Well, that was before I was thinking so much about solving problems in a fake economy. Past me is so passe. I bet he still listens to that band who were cool last week but are so over now.
Anyway, partially inspired by this Chris Dillow blogpost, a potential list of single variable “irrational” weightings that could be used to create diversity of behaviour in NPCs.
Each of the items below can be considered to be a single trait or variable. An NPC might be at 0 or 1 on the scale, not at all to very, but most would be in the middle following a normal distribution. Their position on the scale would make them over or underweight certain factors when creating plans for future action. These would have differing effects on the micro and macro economy.
- Optimism/Pessimism, a.k.a. “Risk Aversion”. Optimistic NPCs overweight positive potential outcomes and are more prepared to take on riskier strategies. Pessimistic NPCs overweight negative outcomes and are extremely risk-averse, prefering low-reward but safe options. Optimistic NPCs are the “entrepreneurs” who get rich quick and then fly their spaceship into the sun. Pessimistic NPCs are miners and bank managers who keep the universe working while the optimists are off trying to invent a new kind of spam.
- Novelty Preference. I’ve mentioned this one before. Paying a higher price for the new and unique even if it doesn’t deliver much benefit. Paying a lower price for something old and common even if it’s perfectly decent. NPCs with high novelty preference are trend setters, early adopters and fashion victims. If you bring back something from a far-flung sector, they’ll want it bad, no matter what kind of worthless tourist tat it is. If you keep manufacturing the same old stuff, they’ll get bored and seek out better suppliers.
- Hindsight bias. An NPC with this trait, having taken a risky path that succeeds, is more likely to try it again. This simulates a common cognitive fallacy where most people presume they were talented rather than lucky if things went right.
- Complacency - If nothing has gone wrong yet, assuming it won’t go wrong in the future. "Nobody’s attacked my trade route so I don’t have to guard it as heavily." NPCs with high complacency underweight familiar risks that have so far not manifested as actual threats.
- Conservatism/Skittishness - Conservative NPCs overweight their current course of action and resist change, even when things look bad. Skittish NPCs will jump ship as soon as something goes bad, even if there’s a chance it’s just a temporary setback. Similar to optimism/pessimism, but path dependent.
- Hoarding/sentimentality. An attachment to items which were used in important/meaningful events for the NPC, or which they've simply had for a long time, leading to reluctance to sell or risk them. Keeping hold of the first ship you made a million credits in, for example, even if it’s hangared up and you never use it any more.