Getting your AI opinions on what makes a good AI

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33 comments, last by BennettSteele 12 years ago
So I really like AI- not path finding, but the most amazing part to me- personality. Ive started developing/coding AIs, and what my goal is something along Fallout AIs. But something more than that. I have put together ideas, and was wondering about this kind of idea:

In the game, AIs get set random personalities. This is just the first version for testing:

float Math,Prediction,Creative,Geography;//Smarts
float Arms,Legs,Core,Endurance,Speed;//Physical
float Respect,Empathy,WillPower,Reactive,Leadership,Greed,Paranoia;//Personality


There are also going to be random events. I really love the concept of the unknown. So explaining the idea, lets say the AI has high empathy but low will-power. If it gets a message that someone is in need of help, the brain of the AI will use these values (with some noise) to choose whether to help them or not. There are alot of possibilities too, when you add more variables. But does anyone like the concept of realistic personalities in a game?
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I like the idea, although I'm not sure Fallout is the best shining example in terms of AI. Most AI in the games that I can think of seems scripted.

I like the idea of the different factors interacting, and I like the idea of being able to appeal to those different qualities by your actions or words. Probably those should be base values, with faction/person or situation modifiers. For example, if told that either they or someone else must die, perhaps some aspects of smarts would decrease from the fear, and willpower and paranoia would increase. Based on that they may or may not betray the other person and just look out for themselves. Perhaps you need a set of challenges a person faces and how they affect the attributes is a part of the personality too, e.g. some people buckle under pressure, others it makes their will stronger.
Exactly. If they had low courage, those kinds of things would be affected. I want it to be quite realistic, but id like to also here what others think about it.
I would go for a low-dimensional personality model. Perhaps 5 numbers is all you need. But I would really start with maybe 2 to mess around. Assigning personalities to agents only makes sense to the extent that your player can perceive them. So the game should involve decisions that show character. If your model is too realistic, players might not be able to accurately gauge the personalities of the agents, and the way the agents act might end up seeming random.

On the other hand, if you managed to make complex personalities and communicate them to the player, you would be able to make games about why Mark left Sally, which is something completely unattainable with current methods, and which would tap into a huge reservoir of people that don't currently play games.

You may want to read Chris Crawford on Interactive Storytelling.
*wince* Fallout AI? Seriously?

If you want to incorporate personality, mood, and emotion in your AI, the Sims (especially Sims 3) is the go-to standard of it. This utility-based method can easily be transferred over into RPGs or even shooters with the caveat that it needs to be perceivable by the player as Alvaro noted.

Dave Mark - President and Lead Designer of Intrinsic Algorithm LLC
Professional consultant on game AI, mathematical modeling, simulation modeling
Co-founder and 10 year advisor of the GDC AI Summit
Author of the book, Behavioral Mathematics for Game AI
Blogs I write:
IA News - What's happening at IA | IA on AI - AI news and notes | Post-Play'em - Observations on AI of games I play

"Reducing the world to mathematical equations!"


*wince* Fallout AI? Seriously?

I assume the OP is talking about the conversations with AI's that occur during Fallout (and are entirely scripted). Not the (atrocious) combat/movement AI.

Tristam MacDonald. Ex-BigTech Software Engineer. Future farmer. [https://trist.am]

XD well, as in Fallout AI: like Bethesda AIs- always have tasks assigned and are doing things even without you there.... if im correct. And also, im trying to create the AI so you can store basic memories- types like reputations, or past events. These come to play in decision making later.

EDIT:

And conversation like fallout, but are completely unscripted (meaning different personalities have different word banks for the same meaning).
Hah, Fallout 3 != Fallout.

Bethesda's version of Fallout is substantially different from the original two games.

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You're talking about basic knowledge-representation concepts. This is a very broad field and you can spend a lot of time digging into it; but if you can clarify your design goals a bit, we can probably guide you to some common/useful techniques.

Also, we seem to have different definitions of "scripted." Just because Bob says "potato" and Joe says "potahtoe" doesn't mean they aren't using some kind of conversation script.

Wielder of the Sacred Wands
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XD well, as in Fallout AI: like Bethesda AIs- always have tasks assigned and are doing things even without you there.... if im correct. And also, im trying to create the AI so you can store basic memories- types like reputations, or past events. These come to play in decision making later.

You are really gonna want to scale this back a bit until you get your hands around it some. A utility-based AI is one thing. One that is based on longer-term things such as memories of past actions really can tip out of balance quickly. Get a UBAI system a la Sims 3 up and running first.


And conversation like fallout, but are completely unscripted (meaning different personalities have different word banks for the same meaning).
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There's been quite a lot of work done on this already. However, it is more complicated than word choice. I believe Baylor Wetzel has an article on it in AIGPW 4 or GPG 8. Can't remember which.

Dave Mark - President and Lead Designer of Intrinsic Algorithm LLC
Professional consultant on game AI, mathematical modeling, simulation modeling
Co-founder and 10 year advisor of the GDC AI Summit
Author of the book, Behavioral Mathematics for Game AI
Blogs I write:
IA News - What's happening at IA | IA on AI - AI news and notes | Post-Play'em - Observations on AI of games I play

"Reducing the world to mathematical equations!"

XD Yeah, i know its going to be huge. By scripted, i mean... lets say a meteor lands. Someone with low intelligence says "Oh my god is that a alien or somethin?!", and someone with a higher intelligence says "There seems to have been an impact." Both have the same meaning, but are different in word choices.

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