How to Make NPCs more Interesting and Interactive

I always wondered how many NPCs in the game have "f-bomb trigggers" like Anson McBale in Highpass. I make a point to tell him "<expletive> you" when he summons Stanos just to watch his widdle feewings get huwt.

So just spit balling here: but why stop at just NPCs? Why not have sentient items/weapons? Or add it in to part of evolving items? Hell, could just be an Aug as well.

Xandril, the Ever Hungering blade thrums with power over its latest kill.
Blacksmith Poptart says “Magnificent weapon you wield Treiln. Resembles the blade of legend my father used to tell me stories of.” (Which coincidentally…hint hint wink wink)
An otherworldly voice in the back of your mind whispers “…feed…me..” (as progression goes on, voice becomes more clear with more commands/demands/lines)
A rugged bandit begins to flee at the sight of Oathseeker, Judgement’s Dawn.

Just a few examples

Try taking a look at the DoDH evolving weapons (they talked, it was not highly regarded).

Ah I wasn’t aware of this. Never had the chance to try DoDH out in era. Is there a reason it wasn’t received well? And can I have an example of a weapon from that expansion that “talked” so I can look into this a little more?
But still, having NPCs react to a specific weapon or item you have would be a good step to take as well

I don't recall all of them but

Sendaii's eye patch says, "Why are pirates so mean? They just Arrrrrr!"

The Shattered Blade of Illsalin says, 'Faith in your strength! Together we will rule Darkhollow again!'

Fancy pants:
When casting a spell:
1)Black Leather Pantaloons says, 'Did you ever think that there may be more important things in life than casting <spell name>? I hope you're not helping others when we could be helping ourselves.

When putting on:
1)Black Leather Pantaloons says, 'Oh my. Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately? How did you ever get along without me?'

When taking off:
1)Black Leather Pantaloons says, 'Please tell me you're not going to don some unsightly burlap leg warmers instead of me. I'm not sure I can handle the embarrassment of being replaced by something...ugly.'

When aggroing a mob:
1)Black Leather Pantaloons says, 'If <mob name> so much puts so much as a scratch on me, I'll scream. That's a promise, <player name>.'

On a proc (or crit):
1)Black Leather Pantaloons says, 'Oh. Do that again but with a bit more flourish, <player name>!'

On a kill shot:
1)Black Leather Pantaloons says, 'Great shot! Now, let's work on our victory pose.'

On zoning:
1)Black Leather Pantaloons says, 'Think we'll meet any new folks here, <player name>? You never get a second chance to make a first impression.'


Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling:

When in combat:
Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Must you always be hurting things? It's much safer if we just find a nice, safe place to rest and wait until the nasty things of the world move along to something else.'

Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Why do they hate you so? Perhaps you could be nicer to them and they wouldn't try to kill you all the time.'

Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'You've angered that . . . Thing. I think it might be best if you were to avoid that in the future.'

Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Look out!'

When you get hit:
Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Please, put me away. I don't know if I can take this anymore.'

Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'If you keep that up I'm going to insist that you put me away.'

When you aggro a mob:
Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Must you use so much force and be so . . . aggressive? Hurt them and they will want to hurt you.'

Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Perhaps if you apologize it won't be too upset with you.'

Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Stop that, please. Let's get out of here before it hits me, er, you.'

When you enter a new zone:
Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Where are we now? I can't see too well locked inside all this metal you know.'

When you de-equip him:
Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Oh, that's the best idea you've had all day. I didn't ask to be made into a shield you know.'

When he evolves:
Your Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling has evolved!
Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Abiding says, 'Well, I understand now that despite all of your efforts to prove otherwise, I seem to be pretty near invulnerable. If you have failed to get me destroyed so far, I suppose I might last forever. I don't think you can scare me anymore.'When in combat:
Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Must you always be hurting things? It's much safer if we just find a nice, safe place to rest and wait until the nasty things of the world move along to something else.'

Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Why do they hate you so? Perhaps you could be nicer to them and they wouldn't try to kill you all the time.'

Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'You've angered that . . . Thing. I think it might be best if you were to avoid that in the future.'

Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Look out!'

When you get hit:
Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Please, put me away. I don't know if I can take this anymore.'

Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'If you keep that up I'm going to insist that you put me away.'

When you aggro a mob:
Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Must you use so much force and be so . . . aggressive? Hurt them and they will want to hurt you.'

Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Perhaps if you apologize it won't be too upset with you.'

Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Stop that, please. Let's get out of here before it hits me, er, you.'

When you enter a new zone:
Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Where are we now? I can't see too well locked inside all this metal you know.'

When you de-equip him:
Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling says, 'Oh, that's the best idea you've had all day. I didn't ask to be made into a shield you know.'

When he evolves:
Your Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Unwilling has evolved!
Nogglegrop Fendlebar the Abiding says, 'Well, I understand now that despite all of your efforts to prove otherwise, I seem to be pretty near invulnerable. If you have failed to get me destroyed so far, I suppose I might last forever. I don't think you can scare me anymore.'

Ah yeah, I wouldn’t be too thrilled about that stuff either. Weird I’ve Never come across the shattered blade before. Illsalin is one of my favorite zones and I make a point to stop in there while leveling up every toon.

If the “talking” items were a bit more lore-based or more immersive in the game, I think it would come across better. I don’t mind a few jest things, but not if it’s a constant thing. I like more of the ominous/reverence type responses when it comes to the idea of sentient things. But that’s just me

I miss my bro Rakban

My merc used to talk to me.

I thought having a zone like Hollowshade would be cool, with three different variations of raids depending on which faction owned the zone at the time.

Star Wars Galaxies NPC's interacted with both Mood and Stance (standing, kneeling, sitting);

In the early years of EQ, rumor had it that certain NPC's would/could interact further than simple dialog, including using emotes, ex: the Oracle in OOT
He was supposed to have tons of dialog, but finding him up was just as much of a challenge as figuring out responsive terms. I still haven't found if he did or didn't have further hidden dialog or if anything was added after all of these years...

However, as much as new forms of interaction would be interesting in EQ - it does also feel like the secrets that once made it the RPG it was, has gone by the wayside in favor of being more action-centric... Which is fine - players these years don't have 20-40 hours to waste sitting and chatting with NPCs, fishing for chat-responses or chat + mood combinations in hopes that it might trigger something in the hidden Jedi unlock system.

They added real life encryption being necessary for a step in Seeds of Destruction. People still figured it out relatively quickly.

The only way to replicate the nostalgia from early EQ is to time travel and erase your memory. It was one of the first. Anything new that is similar will be brute forced fairly quickly. The internet was still fairly young back then too, making it harder to just look things up.

It's a miracle the game is still generating enough revenue to justify new expansions. But also, there isn't enough to pump out two expansions a year with hidden things most players will never see.

Loved the talking head in Shards Landing quest.

Just make NPC,s break wind every now and then. Immature people like me will enjoy it and probably spend more time in town.