Majora's Mask is a good one, Silbereisen.
As an example, NPC scheduling would allow a shopkeeper to work during the day, but walk around the city at night pursuing his own goals or objectives.
I can think of numerous games that have done this and I can't think of a single one where it was implemented in a fun or even interesting way. Unless those sorts of interactions / schedules are a key of the game, or there's enough other things going on to make interacting with NPCs in that way fun or memorable, then it's a hassle.
I am happy that you brought that up. So what do you think would make those interactions fun or memorable I wonder?
It is indeed the key aspect of my game and I believe that new kinds of gameplay can be explored through better NPCs. Although I cannot speak for the masses, suffice it to say that many gamers are probably somewhat bored with the random monsters, NPCs that are only sign posts and shop interfaces, cities that have ~20 residents, etc.
Have you heard of
Lisa: The Painful? I strive to create unique characters of that caliber, where everyone (or at least a significant number) has some unique quirk, personality, or gimmick that distinguishes them from the others. The fact that they all have names is a wonder by itself.
anyway heres the thing: go and walk out side and ask yourself if you can passively meaningfully distinguish between whether people are just indiscriminately walking somewhere or if theres a set logic and schedule to it. without getting arrested.
Lol. Have you never sat in traffic and wondered where everyone was going?
As a side note, it was done in Pokemon Black/White. Castelia City (which was themed after New York) has a street where the NPCs walk endlessly to nowhere. Even though you cannot speak to them, I think it was a good design decision that made the city feel more alive with a real population.
In real life, it is unlikely that you will get to know every person you see. But there is a possibility that you can meet a few of the hundreds you interact with.
I think the key to autonomous NPCs would be to have them follow a set of rules that also applies to the player. If the player needs to eat to stay alive, so do the NPCs. Where do they get their food? Are there wandering monsters in the game? They should also attack the NPCs. A group of monsters roaming where the NPCs get their food would quickly lead to a famine with in the population and if the NPCs don't have potential fighters -> a quest for the player.
That is an interesting take on it. The same rules apply to the player and the NPCs? At one point, I thought about adding a game mechanic that allows quest and story events to trigger through interaction with the environment. Definitely a good idea to do it this way.
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