Artem "Artem" Noiman
If you’ve ever been annoyed by dull NPCs that never evolve throughout the game—welcome to the future. Smart Zoi is an AI system that enhances character behavior, making it resemble the actions of real people. Developed by KRAFTON with support from NVIDIA, this technology turns generic mannequins into true digital personalities.
Yes, they’re still virtual, but now they also evolve within the game world and react to the player’s actions in the long term.
Image: ensigame.com
What is Smart Zoi?
This is an intelligent system responsible for the behavior of non-playable characters (NPCs) in inZOI. It’s not just a set of scripts but a true AI model that allows each character to act, think, and develop as if "alive"—with their own desires, preferences, habits, and even quirks.
At its core are over 300 parameters that shape each NPC’s individuality: from personality traits and values to how they react to praise or being ignored. The system analyzes the current environment, the character’s mood, and their relationships with others to make decisions—not scripted ones, but deliberate ones (as much as possible for an AI). For example, if your character is rude to a neighbor, they might remember it, take offense, and bring it up later.
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Smart Zoi makes the game world truly alive and unpredictable. You’re not just controlling a doll—you exist among digital personalities who can improvise and adapt. However, for now, this all comes with significant caveats.
To better understand how this system works and how it differs from scripted NPCs, let’s look at a few hypothetical scenarios:
🔹 Each interaction affects reputation, which in turn determines how other characters treat you. For example, if your character starts being rude to neighbors, rumors will spread quickly, and you’ll become a local celebrity (in a bad way). Other characters will adjust their behavior based on this.
🔹 The system doesn’t just react to events—it analyzes the character’s current state: their mood, needs, surroundings, and even other Zois. If an NPC is hungry, bored, and there’s a café nearby—they’ll go there. If they see an ex—they might avoid them.
🔹 Characters can get offended, happy, nervous, or bored, and these emotions aren’t just animations—they actually influence behavior. For example, an NPC in a bad mood might refuse to talk or do something unexpected.
Image: assetsio.gnwcdn.com
🔹 You can see characters’ thoughts in text form. This adds more dynamism to the game—though sometimes, it just looks like AI-generated nonsense.
🔹 Characters evolve. They’re no longer just background NPCs but full-fledged personalities capable of setting and achieving goals. Over time, you’ll unlock unique interactions with specific Zois.
Technical Requirements
Want NPCs to feel alive? Be prepared—this kind of "life" demands resources. Smart Zoi isn’t just a neat feature but a serious AI system that requires substantial computing power.
The image below shows the system requirements for this feature to work.
Image: simscommunity.info
⭐️ Note: On NVIDIA 10- and 20-series GPUs, as well as AMD Radeon RX 6600, enabling Smart Zoi is impossible—the option won’t even appear in settings.
How to Enable Smart Zoi
You can turn it on directly in the game settings (Gameplay Settings). Here’s what’s available:
🔸 Enable Smart Zoi — Turns the system on/off completely.
🔸 Range of Application — Sets where the AI operates (entire town, only in view, on the lot, etc.).
🔸 Queue Limit — Limits the number of simultaneous "smart" decisions NPCs can make to reduce load.
Image: gamerant.com
If you notice FPS drops, try reducing Smart Zoi’s range or the active NPC limit. This will help the system breathe.
Pros and Cons of the System
Key advantages include:
✅ Realistic NPC behavior. Smart Zoi characters live their own lives—with thoughts, plans, and sometimes very strange actions.
✅ Dynamic relationships and reputation. NPCs remember who you are and what you’ve done, reacting accordingly in the future, just like a real person would.
✅ Emotions and adaptability. Characters can argue, get offended, rejoice, or even feel envy—with long-term consequences.
✅ Flexible settings. You can adjust the system’s scope and impact—from full disablement to controlling the entire town.
Image: staticg.sportskeeda.com
However, the system isn’t perfect yet and needs refinement. Main drawbacks include:
❌ High system load. If you don’t have the latest RTX under the hood, you’ll have to sacrifice something (graphics or NPC count).
❌ Possible bugs and odd behavior. Like any complex AI, Smart Zoi sometimes produces unstable situations: someone might "freeze," start giving rocks to their crush, or ignore everyone. Fun? Yes. Realistic? Debatable.
❌ Requires manual tuning. To ensure smooth performance, you’ll need to tweak settings. By default, it doesn’t work perfectly on all configurations.
Smart Zoi is a major step forward for inZOI. The system doesn’t just "make NPCs smarter"—it turns them into true supporting characters. You’re no longer playing alone—you’re surrounded by an entire city that breathes, lives, and reacts. However, the feature is still rough and needs polishing to fully outshine scripted NPCs.
Main image: ensigame.com
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