If I remember correctly, technically the first video does actually (very lightly) touch on replacing particle instances with functional actors, but it’s very minimal. What you learn from the other videos should help you with getting the crowds working, and with a little Niagara Scratch Pad and elbow grease replacing the particles should be possible, though I don’t have any resources for that specific matter because there’s not many resources for scratch pad in general.
Though you aren’t alone in the endeavour and other users are also working towards the same goals: