What made Gothic 1 stand out of all the other games was that each NPC had its own behavior very close to reality and which could change during the course of your actions. That's what they really improved in the second part of the series. The ones who will play Gothic 2 for the first time will really be stunned to see that most NPCs are not standing still but they are working, washing laundry, cleaning, cooking, praying, training, selling different products and even act like religious missionaries. I've met characters who gambled, played the guitar or informed the citizens about the latest official news but I've also seen a NPC urinate along a wall directly in broad daylight without minding the guards.