Anime Mayhem RPG Features

DomainAI is the most significant part of the game internals and is coming along slowly, but steadily. Multiple endings and the game not being the same every time through are a cinch with the DomainAI subsystem. Here are many of the highlights of what the DomainAI actually does for the game:

1. SKILLS
   Not just for the PC characters! The enemies and NPCs get their abilities from the same skill/tech/magic/etc trees in the Knowledge Base. NPCs and/or PCs can train other NPCs or PCs if the conditions to being able to train someone are met (there's a teaching skill involved and some other variables like difference in knowledge levels of the characters trying to train and a few others I won't disclose. HINT: Temperament is on this list).
   
2. NO EXP Pts
   There is a much deeper meaning to "gaining experience" inherent in the way the Domain AI works so there will no longer be hours of boring EXP farming (you wouldn't want to do this anyways since the creatures you slaughter to satisfy your lust for skill adeption will come to dislike you and won't be as easy a picking the next time 'round!!!). Repeat: There is a much deeper system for improving one's skills and capability in skills already known. Much so that it may well be the focus of side quests that are not even predetermined by any "story arcs."
   
3. TRADE
   A live economy exists in the world. Places have abundance, others have shortage. The law of Supply and Demand holds and there are a vast array of commodities that can be discovered and then traded for a fun way to raise capital. Did I mention the presence of a Black Market as well? The commodity system adds a very nice level of interaction to the game and forces travelling and exploration on the part of the player. This can be a road to "sub-quests" and meeting NPCs that would otherwise be overlooked (and their knowledge and/or skills not discovered). Oh and if the world changes, the conditions may change. A very dynamic system. Did I mention in the former section that NPCs can hold skills? There will be reason to engage in dialogue with NPCs. In this game they won't be saying the same canned responses typical of the majority of NPCs in other RPGs out there.
   
4. CONVERSATION
   Yeah we're all used to the familiar "Push (A) to talk" paradigm used in almost every computer RPG out there. You'll be able to talk, that's a certainty. You'll be able to make smalltalk too. In fact, entire conversations can take place. The system is hierarchical and designed to make typical conversation easy (it is powered the DomainAI which makes it topic-oriented from most general to least general) so you won't wear out your fingers either but considerably deeper conversation is possible and it will improve the game greatly if its use is mastered.
   
5. NPCs/INACTIVE PCs
   Within their limitations (to Domains for which they have knowledge) NPCs or PCs will be able to conduct relevant conversations and maybe even a bit of small talk. There is also passage of information so the NPCs may know certain goings-on or even know of the PCs and their party prior to the first encounter with them in the game. I should mention temperaments exist and that it may be possible the party (or player) does NOT get along with all the NPCs (this can be adjusted with the difficulty controls but can still be present just to make the player's life more interesting while playing the RPG). The player's own temperament can and may play a factor in NPC relations as well hence adding a whole new dimension to the game (again you can adjust with difficulty settings but it's not completely diffusable). Expect to not always get your way with NPCs and not each and every time. You might actually have to pay attention to story, current, and/or local cirumstances and the NPC's surroundings to better interact with an NPC (or maybe quite simply "now's not a good time"). This may apply to PC AIs as well.
   
6. DIFFICULTY
   You can selectively choose an overall difficulty level or adjust specifc aspects (like keeping enemy aquired knowlege) that will affect the game's difficulty. Because AIs are always trying to learn it will actually be beneficial to escape battles (and retain any experience gained). You won't get this benefit if you pull back a save and "go back in time." On that note experience is an actual experience based on the collective learning effort of the AIs controlling the party members when they are not the one selected by the player for control. There are MANY ways to get "experience" including just talking or cross-training when the opportunity arises. The biggest benefit is that the PCs will ultimately adjust to the way you play and their assistance will accordingly adjust to make up for any commonly perceived player shortcomings (a frequent flyer here is "player with bad memory" since many people do not play the RPG all in one shot and sometimes forget about recent events or specific conditions in the party of importance). There are modifiers possible to reduce (PC AIs do more to adapt than enemies) or increase (NPC AIs for enemies do more to adapt than PC AIs) the game difficulty and sometimes the adjustments cause subtle changes that aren't noticed but come back to bite in the baskside later... >8-P