Lifelike NPCs with feelings and impressive graphics: Streamer CodeMiko shows you how she envisions the future of gaming
Do you remember CodeMiko? The Twitch streamer is known for her technical know-how and has already set new standards in the field of motion capturing on Twitch with her €30,000 suit.
Now the trained programmer has set herself a new goal: she wants to usher in the future of video games on Twitch, relying on an impressive mix of Unreal Engine 5 graphics and AI-controlled NPCs.
Is this the future?
Although CodeMiko’s experiments have not yet blurred the boundaries between game and reality, they are already really worth seeing. The streamer has built hyper-realistic environments for her virtual alter ego in Unreal Engine 5, ranging from final fantasy landscapes to almost lifelike jungle scenarios.
You can see how pretty it all looks in their video:
The highlight of CodeMiko’s streams, however, is the use of AI to create NPC characters that are designed to learn, evolve and even have simulated emotions. Miko can communicate with these characters in real time via voice chat, but the NPCs can also talk to each other or even beat each other up if desired.
This creates interactive and unpredictable elements in her game, ranging from simple nonsense conversations to complex storylines. The NPCs, which are operated by a Large Language Model à la ChatGPT, react in a way that was previously difficult to achieve.
Particularly popular with viewers is the NPC Gerald, a rugged adventurer who loves dinosaurs and regularly provides absurd moments with his ruthless directness.
Is this really the future? Of course, it’s doubtful that we’ll all be playing similar games any time soon. But that similar projects could establish themselves as a real alternative to visual novels or titles like The Sims in the foreseeable future seems quite realistic. Especially in combination with a VR headset, this could become quite immersive.
Now it’s up to you: What do you think of CodeMiko’s project? Would you like to walk around in such a beautiful game world and have a chat with NPCs you created yourself? What other features would be needed to convince you to play a game like this? Let us know in the comments section!
