[MUD-Dev] Natural Language Generation

[Michael]

--- mugginsm at under-the-fridge.com wrote:

> My view is that merely attempting to make an NPC pretend to be a
> human is what frustrates players. In a text based game, it's not
> like a room description is trying to fool the player into thinking
> they're actually there. A game sword doesn't trick the player into
> believing they *really* have a sword. So why should a computer
> controlled character necessarily try and fool the player into
> thinking there's real intelligence there?

If it succeeds in "fooling" the player, then there IS intelligence
there.

> To me, an NPC that I can interact with in a consistent manner (not
> spending hours guessing the synonym that triggers quest
> information or finding the one NPC that is actually interactive)
> to perform game actions *in game terms* is just right.

What if there's a player sitting there amusedly watching you guess
synonyms until she decides to let you have your quest? What's the
difference?

> An NPC barkeep that can divulge information, or that regulars can
> ask to throw irritating customers out of the bar, or that can pass
> messages on to other regulars is just fine. Give it a consistent
> interface:

>   "ask barkeep to <action>"

>   "ask barkeep about <thing>"

> for example, and it works. Some MUDs do this quite well already
> with individual NPCs, but the interface needs to be more
> consistent across all of them.

You should be able to do that for players, as well. The recipient
would be told, "You were asked to <action> by <person>."

> The moment it breaks immersion and becomes frustrating and
> annoying is when the NPC tries to *fool* me into thinking it's
> human.  Because it can't. Not this decade, anyway.

> I think NPCs are excellent game resources, but trying to make them
> "real" is actually counter productive.

It's really a matter of priorities. If you're looking to get a game
on the market that will be fun and immersive, then sure, spending
time on quality AI is counter-productive. But if you're trying to
find a next step to take, i.e. you're an Explorer rather than an
Achiever ;), then I feel it's a worthwhile area to look into,
because AI has that much potential.

--Michael Chui
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