Mateas, Michael
<p>Oct 22, 2009 11:17 AM
 
I met at AIIDE 2009 at Stfd in Oct 2009.  v cool guy... gave keynote.
 
<b>The Photoshop of AI</b>
 
(My idea -  so you want a talking Avatar of a human... how abt a talking Avatar of an animal,
designed with the purpose of being a PR rep for its race.  It would make the case for
its survival or tell its story.)
 
 
Is there a core of AI that can be placed on a pallete  like  Photoshop tools.
 
His answer is basically NO...  intel.  is immense collection of tools;  the AI space is MUCH LARGER
than the graphic art space..
 
Graphics is just  wireframes  polygonal  models then covered with a textured skin...  a decompositon of a picture.
(Bob:  how abt  states and actions)
 
Video games are  technology +  aesthetics + interactivity.
(see Grace and Trip below)
 
Must have a simple decomposition  eg  a  Bezier curve/ spline was it for  text decomp  (Adobe:  LaTex)
 
but  AI  decompos. is an epic  FAIL.
 
Chris  Hecker's  prediction was that there is a structure style decomposition for  AI.
 
Style will not depend on structure.
 
Current state of AI authoring is  fragile.  see  Damien Isla  talk on the cruise  FDG 2009.
 
MATEAS:  simple decomposition of AI is a MIRAGE
 
AI has been underestimated
underestim   Visual Arts role in games
3)  problem of  CONDITIONAL EXECUTION has been greatly underestimated.
 
look at  SuperMario or Quake  (older, rel simple games)
 
NPC is a nonplayer character;  FSM guards  (fin. state machine)
NPCs are statistics based.
Knights of the Old Republic  (a Star Wars game)   complex,  non-linear.
 
Most recent is  Left 4 Dead
needs common sense reasoning.
 
the graphic decompos  problem is  a  TINY LITTLE PROBLEM
 
AI is a  GIANT MONSTER  with many solns
 
Graphics is a problem that was solved in the RENAISSANCE (the perspective problem)   a single problem.
 
AI is abt the expression of intelligence  he recom the book  EXPRESSIVE PROCESSING by Noah Wardrip-Fruin
Brown PhD thesis 2006  see the pdf online.
 
How about PhotoshopS of AI... decompose  AI into subtypes in just the same way that there are difft genres of
video games
 
SIMS  Football  City  RPG dialog  Shooter
 
AI is a CONDITONAL PROCESS EXECUTING <b>OVER TIME.</b>..
Bob note:  achieving complex goals in a complex,  CHANGING environment.
 
Spore,  Galactic Adventures  ... user generated models
Spore Quests.
 
Michael (not Mike)  says  there were no predig. artisits... WRONG  there are novelists, script writers, screen paly.
 
CODE  (unlike art) is not blendable...  Big constraint... the Artifact must be executable.
 
ABL  reactive planner;   data driven vs scripted. SEE the HTN paper  (Warcraft ABL Planning HTN)
 
Quality of Story is important as is Drama Management;
 
Richard Evans in Sims3...  he turns it over to designer rules;
 
social practices library;  context model.
 
GAMES PEOPLE PLAY;  Goffman  dramaturgical analysis;  Sex and the City.
 
<b>Rituals</b>:  things we do at bed-time;  social rituals - hand-shaking, funerals, initiation rites.
 
<b>Pastimes</b>:  a diversion;  sailing; gambling;  a hobby;  that which amuses, diversion, sport, game.
 
Library of Social Games:  
 
sadness, joy, disgust, surprise, anger, fear,  others:  concentration, desire, excitement, glare
 
Michael Mateas is designing an undergrad curriculum or major for  AI-based game design.
 
 
 
 
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