 The game 's signature feature is its Nemesis system . The Monolith team considered themselves experts in artificial intelligence , and wanted to push its boundaries . Allowing players to choose their story ( a sandbox @-@ game pillar ) and " leverage the new generation hardware through innovation " , the team wanted to create a system allowing non @-@ playable characters to respond to player actions ; this later became the Nemesis system . The system 's idea was <unk> three months after development began , and to best present it everyone in the studio was involved . The developers hoped that with the system , orcs could be memorable for players . It was made more complex during the game 's early development , incorporating personal relationships among orcs , but was later pared down when the studio considered it too complicated . The Nemesis system was also inspired by pen @-@ and @-@ paper role @-@ playing games . Although most orcs are similar , some were designed with distinctive behavior patterns . These orcs have dialogue written by Dan Abnett , and the team hoped the special orcs would surprise players . The team also hoped that the system would provide tension and competition , similar to a multiplayer game . The studio was inspired by sports games , where the narrative continues when players lose a match . This can prevent immersion and narrative from breaking when players die in the game . According to Rob Roberts , the system is designed so players can emotionally attach to the protagonist through gameplay drama . They also hoped that through the system , players can create their own villain , leading to an organic story . 
