Be careful not to injure civilians! -Santa
Civilians are encountered on various missions in both The Operative: No One Lives Forever and No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way.
Overview[]
NOLF[]
In most scenes, civilians are stationed in the area minding their own business, either talking with each others or walking around tending to various tasks. Archers are tasked with protecting civilians at all times, as she will fail her mission if she kills any civilians or three civilians get killed by enemy fire. Most civilians will react to gunfire or when they spot Archer carrying a gun around, so it's recommended to holster her weapon when there's no enemies around.
Archer can talk to civilians when they're undisturbed, and they will usually share some important information or engage in casual chat as if she's a normal tourist. On several scripted events, engaging with specific civilians will trigger specific events, allowing Arhcer to unlock additional Intelligence items or sneak past enemy undetected.
NOLF 2[]
Civilians are only found on the street of Calcutta, marked by "Civilians" tag when targeting. Unlike in NOFL, they no longer react to Archer carrying a gun around and can be talked to as long as the Police aren't pursuing her.
Interacting with civilians are now required to progress through the missions, as some of them give Archer clues on where to find her contact and trigger the next objective.
Trivia[]
The word "civilian" goes back to the late 14th century and is from Old French civilien, "of the civil law". Civilian is believed to have been used to refer to non-combatants as early as 1829. The term "non-combatant" now refers to people in general who are not taking part of hostilities, rather than just civilians.
External link[]
Civilian on Wikipedia