Silhouette of the Sun - NPC Roles
NPC Roles - Villagers
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These are some basic NPC interactions in my interactive Unreal Engine 5 level, "Silhouette of the Sun." In this level, NPCs follow a preset spline path, or otherwise stand in place with an idle animation. Names, dialogue, and character icons are all easily editable per instance, which has proven useful for worldbuilding as well as for populating the level.
These base "Villager NPCs" utilize the Parent Blueprint which my other NPCs inherit for their distinct Child roles, some of such being shopkeepers, quest characters, stablemasters, bards, etc.
NPC Roles - Shopkeepers
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Shopkeepers inherit from the Parent "Villager NPC" Blueprint, and thus interactions begin in the same manner before then expanding into the buying and selling of items.
Furthermore, shopkeepers can be distinguished from regular NPCs by two different indicators - the shop icon above their heads as well as their placement in inns/market stalls. Some shopkeepers will only sell items according to their trade/title (i.e. blacksmiths selling weapons, innkeepers selling food/drinks, merchants selling random goods, etc.), but the player is able to sell any item to any shopkeeper for 80% of what said item can be bought for.
This system was a challenge to combine with the inventory system, but I'm satisfied with the results inside the level and look forward to expanding it even further.
NPC Roles - Stablemaster
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Stablemasters also inherit from the Parent "Villager NPC" Blueprint, and thus interactions begin in the same manner before then expanding into the buying and selling of beast mounts.
Beast mounts can only be purchased once and for a greater cost than most other items in the game. As the cursor hovers over a beast tab, an information widget will appear on the right side of the screen to provide essential lore/information on the corresponding animal. This also serves to aid the player's decision.
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If a beast mount is purchased, the stablemaster will wait until the player is finished browsing before summoning your new companion. When not at the player's side, beast mounts will return to the stable and patiently await your call.