lonestar wrote:for a npc's favorite item, is this random gifts or a specific item(s)? Minecraft has a mod called MC Comes Alive, which is in the same aspect of this, but there are certain pre-determined items that you can give to work up to a relationship/marriage. Items like diamonds, gold and flowers for female npc's, diamonds giving the most points. Can't remember, but just a few diamonds and you can marry. Also, in creative mode, no need for relationship points, just give a ring to any npc and automatically married.
Hi lonestar, thanks for the question, I will try to explain in the simplest manner possible!
First of all, a relationship with an NPC is divided into 6 phases, with phase 1 being the default for all NPCs and phase 6 being marriage. To work toward each phase, you need to give gifts to the NPC.
The NPC will have two favorite items during each phase which are randomly chosen from a pre-defined list of items.
(so answer to your question, yes, they are random, but not all items can be chosen as favorite, only a predetermined list)
How to know which items the NPC like? Talk to her or him. Each NPC give hints about items that it would like to have.
Giving the first favorite items (most liked) will increase your relationship points by 5, while giving the least liked item will increase relationship by 2.5 points.
When you accumulate enough points, the relationship will go to the next phase, and yes, much to Sokomine's sorrow, NPCs will throw a few hearts into the air to indicate that you have arrived to a new phase. At this point, new favorite items are chosen, and the NPC will also speak about other things.
When you get to the point where the NPC will not accept anymore gifts, he or she will actually tell you that you two should go a step further... this is the time to give them a marriage ring. They have a 50% chance to accept it or not, so you may have to try a few times.
NPCs also have two disliked items that stay the same during all relationship phases. Giving the most disliked item reduces your relationships by 5 points, and the less disliked item only by 2.5 points.
You can also check what the NPC doesn't like by talking to her or him.
The relationships will see a small tweaks in the near future, but it will not change heavily from what I have explained here! Hopefully this explains how the relationship system works for NPCs!