[MUD-Dev] TECH: Complex NPCs

[tryguy74 at hotmail.com]

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Original message: http://www.kanga.nu/archives/MUD-Dev-L/2002Q2/msg00020.php

On Mon,  1 Apr 2002 12:22:56 -0800 (PST)
Sean Kelly <sean at hoth.ffwd.cx> wrote:

Thanks for the input.

> Last month's Wired had a feature on AI and there was an interview
> with the creator of The Sims.  The Sims AI is deceptively simple.
> Sims people have a certain set of needs (hunger, entertainment,
> sleep) and every object in the Sims world satisfies a need to some
> degree.  Those objects emit signals whose strength is based on how
> well they satisfy that need.  Using this idea, a 3d map is created
> where the peaks are objects.  A Sims person, then, just needs to
> evaluate which need is greatest and then follow the slope to that
> satisfaction object.  The only exception is the bed, whose slope
> extends across the entire Sims world, since the need for sleep
> overrides everything.

Ah, this is a little more detailed than I'd previously read. Thanks.

I recently found this neat site dealing with advanced npcs:

  http://www.draigsffau.com/Projects/Destiny/index.html#Documents

They talk about multi-layered maps. I'm guessing maxis used a
similar techique, with each need represented on it's own layer.

BTW, does anyone know what happened to the people behind the site? 
There's been no update since mid-1999, and yet if they'd stopped the
project, why'd they keep the web page operating? They do seem
talented.

> Personally, I don't really consider the Sims AI to really be AI.
> There is never much choice or thinking going on in the Sims world.
> It's a strict need-satisfaction queue.  It might be a good start
> for modeling realistic behavior on an individual level, but you'll
> still need the chatterbot side of things to make the NPCs appear
> real to the players.

I haven't really looked at chatterbots. I've played with the
alicebot (alicebot.org), but wasn't impressed enough to look at the
design papers or code. Maybe I should have a closer look.

Are there examples of chatterbots in a game-setting? My interest is
focused around emotional states and rule-based goal-seeking, rather
than a coherent conversation.


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