Cognition refers to the universal systems that define how a sapient agent thinks, learns, and decides within a Tapestry. This category details the intricate internal processes that translate raw environmental data into meaningful action, shaping an Incarnation’s unique worldview and driving its behavior.

This is the hidden engine of personality and choice. The mechanisms described here apply to all sapient agents, both player-controlled Incarnations and non-player characters alike. For the player, the output of these systems is rendered through the Subjective Interface, providing a window into their character’s internal world.

The Cognitive Loop: The Engine of Being

An agent’s behavior emerges from a continuous cognitive loop, a cycle of processing information and generating responses. This loop is the foundation for apparent intelligence and adaptive behavior. It can be broadly categorized into the following phases, as detailed in the Technical Depot:

1. Sense: The agent perceives its environment and internal state.
2. Motivate: Internal Needs are assessed, and Goals are prioritized.
3. Plan: Actions are derived to satisfy prioritized Goals.
4. Appraise: Potential actions are evaluated for their risks, benefits, and alignment with internal states.
5. Act: The chosen action is executed.
6. Learn: The outcome of the action is processed, updating memories and beliefs.

The Psyche is the central processing unit for this loop; its Psychic Components generate the fundamental biases and capacities that influence every phase.

Core Cognitive Systems

The following documents detail the specific mechanics that govern an agent’s internal world. These systems work in concert to create a dynamic, evolving, and highly personal cognitive experience.

• Perception

  • Phase: Sense
  • Description: The process by which raw environmental data is filtered and translated into subjective awareness. It determines what an agent notices based on its sensory organs, attributes, and current needs.

• Psychic Interjections

  • Phase: Sense, Learn
  • Description: Spontaneous insights, intrusive thoughts, or gut feelings generated by the Psyche’s Archetypes. These interjections actively shape an agent’s real-time understanding of the world, reflecting its biases and learned patterns.

• Action Appraisal

  • Phase: Appraise
  • Description: The internal process of evaluating potential actions. It models decision-making as a dynamic debate between the competing facets of an agent’s Psyche and its Beliefs, determining which choice is ultimately pursued.

• Belief Crystallization

  • Phase: Learn
  • Description: The bottom-up process through which an agent forges profound life experiences into new, unshakable convictions. These ‘Crystallized Beliefs’ become powerful, permanent additions to the agent’s worldview, influencing future actions and perceptions.