SKYRIM'S NAPKIN AI

Bethesda's quest to make smarter NPCs started with a sketch from Todd Howard

- Fraser Brown & Jeremy Peel

Thanks to Oblivion Remastered, a whole new generation of RPG players has recently begun meeting Cyrodiil's oddest NPCs for the first time. For Oblivion vets, the full makeover released in April offers a chance to reconnect with some old pals, even if they do now look like they've had the mother of all facelifts. There was so much to love about Bethesda's gargantuan RPG back in 2006, but the vast array of eccentric characters wandering around and doing their own thing really set it apart from the previous Elder Scrolls games. Indeed, I think it fair to say that Oblivion's numerous nutjobs (I'm looking at you, Glarthir), wierdos, and total tools, as well as how they interact with each other, that makes it as memorable and impactful as it is.

This was down to Radiant AI, which Bethesda has continued to use in all of its RPGs since. And when it came to figuring out how to evolve the system for Skyrim, it all started with a sketch on a napkin. “The Radiant AI system was developed from a napkin drawing that Todd [Howard] gave us,” says Bruce Nesmith, Skyrim's lead designer. Bethesda understandably doesn't want to give away too much about its secret sauce, but has granted Nesmith, who left the company in 2021, approval to talk about Radiant AI's development. “So it's actually a napkin story. You don't hear many of those in real life, but this is a real one.”