Interactive Drama: A First-Person Experience in a Fantasy World - Prof. John E. Laird, Study notes of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Download Interactive Drama: A First-Person Experience in a Fantasy World - Prof. John E. Laird and more Study notes Electrical and Electronics Engineering in PDF only on Docsity! Interactive Drama EECS 494 10/02/06 by J. Laird and Sugih Jamin Interactive Drama An “interactive drama” … is a first-person experience within a fantasy world, in which the User may create, enact, and observe a character whose choices and actions affect the course of events just as they might in a play. -Brenda Laurel 1986 I. Tree from Hell • Different plot based on each decision • This is what people really expect • Must create 16 scenes for only 4 decisions (S = 2d) • Very difficult to create 10 really good scenes in a movie II. Death Trap • Lots of “choices” • one takes you forward • some lead to death • some are side trips • some lead you back • Usually artificially limit choices • Desert Island • Boat • Spaceship (Warlock) XX X X III. Hour Glass • Lots of choices, but choices don’t really matter • Kinder, gentler death trap VI. Transition Movies • Game play followed by “reward” transition • Lots of $$ go into transitions, less go into gameplay • No choices on plot ACTION GAME ACTION GAME: Next Level TRANSITION TRANSITION TRANSITION VII. Hour Glass/Action Game • Plot unfolds as user “makes” key decisions or takes specific action • Maintains plot and story, but usually limited decisions • Intermediate decisions can determine initial conditions for action game • Action game may have 2-3 endings • Often multiple endings • Wing Commander IV ACTION GAME ACTION GAME VIII. Linear with Puzzles • Open world with puzzles that block your way • Puzzles should be solvable from story • No real choices in outcome (except death) • Myst, Beyond Time, Zork, Full Throttle, Day of the Tenacle, The Dig, 7th Guest, ... Exploration Exploration Puzzle Puzzle Puzzle X. Dynamically Generate Plot • Generate choices and plot as user makes choices • Don’t give choices that destroy overall plot XI. Dynamically Order Plot Elements • Have many small plot elements • Dynamically chose from them based on user input • Façade XII. Computational Theater • Mixture of computer actors and humans • Computer/human director controls computer actors so that plot is always followed • Online WestWorld • Holodeck • Beyond the state-of-the-art • Holy Grail on interactive drama • Neil Stephenson’s Diamond Age Character to Character • Toughest interface • Must pass the Turing test • Full natural language isn’t there • Myst punted on this: no living characters • Options: • Limited natural language - user guesses • List of specific choices - just try them all • List of abstract choices - in character • Deliver the interaction you promise Character Reaction • Character response depends on mood, effect, ... • Questions that you ask change mood • Return to Zork • Character response changes as story progresses • Good way to move plot along Characters: Video/Animation • Video: • Sin of repetition -- obvious & unnatural • Takes lots of CD/DVD space • Easier for long linear scenes • More realistic • Animation (Interactive Comics): • More flexible in action and special effects • Easier to splice in extra action • Can control detail of characters