Systems

ALIS is built around interacting systems grounded in real-world logic. Each system is modular, tested, and documented independently. Browse source.

Survival Physiology

  • Calories, hydration, fatigue, condition
  • Threshold states with cascading effects
  • Server-authoritative core state

Inventory

  • Grid-based spatial packing: items occupy real space
  • Weight and volume as constraints
  • Equipment grants storage
  • Hands-only baseline when unequipped

Mind

  • Inner voice driven by player state and surroundings
  • Thought sources from vitals, environment, dialogue, and quests
  • Priority and deduplication keep it useful, not noisy
  • Guidance through awareness, not waypoints

World

  • Real terrain: streets, building footprints, elevation
  • Tile-based data-driven geography
  • Spatial queries and point-of-interest management
  • Material context attached to places and objects

Dialogue

  • Universal data-driven dialogue for NPCs, objects, and terminals
  • Dialogue output can feed the Mind system as a thought source

Interaction and Object Capabilities

  • Object interaction tracing and event routing
  • Capability-based objects: lockable, loot container, pickup

Character, Motion, and Combat

  • Base character plugin for gameplay modes
  • Skeleton-agnostic motion primitives
  • Gameplay Ability System integration layer
  • Combat framework as a feature plugin

UI

  • Descriptor-driven screens
  • Per-system screens for vitals, inventory, dialogue, mind, settings, and menus

Data Architecture

  • JSON-driven definitions and layouts for many iteration paths
  • Asset sync and definition generation
  • Placement propagation into scene objects
  • Universal generators instead of plugin-by-plugin custom authoring pipelines

Loading

  • Six-phase content loading after boot
  • Resolve, mount, preload, activate, travel, warmup
  • Separate boot orchestration for plugin code before engine UI exists

Build and Delivery

  • Public scripts package Win64 release builds through Unreal Automation Tool.
  • Release signing generates SHA256SUMS.txt and a detached signature.
  • Verification checks the public-key fingerprint, detached signature, and listed asset hashes.
  • Separate client and server build targets exist in source.

Multiplayer

  • Online play framework with dedicated server support
  • Server-authoritative component replication
  • Headless server builds are part of the target layout

Save and Settings

  • Game state persistence
  • Typed player settings consumed by gameplay and UI