GOAP: How Pawns Decide

Every pawn in the game is autonomous. It does not follow a script. Each tick it runs a planner that chooses a goal and builds a plan of actions to reach it. This is GOAP: Goal-Oriented Action Planning.

This page explains how a goal is chosen and how its priority is calculated.

The per-tick decision loop

Each tick, every pawn runs this sequence:

Step	What happens
1	If the pawn is in a post-completion pause, count it down and stop.
2	Read current world state from the immutable store.
3	Run sensors (they can write facts about the world onto the pawn).
4	Recalculate the priority of every goal (see priority math).
5	If the current goal is now satisfied, mark it achieved and pause briefly.
6	If there is no current goal or the plan is empty, replan.
7	Execute the first action in the plan.

Replanning (step 6)

filter eligible goals   = not achieved, not already satisfied, priority > 0
for each eligible goal   -> run the planner to find a valid action chain
pick the winner          = highest effective priority, ties broken by lowest plan cost

Executing an action (step 7)

Action returns	Planner does
InProgress	Keep the action, retry next tick.
Success	Remove it, check if the goal is now satisfied.
Failed	Clear the plan and goal, replan next tick.

Priority math

The Crew Behavior panel is this whole page made visible. Left: each goal with its player priority slider (0 to 16). Middle: the priority factors (weight calculators) behind the selected goal, including the Section Heat curve and the day/night multiplier. Right: the live Decision Ranking, the effective-priority order the pawn is actually choosing from.

A goal's effective priority decides which goal wins. It starts from a base priority and is adjusted by weight calculators that read the pawn's current state:

effectivePriority = basePriority  x  product(weight calculators)  x  situationMultipliers

• basePriority is the goal's declared starting weight.
• Each weight calculator multiplies that based on live state.
• A calculator returning 0 effectively disables the goal until conditions change.

Weight calculator types

Type	Reads	Effect
target_available	Whether a matching target entity exists (with optional filter)	Hard gate to 0 when there is nothing to act on (no addict seeking a dealer, no debtor to collect).
inventory_check	A resource amount vs a threshold	Gate or scale by stock (belowMultiplier / aboveMultiplier). Buy when low, sell when high.
property_multiplier	A numeric property over an input range	Map a value (Heat, Cash) to an output multiplier range along a curve.
proximity_threat	Nearby tagged entities within a radius	Reduce priority per nearby threat (for example, back off deals with police close).
time_of_day	Day or night	Separate dayMultiplier and nightMultiplier. Most crime leans toward night.
trait_check	One or more trait conditions (op, value)	Binary gate: all conditions must pass or the goal stays at 0. Used for drama.
trait_multiplier	A trait value over an input range	Scale smoothly by a trait (fear raising the urge to hunker down).
string_nonempty	Whether a string property is set	Active only when a target id is present (a Green Light order, a named rat).

Calculators stack by multiplication, so a goal can be gated by one (target_available), scaled by another (property_multiplier on heat), and shaped by time of day all at once.

Player-adjustable priorities

Priorities the player can tune live on the weight calculator, flagged as player-adjustable. The player's goal-priority panel slides these multipliers. Player adjustment never edits the goal's desired state, only its weight, so a goal can be dialed down to near zero without ever becoming unreachable.

NOTE

Player goals set to 0 on the priority panel are switched off. Internal drama goals are hidden from the panel so the player cannot accidentally disable them. See Drama.

Gang member goal reference

The full goal set for a gang member: 38 goals. This is the complete, current list with base priority, goal type, and every weight calculator that shapes it. For a per-entity overview of all other pawns, see Entities.

Goal type legend:

Type	Meaning
Player	You rank it on the crew priority panel (see Player controls). A gang member has 16 of these.
Player order	Fired by a specific order you issue (a Green Light kill order), not the priority panel.
Mission	Carries out an assigned mission. Assigned by the Director or by a player-driven service.
System	Always active and outranks player goals. Driven by sensors (combat, arrest, fleeing).
Internal	Hidden from the player panel. Background behavior and drama.

Most Player business goals start at base 0 on purpose: they stay dormant until there is something to act on, then scale with heat, cash, stock, and time of day.

Player controls

You influence a gang member two ways, both soft nudges:

Control	Range	What it does
Priority rank (crew panel)	0 to 16	Ranks each of the 16 Player goals. 0 switches a goal off; 1 to 16 is a relative ranking (the max equals the number of assignable goals). This sets the goal's base priority.
Cocaine Stockpile Cap (Buy Cocaine)	0 to 5000	Members stop buying once they hold this much.
Cocaine Reserve (Sell Wholesale)	0 to 5000	Members sell wholesale only above this amount.

Only Buy Cocaine and Sell Wholesale have the extra amount sliders. Every other Player goal is controlled by its priority rank alone.

Business and economy

All are Player goals (ranked 0 to 16 on the crew panel). Buy Cocaine and Sell Wholesale also have amount sliders, noted below.

