Neverwinter EP Brett Norton believes AI will be a critical asset in future video games.
During an exclusive interview with CBR, Norton explained that technological advancements have made it easier for developers to create sand-box style games that offer experiences players typically find in TTRPGS like D&D. According to Norton, one method of facilitating a D&D-style experience in video games would be to use AI-powered "automated Dungeon Masters" to guide players through vast open worlds and generate different scenarios based on their actions. This would compensate for the limitations of human programmers.
How AI Could Create an Authentic DnD Video Game
"There are so many things players could do. It's very difficult for us to preemptively figure out what they could be," Norton explained. "Whereas if we had better AI-powered open-world games, we could have an AI react to it, say, 'Oh, the players did this. This is a reasonable outcome from that' and use the tools available with the game to generate something for it so we don't have to figure out every possible solution ahead of time. We can actually have the equivalent of an automated Dungeon Master helping out there."
Norton also commented on the overall direction of gaming, which he views as gearing towards open-world experiences for players. "I think we're getting closer to sandbox-style games as a whole. That's one thing I've noticed working in video games for a while is that it's gotten easier to do more sandbox-style games...for the first video games, you had to be very proscriptive, it was very hard to do a lot of stuff and allow player choice and whatnot. Now we've gotten to the point where can have a lot more open-ended games, a lot more agency and a lot more choice. It's still not perfect; there's still a lot of on-rails we have to do. [But] it's getting better than what it was even ten years ago. Every time we have an increase in computer power, we take a generational leap forward."
Brett Norton has run the Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG, Neverwinter, since February 2022. During Norton's time as EP, Neverwinter has released additional campaign modules. The latest, Menzoberransan, is set in the titular city as it teeters on the brink of a violent war between the Lolth Loyalists and the Drow Rebellion. During the interview, Norton teased future announcements regarding Drow entities that "may or may not be appearing in some future modules." He also stated that the game will move into a "whole new arc" later this year, although this installment is still in the "early pre-production stages."
Neverwinter is available on Steam.
Source: CBR