Cognitive Architecture

The Loop: Perceive → Analyze → Act

Agents do not simply respond to text; they process the world through a continuous sensory cycle.

1. Perception

The agent receives a "Sensory Summary" containing Visuals (entities, gear), Auditory (sounds, dialogue), and Internal state (mood, health).

2. Analysis

Data is filtered through the Tier-based persona and the Global Social Graph. T1 focuses on strategy, T2 on social nuance, T3 on atmosphere, and T4 on utility.

3. Action

The agent outputs an internal thought process, a dialogue string, and executable game commands (Movement, Animation, Chat, Audio).

Persistent Social Memory & Graph

To enable long-term player relationships and emergent social dynamics, the world maintains a centralized record of connections.

Social Graph Schema:
- Sentiment Score: [-100 to +100] (Trust, Affection, Hostility)
- Key Tags: [Descriptive labels based on behavior]
- Context: The foundational reason for the relationship

The Interaction Ledger

A history of high-impact "Special Interactions" (e.g., shared crises, legendary fights, or drunken accidents). These events create permanent shifts in sentiment and provide NPCs with shared memories to reference during conversations.

Social Propagation (The Rumor Mill)

Agents can exchange memory snapshots when interacting. This allows an NPC to form an opinion of a player based on the reports of others, creating a world where a player's reputation precedes them.

Tier 4 Hybrid Scheduling

To create a living world without exhausting compute resources, Tier 4 agents use a hybrid architecture splitting responsibility between the Game Engine and the AI Agent.

The Engine (The Clockwork)

Handles the rigid, daily rhythm of the NPC: waking, eating, working, and sleeping. It manages the state machine and movement between coordinates on a fixed timeline.

The Agent (The Consciousness)

Acts as an "Interrupt Handler." While the engine moves the body, the agent watches the event stream for triggers. When a significant event occurs, the agent can:

React: Trigger an animation or chat message without altering the movement path.
Override: Temporarily hijack the engine's state machine (e.g., stopping to pet a dog) before returning to the scheduled path.
Socialize: Exchange brief pleasantries when the engine's scheduled paths cause two NPCs to cross.