Living World Simulation

[Shadow44]

In an effort to make all units on the map—whether allied, neutral, or hostile—feel "alive" and proactive, I have developed a system that goes beyond basic animations. Since the available animation pool is limited, I created system that allows any unit to be assigned one of three behavioral options

Guard Mode: The unit stands watch at a fixed point. After a combat encounter ends, the unit automatically returns to its original coordinates and resets to its initial rotation/facing angle.

Regional Roam: The unit is assigned to a specific area and moves within its boundaries at random intervals, potentially performing multiple sequential movements. During combat, this behavior is suspended as the unit focuses entirely on the engagement.

Multi-Point Patrol: The unit moves sequentially from region to region, with a configurable "dwell time" (idle pause) at each destination. Upon exiting combat, the unit returns to its last reached waypoint and resumes its pre-defined patrol route.

These same techniques have been applied to the city and villages; units move throughout the streets and simulate daily activities to create the illusion of a bustling environment.

 

[Aardwolf]

Nice, I work on something similar for my own map, and I wrote about it there.
To what extent do you plan to expand on this idea of a living world simulation? These three you listed above seem basic, but they surely make a difference when many NPCs do something.

 

[Shadow44]

Nice, I work on something similar for my own map, and I wrote about it there.
To what extent do you plan to expand on this idea of a living world simulation? These three you listed above seem basic, but they surely make a difference when many NPCs do something.

The idea of dividing the day into specific day cycle is cool. I decided that the project is too small and the maps follow each other to bother with a more elaborate daily cycle for the units. The only extension is that when a unit reaches a certain spot, an action is triggered—for example, if a unit is at a market, other units turn toward it and a conversation animation plays for X seconds. It looks a bit like the units are walking around and talking to each other or observing something, like a villager watching over their farm.