[Showcase] Ensemble Simulator (群像模拟器): A Chinese text-based multi-agent OC world built on ai-town

Hi ai-town community!

I wanted to share a project I built based on the amazing ai-town starter kit.

Ensemble Simulator (群像模拟器) is a Character × World interaction framework, specifically tailored for Chinese OC (Original Character) creators who want to see their characters "live" in a shared world.

Instead of a pixel-art map, I modified the engine to focus purely on text-based storytelling and relationship dynamics — more like a visual novel observer than a game.

Key changes from ai-town:

• ️ Removed Pixi.js map entirely — replaced with a pure React text/event-stream UI (古风 / Chinese ink-wash aesthetic)
• Added a World Event Timeline that globally affects all agents (festivals, disasters, rumors...)
• Implemented a relationship evaluation engine and persona drift system based on long-term interactions (affinity, wariness, trust, curiosity)
• Support for custom OC import — users can bring their own characters with detailed backstory/personality into the world
• LLM API is optional — works without an API key (hides AI summary feature), supports OpenAI / DeepSeek / Ollama

First world pack: 风莫村 (Fengmo Village)

A Chinese ancient-style jianghu village with 6 preset characters. Users can swap in their own OCs or add new ones.

Links:

• GitHub: https://github.com/SarahXu31/ensemble-simulator
• ️ Tech stack: React + TypeScript + Convex

Thank you to the a16z-infra team for providing such a robust multi-agent foundation! Would love any feedback from the community