A) BehavioralĀ modelling is an important part of NPC development for games. Should emotive modelling be part of that development?
Emotive modelling is an extremely important aspect of development in games for NPCs. As video games become more developed and realistic players gradually become more immersed in the experience of playing games. AI has developed as such a fast rate that it has now become commonplace to see smart AI that acts almost human like. Emotive modelling goes a long way in this process to helping players understand emotion in games thereby bringing them more enjoyment.
B) Consider your favoriteĀ video game. If it contains AI controlled agents how individualistic are they and their behaviors, and, how might you set about improving them?
Fallout New Vegas uses the gamebryo engine which enabled obsidian to use the engine to create radiant AI which responds to each other and the player in a predetermined behavioural manner. New Vegas is an RPG meaning that it is completely based upon player choices. AI react to the choices you make in the form of factions within this game. NPCS have a range of emotions towards the player and these affects how you can interact with certain people. New Vegasā NPCS can be difficult at times for example the companions you can have on your quest can prove to be troublesome and annoying sometimes. For example, you could be walking down a tight corridor and they will constantly be blocking your path trying to interact with you. Stealth can be used in New Vegas and the AI can feel buggy at times when you are using the stealth mechanic. Sometimes it feels as though the AI can see through walls and other times they are blind to everything, improving these AI is down to the gamebryo engine itself. The engine is outdated compared to other titles, but it offers and immersive RPG experience.
Sources
Click to access c3628f011a59124946f4b3bef59237ea21f8.pdf
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/12/video-game-characters-emotional-ai-developers
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1875952111000486
http://mmi.tudelft.nl/~joostb/files/Popescu_Broekens_Someren_2013.pdf
http://www.digra.org/wp-content/uploads/digital-library/07311.25139.pdf
https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/0903/0903.0735.pdf
http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/ai-video-games-toward-intelligent-game/
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609482/ai-is-dreaming-up-new-kinds-of-video-games/
https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/14/16143392/dota-ai-openai-bot-win-elon-musk
https://www.networkworld.com/article/3160106/artificial-intelligence/how-video-game-ai-is-changing-the-world.html
References
Norman, D. (1988).Ā The Design of Everyday Things.
Lebowitz, J. (2011).Ā Interactive Storytelling for Video Games.