By Jon Scarr
Most RPG conversations give you a handful of dialogue options to choose from. West of Jupiter is aiming for something different. The space-western bounty-hunter game is being developed so you can speak or type your own words to alien characters, with those conversations affecting what you learn and what you can trade.
Waterloo Region, Ontario-based Dog Street Studios is behind the game. Exploration and combat are part of the plan, but talking to NPCs is meant to drive a lot of what happens. You might negotiate for information, equipment, or a favour instead of following a traditional quest list.
Rather than use generative AI or large language models, Dog Street Studios has developed a symbolic AI system that tracks character knowledge and relationships. West of Jupiter is still in pre-production, with a prototype of its core systems in development.
West of Jupiter Mixes Bounty Hunting With Conversations
West of Jupiter takes place on the Galactic Frontier, where you arrive as a bounty hunter among different alien factions. The adventure combines exploration, combat, and ship progression. Conversations are intended to tie those activities together.
Instead of taking preset RPG quests, you'll decide what to pursue. Who you speak with could determine what information or opportunities you find.
These interactions take place face to face, from a first-person perspective. For voice conversations, the planned system lets you hold a key to speak into your microphone. Alien characters respond in their own spoken languages, with subtitles so you can follow the conversation.
Trading Goes Beyond Money in West of Jupiter
Trading is at the centre of how Dog Street Studios wants conversations to work. That doesn't just mean swapping cash for equipment. Information, political access, and getting someone to complete a task are also treated as things you can negotiate.
When you need information or help with a job, the goal is to let you negotiate in your own words instead of selecting a preset dialogue option.
Not every conversation has to be a straightforward exchange, either. The system also accounts for gifts, demands, and threats. Those interactions fit within the same trading framework, even when nothing is offered in return.
An NPC's knowledge and relationship with you could affect what they're willing to discuss or trade. Dog Street Studios is working to bring these interactions together in its prototype.
Dog Street Studios Uses Symbolic AI for NPC Conversations
The technology behind these conversations doesn't rely on a large language model to generate dialogue. Instead, Dog Street Studios uses symbolic AI, with rules for processing language and tracking what characters know, believe, and remember.
The system interprets what you say using language rules and what that character knows. Developers can control how an NPC responds, right down to the words they use.
The engine runs locally on the hardware used to play the game, without relying on cloud AI services. Dog Street Studios is also developing it with the possibility of licensing the technology to other game developers later on.
For now, the studio is concentrating on finishing a West of Jupiter prototype that brings its core systems together. If development stays on track, the studio hopes to assess production costs and explore funding options after completing the prototype. There's no announced release date yet, so that prototype is the next milestone for this Canadian-developed space western.
Jon Scarr
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