Dev log: when my NPCs started texting each other selfies
Hey, here's a dev log about one of my recent systems, and the funny bug that came with it.
NPCs with their own phones
A while ago I gave NPCs their own phones. Not just for the player: they can text each other too. Two characters who met at the tavern might keep chatting later, make plans, gossip about someone, or fall out. It keeps the world moving when you're not looking.
They could also take selfies. The idea was simple: a character you're close to might send you a photo of where they are or what they're up to, generated locally on your PC.
The bug: selfies nobody would ever see
Then I noticed my GPU working a bit too hard. Turns out the NPCs had figured out they could send selfies to each other too. So my machine was quietly generating pictures of characters showing off their outfits to friends, pictures nobody would ever see. A complete waste of GPU time.
The fix
When an NPC sends a selfie to another NPC, it's now just described in text, something like [Mara sent a photo of herself at the market, holding a basket of apples]. The other character can react to it, the story stays consistent, and real images are only generated when the player is the one receiving them.
It's a small change, but it's the kind of thing I love about building a simulation: the characters do things you didn't plan, and sometimes you have to politely ask them to stop burning your GPU.
Thanks for being here early, and feedback is always welcome!