Goal	Base	Weight calculators
Sell Drugs	0	target_available (addict seeking a dealer); inventory_check (hard gate, needs 50g+); property_multiplier (SectionHeat: fades above 70, near 0 at 100); time_of_day (night 1.5x)
Sell Wholesale	0	target_available (Distributor); inventory_check (sell above the Cocaine Reserve slider); proximity_threat (police 200); time_of_day (night 1.2x)
Buy Cocaine	0	target_available (Trafficker); inventory_check (buy below the Cocaine Stockpile Cap slider); proximity_threat (police 200); time_of_day (night 1.3x)
Pick Up Product	0	target_available (Lab with product)
Stash Product	0	target_available (Stash); inventory_check (only with 100g+ surplus); time_of_day (night 1.2x)
Pick Up From Stash	0	target_available (Stash with product); inventory_check (only if carrying under 50)
Deposit Cash	0	target_available (cash-deposit Stash); property_multiplier (needs ~$500+ on hand); property_multiplier (urgency rises to $20k); time_of_day (day 1.3x)
Collect Cash From Stash	0	target_available (Stash holding cash)
Collect Debt	0	target_available (collectible Debtor); time_of_day (night 1.3x)
Launder Money	0	target_available (Front); property_multiplier (Cash $2k-10k); time_of_day (day 1.4x, night 0.3x)
Collect Protection	0	target_available (Racket target); proximity_threat (police 250); property_multiplier (SectionHeat dampens, floor 0.25x); time_of_day (day 1.2x)
Extort Shop	0	target_available (Civilian shop); proximity_threat (police 200); time_of_day (day 1.3x)

Territory and risk management

Goal	Base	Type	Weight calculators	Notes
Guard Corner	0	Player	property_multiplier (SectionHeat 10-80 to 0-2x); time_of_day (night 1.4x)	More motivated as the block heats up.
Lay Low	0	Player	property_multiplier (HeatLevel 4-10 to 0-3x)	Only activates at heat 5 and up.
Hunker Down	4	Internal / System	trait_multiplier (Fear 25-80 to 0-2.5x); trait_multiplier (Confidence resists, high nerve ignores it)	A scared member wants off the street.
Threaten Witness	0	Player	(fires via plan/handshake when a witness exists)	Silences a civilian who reported.
Bribe Officer	0	Player	target_available (un-bribed corrupt officer); property_multiplier (HeatLevel 3-10 to 0-3x); property_multiplier (Cash $1k-10k); time_of_day (night 1.3x)	Needs ~$1,000 to be convincing.

Combat, arrest, and orders

These are mostly system goals that outrank anything the player assigns.

Goal	Base	Type	Weight calculators	Notes
Fight	12	System	(driven by combat engagement scores)	See Combat.
Surrender	14	System	-	Only with a cop actively arresting.
Evade Arrest	16	System	trait_check (Fear > 60)	Only a fearful member runs.
Resist Arrest	18	System	trait_check (Aggression > 70)	Only a hothead opens fire on police.
Execute Mission	0	Mission	string_nonempty style activation when a mission is assigned	Assigned by the Director or a player-driven service.
Green Light	1	Player order	string_nonempty (GreenLightTarget, 8x)	Fires when you issue a kill order on a target.
Hunt the Rat	1	Internal / System	string_nonempty (RatHuntTarget, 9x)	Active once a suspect is fingered.
Hunt the Badge	1	Internal / System	string_nonempty (VendettaCopTarget, 8x); time_of_day (night 1.4x)	A Historian-seeded blood feud with a cop.
Cold Kill	3	Internal	time_of_day (night 1.6x)	Quiet work under cover of darkness.

Drama and breakdown

All trait-gated and internal. Base 0 unless noted; the trait_check must pass before the goal competes at all.

Goal	Base	Unlocks when (trait_check)	Also needs
Defect	10	Loyalty < 20	-
Steal from Crew	0	Greed > 80 and Loyalty < 40	A stash to steal from
Rat to Police	0	Loyalty < 15 and Fear > 70	A cop to rat to
Refuse Orders	0	Resentment > 60 and Loyalty < 30	-
Mental Break, Rage	0	Aggression > 70 and Stress > 80	-
Intimidate Random	0	Aggression > 60 and Stress > 50	Someone to intimidate
Kill Contact	0	Aggression > 85 and MoralFlexibility > 80	-
Substance Binge	0	Cocaine craving > 75 and Stress > 60	-
Catatonic Breakdown	0	Depression > 80 and Stress > 70	-
End It All	0	Depression > 95 and Hopelessness > 90 and Stress > 85	-
Inspire Crew	0	Confidence > 80 and Natural leadership > 60	-

Idle

Goal	Base	Type	Notes
Chillin' on Turf (Wander)	0	Internal	The floor behavior when nothing else is reachable.

The layering rule

Traits change outcomes and unlock goals. Traits do not directly set GOAP priorities.

This is the most important rule in the AI. If traits silently drove priorities, a pawn could get stuck wanting something it can never do (a lock state). Instead:

• Traits shift the results of actions (how much, how well, with what side effects).
• Traits unlock new goals by crossing thresholds (a trait_check gate flips from 0 to active).
• The planner and the player's priorities still decide what gets attempted.

See the full threshold table in Traits.

Sticky plans and interruption

While an action is InProgress, the pawn is committed. Priority changes and newly valid goals are ignored until the action finishes, fails, or its preconditions break. This "sticky plan" behavior is intentional. Interrupts are explicit, done two ways:

Mechanism	How it works	Trade-off
Precondition invalidation	A high-urgency condition (for example PoliceApproaching) is added as a negated precondition on interruptible actions. When it flips true, the action fails its check and the pawn replans.	No special code, but the plan aborts mid-step.
Hard abort	A system detects the condition, clears the pawn's plan, and cancels movement so it replans immediately.	Cleanest reaction, needs a bit of logic.

Actions apply their own effects

An action declares its effects as postconditions in data. When it succeeds, those effects are applied automatically. Authors should not also write the same effect by hand inside the behavior, or it applies twice. See GOAP authoring for how to declare effects correctly.

Related

• Author your own goals and actions: Modding: GOAP
• What gates a goal on personality: Traits
• What makes pawns act as coordinated squads: Director