   Prototyping - AI and interaction centric 2D RPG
  Hi I am a programmer who wants to design and develop a 2D side-scroller RPG. I am wondering what will be the best framework to use to rapidly prototype things like.  - AI and agent behaviors  - NPC interactions . (dialogs, simple combat, trading gear)I am new to game dev however I am vaguely familiar with these frameworks:   - Pygame, possibly with frameworks like http://cocos2d.org/   - RPG maker Vx  - C# + XNA 2.0   (free)  - Torque Game Builder with Platformer Kit (not free)Ideally, I am looking for premade kit/game which can be modded or extended to completely rework its:  - NPC AI  - NPC interaction UI  - custom game mechanics.What are your recommendations or suggestions?thanksRudy (PS: My language preferences are C++/C# /Python. I have a computer science background. So language is not an issue as long as it suitable for implementing AI and advanced concepts. I rather not bend over backwards with simplistic scripting languages.)    
  Make both a C++ interface and a Python interface to code your agents. The only real advantage of Python is that you don't need to recompile it on every change, though.   ;  Make both a C++ interface and a Lua interface to code your agents. The only real advantage of Lua is that you don't need to recompile it on every change, though.   