Speaking of characters, a brand new AI system will be premiering with the release of Oblivion. The system’s name is Radiant AI, and it is designed to revolutionize NPC actions by removing the heavily script based models of previous games and replacing them with an entirely interactive system that allow NPCs to make dynamic decisions based on their environment and individual characteristics. For instance, if one NPC steals something, another might call for help; or if something gets knocked over or dropped indoors, a servant cleans it up. At night, shopkeepers physically close their shops and on certain days the devout go to church. Such pseudo-sentient NPCs will probably go a long way in working to create a totally immersive environment for gamers to get lost into, especially since Oblivion is an entirely single player experience.