Overview
The citizens of Hethereau in Neverness to Everness are not static background elements. NPCs go about their daily lives with individual destinations and genuine actions, following routines, reacting to events, and responding to the player's behavior. The game's behavioral systems are designed to create the impression of a living, functioning city where the supernatural coexists with ordinary urban life. Pedestrians walk with purpose, gather in groups to chat, pull out their phones while strolling, and react dynamically when the player disrupts the peace.
Daily Routines
NPCs follow schedules tied to the day-night cycle. Their behavior shifts throughout the day, creating different atmospheres for exploration depending on when the player visits an area.
Time of Day | NPC Behavior |
|---|---|
Morning | Shop owners open their stores and set up for business. Pedestrian traffic increases as residents commute through the city. Street vendors begin serving customers. |
Daytime | Peak activity period. Streets are busy with pedestrians, vehicles, and shoppers. NPCs can be seen chatting in groups, browsing storefronts, and going about errands. |
Evening | Shops begin to close. Foot traffic shifts from commercial areas toward residential districts and entertainment venues. The city takes on a different character under streetlights. |
Night | Population density drops significantly. Fewer pedestrians walk the streets, and most shops are shuttered. The quieter atmosphere changes the feel of exploration and makes anomaly encounters more atmospheric. |
The overall population density shifts meaningfully between day and night. Visiting a busy market street at noon feels completely different from walking the same block at 3 AM. This schedule system applies to the entire city, with each district following its own rhythm based on whether the area is commercial, residential, or entertainment-focused.
Weather Reactions
NPCs in Hethereau respond dynamically to changes in the weather system. When rain begins, pedestrians may open umbrellas, seek shelter under awnings, or quicken their pace toward indoor destinations. During heavy downpours, foot traffic on open streets decreases as NPCs move to covered areas. In snowy conditions, NPCs adjust their behavior accordingly, with fewer people lingering outdoors and more gathering inside shops and transit stations.
These weather-driven behavioral shifts add another layer of realism to the city's atmosphere. The same busy commercial district that thrives under clear skies can feel nearly deserted during a rainstorm, then gradually repopulate as the weather clears. Combined with the day-night cycle, weather reactions ensure that NPCs contribute to a convincing simulation of urban life that responds organically to environmental conditions.
Traffic AI
The Co-Ex Test introduced an overhauled traffic AI system. Vehicles on the streets of Hethereau are no longer set dressing; NPCs now drive a wide variety of cars, trucks, and other vehicles with their own navigation behavior. NPC drivers follow traffic rules, stop at intersections, and react when the player disrupts the flow. Cutting off an NPC driver or causing a collision triggers visible reactions, and reckless driving in traffic contributes to the wanted system.
The traffic system contributes to the urban immersion by making driving through Hethereau feel dynamic rather than scripted. Players who steal vehicles or drive dangerously will see NPC drivers swerve, honk, or flee depending on the severity of the disruption.
Reactions to Player Actions
NPCs respond to a range of player behaviors, from combat to criminal activity. Their reactions vary based on the type and severity of the event.
Player Action | NPC Reaction |
|---|---|
Combat nearby | Citizens flee from combat encounters happening in their vicinity. They scatter in different directions and clear the area. |
Anomaly manifestation | When an anomaly appears, the environment distorts visibly: buildings may be covered in static, objects float in mid-air, and the area takes on an unsettling atmosphere. Nearby NPCs react with alarm and evacuate the zone. |
Criminal behavior | Attacking or threatening NPCs triggers fear responses. Some NPCs alert the authorities, contributing to the player's wanted level. |
Hitting pedestrians with a vehicle | Running into NPCs while driving increases the wanted level. NPCs will dodge or flee, but the game still registers the offense. |
Vehicle theft | Forcibly taking an NPC's vehicle causes the victim to react in shock and may trigger a wanted response. |
Property destruction | Destroying street furniture, storefronts, or vehicles draws attention from nearby NPCs and law enforcement. |
Notably, NPCs in Hethereau cannot be killed. They always dodge, flee, or recover from attacks. This design choice keeps the tone of the open world lighter than more realistic crime sandboxes while still allowing players to cause chaos and face consequences through the wanted system.
