As the bots take over Verdansk, Warzone and Stalker are beginning to meld in my brain
In designing Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl, GSC Game World aimed to create instances like these. As they crafted the Ukrainian shooter, they gave non-player characters (NPCs) ambitions and motivations. These characters would traverse the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in search of artifacts, trade them with vendors, and accept new missions. If NPCs happened to cross paths with adversaries on the road, the game would randomly determine whether they’d engage in a deadly battle, exchange goods, or steer clear of conflict. The developers even considered allowing NPCs to unravel the Zone’s mysteries independently, leaving the player somewhat superfluous.