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Social Commitments

How NPCs make promises to each other — five commitment kinds, deterministic resolution, trust mechanics, and the behavioral pressure that shapes village life.

Social Commitments

Social commitments in Wanderfolk are structured promises between NPCs — resource deliveries, guard shifts, social visits, craft orders, and ritual attendance — that are resolved deterministically and generate trust changes that ripple through the gossip network. They drive the behavioral pressure that makes village life feel organic.

Five Kinds of Commitments

KindExampleTypical NPCs
Resource delivery”I’ll bring you 5 iron ingots by tomorrow”Blacksmiths, farmers, miners
Guard duty”I’ll take the night watch at the gate”Warriors, guards, scouts
Social visit”I’ll come by the tavern this evening”Any NPC with social bonds
Craft order”I’ll have your sword finished by week’s end”Blacksmiths, weavers, brewers
Ritual attendance”I’ll be at the shrine for the harvest prayer”Priests, elders, devout NPCs

Commitments are generated during the autonomous simulation based on NPC relationships, roles, and village needs. A blacksmith with a strong bond to a farmer is more likely to promise deliveries. A devout warrior is more likely to commit to temple attendance.

Commitment Lifecycle

Each commitment follows a defined path:

Created → Pending → Fulfilled / Broken / Expired
  1. Created — an NPC makes a promise to another NPC during simulation
  2. Pending — the commitment is active and approaching its deadline
  3. Resolved — one of three outcomes:
    • Fulfilled — the NPC’s actions aligned with their promise
    • Broken — the NPC failed to meet the commitment
    • Expired — the deadline passed without clear resolution

How Resolution Works

Commitments are resolved deterministically using keyword heuristics. The system evaluates whether the NPC’s recent actions, location, and role activities align with the promise they made. For example:

  • A blacksmith who promised a craft order and spent the day working at the forge → fulfilled
  • A warrior who pledged guard duty but was seen socializing at the tavern → broken
  • A farmer who promised a social visit but got caught up in harvest work → expired

Resolution doesn’t rely on random chance — it follows logically from what the NPC actually did during simulation.

Trust Mechanics

Commitment outcomes directly affect the trust score between two NPCs:

OutcomeTrust ChangeNotes
Fulfilled+3 to +5Builds reliability reputation
Broken-5 to -8Damages relationship, triggers gossip
Expired-1 to -3Minor penalty — intent was there but execution failed

These trust changes compound over time. An NPC who consistently fulfills commitments becomes a trusted figure in the village. One who repeatedly breaks promises finds their social standing eroding.

Behavior Pressure

NPCs are aware of their pending commitments, and this awareness changes their behavior. The system assigns a pressure score based on:

  • Time until deadline — commitments approaching their due date generate higher pressure
  • Relationship importance — promises to close friends or authority figures create more pressure than casual acquaintances
  • Commitment kind — guard duty and ritual attendance carry cultural weight that amplifies pressure

Under high pressure, NPCs will:

  • Prioritize commitment-related activities over leisure
  • Move toward relevant locations (forge, gate, shrine) earlier than usual
  • Show visible stress in conversation if they’re worried about fulfilling a promise

This creates organic-looking behavior shifts that you can observe. If the blacksmith is working late and seems stressed, he might have a delivery promise he’s struggling to meet.

Gossip Integration

Commitment outcomes feed directly into the gossip network:

  • Fulfilled commitments generate positive gossip — “The blacksmith delivered those tools right on time”
  • Broken commitments generate negative gossip that spreads faster — “The warrior skipped his guard shift again”
  • Patterns matter — a single broken promise is forgiven; repeated failures become village knowledge

When you talk to NPCs, they may reference commitment outcomes as part of their social awareness. “I wouldn’t trust the merchant with a delivery — he’s broken three promises this month” is the kind of information that emerges naturally from the system.

Strategic Value

Understanding the commitment system gives you insight into village social dynamics:

  • Identify reliable NPCs — villagers with strong fulfillment records make better companions and trade partners
  • Spot social fractures — a string of broken commitments between two NPCs signals a relationship in decline
  • Time your visits — arriving when an NPC has just fulfilled a major commitment catches them in a good mood
  • Leverage gossip — knowing who’s trustworthy (and who isn’t) gives you social intelligence for navigating village politics