NPC reactions to player actions feed directly into the wanted system. Witnesses to crimes can report the player's actions, contributing to wanted level escalation. If a player causes a traffic accident, steals a vehicle, or engages in combat near civilians, nearby NPCs may flee, call for help, or attract police attention. The severity of the NPC response scales with the severity of the player's actions; a minor disturbance might only cause nearby pedestrians to scatter, while sustained violence triggers a full law enforcement response.
Anomaly Area Behavior
When an anomaly spawns in the open world, it affects the surrounding environment in visible ways. Buildings may become covered in visual static, objects float off the ground, and the atmosphere shifts to something unsettling. These environmental cues serve as a warning to the player that combat is nearby. NPCs in the affected zone react with alarm and move away from the anomaly site, clearing the area for the player to engage.
The environmental distortion is not just visual; it signals to the player which direction to head when searching for an anomaly to investigate. Following the growing distortions leads directly to the anomaly encounter.
Interactable NPC Types
Beyond ambient pedestrians, many NPCs throughout Hethereau can be directly interacted with. These NPCs serve specific roles in the game's economy, quest system, and world-building.
NPC Type | Role | Examples |
|---|---|---|
Shop owners | Sell items, equipment, furniture, and consumables. Operate on day-night schedules. | Hankaku Street seasonal goods vendors, general stores |
Quest givers | Provide City Commissions, side quests, and anomaly investigation leads. | City Commissions board contacts, story NPCs |
Informants | Share rumors and lore about nearby anomalies, giving context to encounters. | Street contacts, bar patrons, witnesses |
Taxi passengers | Request rides during Taxi Driver shifts, providing destinations and tips. | Taxi Driver system passengers |
Companion characters | Playable characters who can walk alongside the player at high bond levels. | Affinity System companions |
Service NPCs | Provide services like the prison doctor, barista trainer, and racing instructors. | Detention center staff, activity tutors |
Important NPCs are visually distinct from ambient pedestrians. Key characters have unique designs, detailed expressions, and varied animations during dialogue. Minor quest NPCs and shopkeepers also stand out from the general crowd, making them easy to spot while exploring.
Animals
Hethereau is also populated with animals that have their own behavioral patterns. Cats, dogs, and other creatures can be found around the city, and some are interactable. The Containment Test beta expanded animal behaviors, adding more interactable animals across the city districts alongside improved NPC dialogue and anomaly reactions.
NPC Design Philosophy
The NPC behavior system in Neverness to Everness draws from the urban open-world tradition while adapting it for a supernatural setting. The developers have aimed for NPCs who feel like genuine city residents rather than quest dispensers standing in place. The combination of scheduled routines, traffic simulation, dynamic reactions, and environment-aware anomaly behavior creates a city that shifts in character throughout the day. Whether the player is walking through a crowded market, driving through evening traffic, or investigating an anomaly at night, the NPC population reflects what that moment in Hethereau's daily life should look and feel like.
AI-Driven Behavior Patterns
The NPC systems in Neverness to Everness are powered by detailed AI-driven behavior patterns. Each NPC has its own set of possible actions, destinations, and responses that determine how it navigates the city. Pedestrians do not follow simple looping paths; instead, they make decisions based on the current time of day, weather conditions, proximity to the player, and nearby events. This approach produces emergent behavior where the same NPC might take different routes or perform different actions on successive in-game days.
The result is a city that genuinely feels alive. Hethereau's citizens contribute to the atmosphere of a functioning metropolis where ordinary urban life continues around the player at all times. Whether the player is sprinting through a crowded intersection, driving down a quiet residential street at night, or standing in a park during a snowfall, the NPCs around them behave in ways that reinforce the sense of place.