[MUD-Dev] MEDIA: Chris Crawford on Interactive Storytelling

[Mike Rozak]

I just read through "Chris Crawford on Interactive
Storytelling". You can read many lengthy reviews on
Amazon.com. Here's my synopsis for how the book is relevent to
virtual worlds and adventure games:

  1) Chris Crawford spends a fair amount of the book explaining why
  the emperor has no clothes. I find this interesting even if I
  don't agree with all his points, although I agree with most of
  them.

  2) The rest of the book is devoted to his vision of Interactive
  Storytelling. Basically, this amounts to making a world that is
  divided into "stages" (kind of like nodal MUD/adventure-game
  rooms, but they're all directly connected to one another without
  standard NSEW connections) and filling the world with actors. (As
  opposed to a MUD or adventure game that often emphasizes objects
  above AI.)

  3) The actors are all controlled by AI. Rather than a combat or
  movement oriented AI, this AI is socially oriented. Basically,
  characters all have personalities (values) and opinions about
  other characters. When they see another character doing something,
  or talk to the other character, their opinion changes. Plus,
  characters gossip with one another and pass stories around,
  causing opinions to change and further action.

  4) The world is controlled by a "director" AI that makes sure the
  story advances, characters don't get stuck, or whatever else it
  wishes.

  5) Throw a player into the mix.

What players DO in the game/entertainment is interact with NPC
API's. Players do NOT solve puzzles (unless you classify
maniuplating AIs as puzzle solving), do NOT engage in combat, and do
NOT carry around or use objects.

If you are interested in AI and/or a different approach to
MUDs/adventure games, then I recommend the book. I have been looking
for a non-academic NPC AI book for awhile, and this is the best one
I've found so far. (Note that pathfinding and other standard-game AI
issues are NOT dealt with, which is fine with me.)

Mike Rozak
http://www.mxac.com.au=
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