DAI Engine ( Decisions and Impulses / D.A.I. )

D.A.I. Engine 3.6

DAI 3.6 expands the Engine considerably beyond the 3.5 runtime, with major additions for RPG systems, server-authoritative skills, improved custom entity behavior, more flexible datapack execution, cinematic support, and general runtime stability.

New Skill / RPG Runtime

• Added the new dai_skills customization category.
• Added a server-authoritative DAI Skill runtime for reusable active abilities.
• Skills can now define:
  • cooldowns
  • shared cooldown groups
  • resource costs
  • required levels
  • required skill ranks
  • required jobs/classes
  • required and blocked tags
  • projectile count
  • projectile spread
  • projectile speed
  • projectile forward offsets
  • server-side cast events
• Added skill_cast / server_skill_cast action support.
• Added persistent-state-compatible hooks for RPG progression systems.
• Provides the foundation used by newer class, skill, mana/resource, and combat experiences.

Improved Item / Reaction Identification

• Added reaction_item_model.
• DAI reactions can now distinguish items using their actual minecraft:item_model instead of relying only on the vanilla carrier item.
• Enables multiple completely different custom tools, weapons, skills, and interfaces to safely share the same underlying Minecraft item.
• Improved reaction context propagation for item model information.
• Updated client interaction handling to expose the held item's model identity to DAI logic.

Custom Entity Runtime Improvements

• Improved JSON-controlled mob behavior and encounter reliability.
• target_player can now respect an entity's configured native FOLLOW_RANGE instead of relying on a universal hardcoded acquisition distance.
• clear_target now also stops stale navigation, preventing mobs from continuing to path toward an old target.
• Improved custom entity target/disengage behavior.
• Improved support for controlled encounter zones and authored mob behavior.
• Custom entity death events can now reference Minecraft functions directly.
• DAI resolves server-owned lifecycle function references without requiring unnecessary wrapper actions.
• Improved player-killer context handling for custom entity death rewards.

Datapack Validation & Server Function Resolution

• DAI validation now understands that supported server-side function references do not need to exist as client DAI actions.
• Direct lifecycle and skill event function IDs are resolved by the server runtime.
• Vanilla loot-table references are properly accepted by custom entity definitions.
• Reduced false-positive validation failures for otherwise valid packs.
• Validation now reports server-resolved references as informational messages instead of errors.

Projectile / Combat Foundation

• Expanded integration between DAI Skills and the native projectile physics runtime.
• Skills can directly spawn configured DAI projectiles.
• Supports multi-projectile attacks, spread, speed, offsets, penetration-oriented weapon design, and other advanced combat behaviors.
• Preserves projectile ownership for proper player kill attribution and downstream reward systems.
• Provides a stronger common foundation for RPGs, shooters, bosses, ranged mobs, and other custom combat experiences.

ERAS / JSON Cinematic Compatibility

• Added the foundation for direct playback of JSON animation projects created through the ERAS / Simple Animation Designer.
• Added support for cinematic definitions through dai_cinematics.
• Added:
  • cinematic_play
  • cinematic_stop
  • cinematic_pause
  • cinematic_resume
  • wait_for_cinematic
• Existing animation actions can also resolve compatible cinematic IDs.
• Added support for ERAS-style:
  • timeline sampling
  • keyframes
  • easing
  • hold/event frames
  • reusable animation clips
  • parent/group transforms
  • 2D and 3D camera animation
  • relative cinematic camera positioning
  • object visibility windows
  • basic 2D vector objects
  • basic 3D scene objects
  • sprites
  • deterministic particle emitters
  • post-processing effects
  • HUD hiding
  • cinematic input locking
• Establishes the foundation for using ERAS as a visual animation/cutscene authoring tool for Minecraft experiences powered by DAI.

World Loading / Experience Presentation

• Improved custom experience loading-screen presentation.
• Long loading and branding text now wraps and centers more safely at smaller GUI resolutions.
• Improved compatibility with experience-specific loading and startup branding.
• Reduced cases where custom loading text could overflow the available interface area.

Runtime Reliability

• Improved server/client separation for actions that must execute authoritatively.
• Improved hot-reload behavior for data-driven runtime definitions.
• Improved compatibility between custom entities, skills, projectiles, reactions, and server functions.
• Reduced unnecessary runtime ambiguity when a definition intentionally resolves through Minecraft's server function system.
• Additional defensive checks and runtime cleanup throughout the new RPG/entity systems.

Compatibility

• Existing DAI datapacks remain supported.
• New 3.6 systems are additive and can be adopted independently.
• Packs that do not use skills, cinematics, item-model reactions, or the expanded entity functionality do not need to be rewritten.
• 3.6 significantly expands what can be authored entirely through JSON/datapacks without requiring a dedicated Java mod for each individual experience.