I wouldn't mind being hired as a GM/Bartender!  Heck I do it for free for a VIP account.
One way or another... Heroes will fly again!