[12.12.25] Personality Traits and Characteristics Design

[GDfromRivendell]

Hi there! In the latest dev video I noticed that the new icons for Outlaw and Troublemaker have been created, and their new colors aren’t random – they match the lost Enneagram types:

Outlaw is gray, corresponding to Type 8 – Challenger (where Authoritarian and Leader share the same color) (or red-orange grey, corresponding to Type 1 – Reformer, where Perfectionist and Innovator?), while Troublemaker is blue‑green, corresponding to Type 7 – Enthusiast (where Adventurer share the same color, and previously there was also Entertainer).

So it turns out the devs keep the precious Enneagram design in mind and might bring it back someday, at least as an option? (Below I’ve added the 18 new + 4 lost + 5 additional traits – how they’d look in the circle design.)

And likewise for the characteristics. We found the pre-early access OCEAN / Truity’s 30-trait test design (English ver.), where the traits Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism were gradually unlocked for different life stages. By adulthood, Zoi could have all 5, whereas a child had only 1-2 suitable, which is very logical.

Childhood: O – Creature of Habits, Adventurer, Stubborn, Emotional, Realistic, Creative; C - Easygoing, Achievement, Lazy, Bold, Contemplative, Energetic
Adolescence: E – Introspective, Outgoing, Shy, Bold, Contemplative, Energetic
Young Adulthood: A – Pretentious, Humble, Cranky, Big-Hearted, Selfish, Altruistic, N - Melancholic, People Person, Sensitive, Modest, Troublemaker, Patient, Short-Tempered.

And now it seems the same characteristics appear to exist, yet the previous progression is absent – why is that? The progressive psychological model used to be quite good.

(Btw, in LBY the characteristics were subdivided into Talents, Attitudes, Lifestyles, Quirks, Background: 2x5=10 assigned traits/attributes)

As I understand it, the mixed model is still only in the early stages of dev, and as Kjun said, “at least it works.” But in a AAA life sim, what are the plans for refining the design of personality traits – not only to satisfy dollhouse players, simmers, or non‑conformists with a permanent Malicious Outlaw, but also those who are into psychology and want to dynamically develop personalities?

(Emotional child → bullying at school → Malicious / Outlaw → prison, redemption → Helper / Volunteer etc.)

Even RPG-style branching paths are unlikely to capture the complexity and dynamic development of personalities…

[GDfromRivendell]

A HUGE step forward. This ofc involved some bold moves, which respected mods asked us to tone down a bit despite good suggestions, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to have one of the most sophisticated and unique conversations ever.

@Kjun

Personality and Memory System

Many of you feel that the current personality system is too limited and abstract, and that it should evolve into a deeper, multi-layered system where players can directly shape personalities.

There were suggestions to reference psychological models such as MBTI or the Enneagram to introduce dynamic and evolving personality traits. You also expressed a desire for a memory system, where Zois’ experiences influence their behavior and emotions over time.

Personality traits should be clearly connected to emotional responses and actions, and personalities should change flexibly depending on growth and stressful situations.

While memories do not permanently affect Zois in every case, recent memories between Zois do influence the context of their conversations. For example, if a Zoi recently had a negative romantic experience with another Zoi, they are more likely to choose negative romantic dialogue options. On the other hand, if they had a positive memory, they are more likely to select positive interactions.

In addition, some events that a Zoi personally experiences may remain as trauma and restrict certain behaviors

[GDfromRivendell]

And this accordingly. Before there were many, many posts without any reactions into the void, but now it’s just like a gift

@Kjun

Improvements to Zois’ Behavior and Autonomy

Many of you mentioned that Zois’ autonomy is currently too limited and that they need more diverse reactions and behaviors depending on their individual personalities and situations.
…

We will continue working to make personalities more distinct and ensure that reactions vary accordingly.
…
There were also many requests for more differentiated behaviors based on emotions and personality traits. Players want a system where Zois show “unique behaviors,” meaning that even in the same situation, different Zois respond differently. For example, emotions such as fear, anger, and joy should be expressed through varied gestures and facial expressions, and nearby Zois should react differently as well—creating a kind of “social ripple effect.”

We recognize that this is currently an area where inZOI is lacking, and we are actively improving it. Due to resource limitations, we may not be able to apply this level of detail to every action. However, at least for important situations, we will implement behavior differentiation based on emotion and personality.

[Liessahl]

I don’t entirely understand this part of Kjun’s post tbh. Is he saying that Zois already remember positive/negative experiences with other Zois, or that this will come when the memory system is added?

[GDfromRivendell]

As I see it, he’s talking about the current dev build (jenkins), which already has early memory system iteration. And we’ll just have to wait until March–April.

This isn’t the first time, like when he mentioned the calendar in the mini‑update video, which wasn’t added to the public build with the update. Probably hard to clarify that each time.