Revision 1

Overview

Every NPC in The Bustling World has their own life, family, personality, and social relationships. Rather than following scripted routines, NPCs make independent, autonomous decisions based on their personality traits, family ties, and their history of interactions with the player. This produces a different experience in every playthrough, as the same NPC might make completely different choices depending on circumstances.

NPC behaviors

NPCs carry out a range of daily activities that reflect their personalities and current situations. Confirmed behaviors include the following.

• Stay at home or work from home

• Go to their workplace

• Go out for entertainment

• Move to another city in search of better income

• Build houses in designated residential areas

• Open and run shops, choosing what type of business to operate

• Avenge family members who have been wronged

• Flee from regions affected by war

• Decide independently where to live

These decisions are not random. An NPC with a greedy personality is more likely to move to a wealthy city. An NPC with strong family ties might stay in their hometown even if opportunities are better elsewhere. The AI system received a major update during development to make these behaviors more realistic.

Dynamic cities

Because NPCs make their own decisions about where to live, what businesses to run, and where to build, cities change organically over time. A prosperous city attracts more NPC residents, which opens more shops, which generates more trade, which attracts more people. The reverse is also true: a city hit by warfare might see its population scatter as NPCs flee to safer regions.

NPC factions also conduct independent diplomacy based on factors like geography, military strength, and population. This means alliances and conflicts between NPC-controlled cities can shift without any player involvement.

Social interactions with the player

Players interact with NPCs through a variety of social channels. They can befriend neighbors, pursue romance with eligible characters, bribe government officials, or pay beggars for useful information about the local area.

NPCs remember how the player has treated them. Offending an NPC may result in that character sabotaging the player's trade operations or refusing to cooperate. This memory system means that even small social choices can have lasting effects on the player's relationships and reputation throughout the game world.