Advanced AI Sensory System: Provides the most thorough modeling of human senses in a first person action game to date. AIs react to 11 unique stimuli, including enemy flashlights, footprints in the snow, footsteps, weapon fire, dead bodies, and more. In addition, like a human, reaction time can vary depending upon the state of the AI. Drowsy or bored guards can be caught unawares or fooled by Agent Archer while suspicious guards will begin searching the area for trouble. If a patrolling guard becomes aware of Cate's presence, she must dispatch him quickly and quietly before he has a chance to sound an alarm or summon backup from another location.

Group Intelligence: No One Lives Forever AIs function in groups to maximize their effectiveness. For example, if Agent Archer is spotted then hides, AIs will fan out in a coordinated search. When they attack, some will become defensive, taking up vantage from a high-point in the room or jumping in and out from behind the safety of walls and columns. One may lay down suppressive fire while another runs for back-up and yet another lobs grenades from a distance.

Skeletal Animation and Animation Blending: The game combines a Weighted Skeletal Animation System with Animation Blending to simulate hundreds of realistic movements such as enemies getting in and out of chairs, picking up weapons, or opening doors.

Specific Recoil Modeling: Enemies respond to damage in 18 different zones, with specific recoil and death animations for each, as well as damage modifiers for critical and peripheral zones. For example, head shots are far more lethal than limb shots.

Advanced Weapon System: Agent Archer has at her disposal over 30 weapons and gadgets, many of which accept multiple ammunition types and modifications or have secondary uses. For example, Archer's barrette serves as both a lockpick and a melee weapon that injects poison into an enemy's bloodstream. She can chamber her .38 revolver with full metal jacket, dum dum, cyanide-tipped, phosphorous, and even high explosive rounds. Many of the weapons in her arsenal can be fitted with modifications such as scopes, laser sights, and silencers.

Sophisticated Damage Modeling: Enemies topple from ledges, tumble down stairs, and crawl away on hands and knees. Gunshots knock them off their feet, explosions hurl them through the air, and harpoons stick them to walls. Archer can crush them, poison them, burn them, blind them, stab them, shoot them, blow them up, and even knock them out. Virtual mayhem has never been so satisfying.

Reciprocal Environmental Damage: No One Lives Forever's sophisticated special effects system allows for surface-specific bullet holes, scorch marks, sparks, steam, smoke, fire, tracers, blood splats, and debris.

Civilian Interaction System: Innocent and not-so-innocent bystanders also play an important role in the game. Archer will have the opportunity to spy on them as they go about their business, conversing among themselves, doing their jobs, or participating in more unusual diversions. Using socket technology, they'll carry clipboards, wear hats and glasses, and pick up mugs or other items while executing their duties or just hanging out. Like any normal human, they will panic and plead for their lives if Archer pulls a gun on them. However, if she approaches them casually, they can often reveal helpful or humorous information or be enlisted to Archer's aid.

Cinematic Gameplay: The story unfolds both in actual gameplay and through a series of in-game cinematics. By combining lip-synching, eye-blinking, and animation blending with realistic motion capture from professional actors, the game brings the story to vibrant life. In addition, the No One Lives Forever characters are built from more polygons than any other PC action game currently on the market. Cate Archer, for example, is created from approximately 1700 polygons.

Vehicle System: No One Lives Forever's vehicle system allows you to hop onto a motorcycle or commandeer a snowmobile to run down evildoers or outrun enemy helicopters.

Expansive Terrains: As part of LithTech 2.5, No One Lives Forever has the ability to render huge terrains and allow the user to move seamlessly from indoor to outdoor environments.

Eye Candy: The LithTech 2.5 engine features numerous rendering features designed to aid in simulating eye-catching, realistic environments. Specular highlighting adds a subtle sheen to weapons. Environment mapping puts a reflective luster on glossy or metallic surfaces. Accurate model lighting allows for directional illumination of characters and weapons. The game also features Canvas technology, S3 Texture Compression, 32-bit portals, 32-bit multi-texture blending, saturation light blending, and y-fog. These advanced technologies combine to simulate an extremely realistic world.

Direct Music: The music in No One Lives Forever responds to what's going on in the game. Multiple music states and motifs weave a truly dynamic soundtrack based on where you go and what you do in the game. In addition, cinematic musical cues underscore important events or hint at dangers ahead.