In the latest Steam update, inZoi Studio revealed that the developers have spending a great deal of time on fixing bugs and improving existing features. One of their main goals: improving the autonomy system, the single most important element for a life sim game.
“Right now, each ZOI scans nearby interaction targets, evaluates them based on needs, traits, personality, preferences, and other factors, calculates a score for every possible action, and then chooses the highest-scoring one. Within roughly a 40-meter radius, the system evaluates a large number of possible interactions, selects the most appropriate target, moves there, and performs the chosen action.”
So far, the system has served well, but the developers are becoming increasingly aware of its limitations, choosing to go back to the drawing board and redesign it. In the future, the plan is for ZOI to satisty their immediate needs first and then, instead of repeatedly choosing whatever action has the highest numerical score, they should naturally make decisions that reflect who they are.
Instead of the score-based points, the developers are moving toward designing behavior through rules that resemble the way people actually make decisions. After all, autonomy should be the foundation that naturally connects every other system together.
“For example, an outgoing ZOI should naturally spend more time socializing with others, while a family-oriented Zoi should prefer spending time with their spouse and children. If a couple visits a park together, I don’t want them to immediately wander off in different directions. I want them to walk together, chat with each other, and naturally enjoy spending time as a couple.”
Once the studio’s plan become more concrete, the developers will be back with announcements, ready to gether players’ thoughts and feedback.
