The Elder Scrolls 6 continues to have fans speculating on what features could make their way to the game. However, there is one key subject I believe hasn’t been getting talked about enough: Radiant AI.
The inclusion of Radiant AI in Oblivion is a standout feature and if Bethesda is looking to add a fountain of extra flair to how truly alive a world can feel, Radiant AI is certainly one way to go about it. Radiant AI itself was developed by Bethesda and simply is when NPCs effectively feel like they have their very own lives due to the choices they can make, reactions they have to certain things around them, and the background systems in play. A great comparison to this is how The Sims series has its AI running and interacting with the world.
Around Oblivion’s release, the feature was extremely ahead of its time and as with any innovation, flaws appeared aplenty. Those flaws made themselves known and as The Escapist writer Chris McMullen pointed out, Radiant AI “had to be dialed back” due to just how unexpected some of the NPC behavior was at points. Otherwise, there could be NPCs going on a rampage one too many times. To this day, I still witness NPCs starting to steal from each other in taverns before getting into a brutal fistfight as a guard sits idly by happily drinking out of their tankard—none the wiser to the chaos unfolding in the tavern.
Starfield, on the other hand, doesn’t feel quite as alive with its characters, and on Oct. 16, 2023, users on Reddit voiced this themselves. The lack of a continuous custom-feeling lifelike AI is apparent, and it means cities don’t feel just as bustling as they could be. There is, of course, humor to be found in NPCs, like the Adoring Fan replica in Starfield. But genuinely unexpected AI moments are extremely difficult to encounter.
Skyrim also had Radiant AI, but because of the way it was (rightly) toned down from Oblivion‘s take on the technology, the absurdly interesting and strange encounters were not as common. Skyrim, however, still felt highly lifelike because there was still a great array of effective AI systems in place. It felt as though risks were taken that paid off in the long run.
Elder Scrolls 6 will easily benefit from re-introducing Radiant AI with the lessons learned from Oblivion, Skyrim, and other BGS titles such as Fallout 3, which had a form of the true Radiant AI system. I know that the mere thought of running around in the next Elder Scrolls game and noticing NPCs starting to steal from one another again with plenty of tomfoolery at hand has me enlivened already. The chance to create a groundbreaking NPC system is now, and Elder Scrolls 6 should take the reigns.
