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Pandora Behavior Engine is a specialized software program designed to patch the behavior files in Skyrim Special Edition, specifically those in the Havok 2010 .hkx format.
Built on the knowledge of dedicated modders and programmers, this tool enables Skyrim modders to create a better gameplay experience by patching and optimizing behavior files for humans and creatures within the game.
The name "Pandora" in Pandora Behavior Engine alludes to the idea of unlocking a world of possibilities for modders to shape the in-game animation logic through behavior trees. And most importantly, it signifies hope for the future of the behaviour modding community.
Havok Behavior is a proprietary middleware software for controlling animation logic in video games through non-deterministic finite state automata. These automata are serialized in pack files with the hkx extension using a custom binary format, which hkxcmd and hkx2 can unpack.
Thanks to the work of modders, these pack files can be edited using various tools, the most prominent being Zartar's Behaviour Tool and Haviour.
A behaviour patcher is a program that reads the edits to the various pack files and merges the edits into a final output. This is necessary to have multiple mods making edits to the same files without conflicts.
First pioneered by Fore through FNIS for Skyrim, then further developed through Nemesis, Pandora is the latest culmination of the decade of work that has gone into the relatively underrecognized field of behaviour.
| Pandora | Nemesis | FNIS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows | Windows/Linux | Windows |
| Game | Skyrim SE/AE | Skyrim SE/AE | Skyrim SE/AE/LE |
| Support | Humans & creatures | Humans & some creatures | Humans & creatures |
| Patching | Behavior | Behavior | Limited Behavior |
| Export | HKX2 | HKXCMD | HKXCMD |
| Cross-Compatibility | Most FNIS mods & all Nemesis mods | Almost all FNIS Mods | Own Format Only |
| Source | Open Source (GPL v3) | Open Source (GPL v3) | Closed Source |
| Animations | Add via behavior or graph injection | Add via behavior or animlist | Add via animlist |