BlackBlack & White & White

To analyze and critique the AI To analyze and critique the AI usedused

Amanda YaklinAmanda Yaklin

OutlineOutline

• What is What is BlackBlack & White? & White?• How is AI used in How is AI used in BlackBlack & White? & White?• What AI techniques are used?What AI techniques are used?• What tools are used to implement the AI?What tools are used to implement the AI?• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the What are the strengths and weaknesses of the

IA?IA?• How effective is the AI in improving the game?How effective is the AI in improving the game?

What is What is BlackBlack & White? & White?

• An Artificial An Artificial Intelligence based Intelligence based game in which the game in which the user plays God in user plays God in controlling a world.controlling a world.

• The user can make The user can make good choices or good choices or evil choices, which evil choices, which sculpt the game.sculpt the game.

How is AI used in How is AI used in BlackBlack & & White?White?

• Two main focuses:Two main focuses:

– Villagers-Villagers-• Managing the Managing the

wellbeing of the wellbeing of the villagersvillagers

– Creatures-Creatures-• Training the habits of Training the habits of

the creatures chosen the creatures chosen by Godby God

How is AI used in How is AI used in BlackBlack & & White?White?

• VillagersVillagers– The gameplay can not continue without the The gameplay can not continue without the

villagers, so the player must perform villagers, so the player must perform miracles to help the sick, feed the village, miracles to help the sick, feed the village, etc.etc.

– The player must even choose people to be The player must even choose people to be disciple breeders; which populates the disciple breeders; which populates the villagevillage

– The villagers travel their own paths around The villagers travel their own paths around the village, interacting differently each time the village, interacting differently each time the game is loadedthe game is loaded

How is AI used in How is AI used in BlackBlack & & White?White?

• CreatureCreature– Upon multiple runs, a creature will have Upon multiple runs, a creature will have

many different reactionsmany different reactions– A creature can catch sight of his A creature can catch sight of his

reflection and go look at itreflection and go look at it– If the creature is hungry he looks around If the creature is hungry he looks around

for something to eat and finds a villager, for something to eat and finds a villager, or cow, or grain..or cow, or grain..

What AI Techniques are What AI Techniques are used?used?• Characters might have several Characters might have several

desires, to find out about something, desires, to find out about something, to satisfy hunger, to travel somewhereto satisfy hunger, to travel somewhere

• Each desire is associated with an Each desire is associated with an intensityintensity

• Whichever is the most intense, and Whichever is the most intense, and can be satisfied nearby, the character can be satisfied nearby, the character satisfies itsatisfies it

What AI Techniques are What AI Techniques are used?used?• At first creatures did not understand that eating a At first creatures did not understand that eating a

fence would not satisfy their hungerfence would not satisfy their hunger• They will eat it, throw it up, and learn to not eat it They will eat it, throw it up, and learn to not eat it

againagain• The creatures can be taught how to behaveThe creatures can be taught how to behave• The player can reinforce that some actions are The player can reinforce that some actions are

good by petting the creature, or show that an good by petting the creature, or show that an action is bad by slapping the creatureaction is bad by slapping the creature

• The creature remembers these repercussions for The creature remembers these repercussions for future actionsfuture actions

• Creatures even ‘watch’ actions of the player and Creatures even ‘watch’ actions of the player and imitate themimitate them– Ex: Casting a spellEx: Casting a spell

Ex: Learned SpellsEx: Learned Spells

What tools are used to What tools are used to implement the AI?implement the AI?

• Dynamically Building Decision-Trees for Dynamically Building Decision-Trees for learning optionslearning options

• How does a creature learn what sorts of How does a creature learn what sorts of objects are good to eat? He looks back at his objects are good to eat? He looks back at his experience of eating different types of things, experience of eating different types of things, and the feedback he received in each case, and the feedback he received in each case, how nice they tasted, and tries to "make how nice they tasted, and tries to "make sense" of all that data by building a decision sense" of all that data by building a decision tree. Suppose the creature has had the tree. Suppose the creature has had the following experiences:following experiences:

What tools are used to What tools are used to implement the AI?implement the AI?

• What he ate:What he ate:– A big rockA big rock

• What he ate:What he ate:– A small rockA small rock

• What he ate:What he ate:– A treeA tree

• What he ate:What he ate:– A cow A cow

• Feedback:Feedback:– -1.0-1.0

• Feedback:Feedback:– -0.5-0.5

• Feedback:Feedback:– -0.4-0.4

• Feedback:Feedback:– +0.6+0.6

What tools are used to What tools are used to implement the AI?implement the AI?

• A decision tree is built by looking at A decision tree is built by looking at the attributes which best divide the the attributes which best divide the learning episodes into groups with learning episodes into groups with similar feedback valuessimilar feedback values

• The algorithm used to dynamically The algorithm used to dynamically construct decision-trees is based on construct decision-trees is based on Quinlan’s ID3 systemQuinlan’s ID3 system

Example of Quinlan’s ID3 Example of Quinlan’s ID3 SystemSystem• if skin = hairy if skin = hairy

and colour = brown and colour = brown and size = large and size = large and flesh = hard and flesh = hard then conclusion = safe then conclusion = safe

• Conclusions are made based on gathered Conclusions are made based on gathered testing, not information previously hard testing, not information previously hard codedcoded

• Each new set of data collected from Each new set of data collected from action/reaction causes a path on a decision action/reaction causes a path on a decision tree to be created with a conclusion to ittree to be created with a conclusion to it

What are the strengths and What are the strengths and weaknesses of the AI?weaknesses of the AI?

• The contradiction of creatures being The contradiction of creatures being person like and useful created some a person like and useful created some a strength and a weakness the longer you strength and a weakness the longer you play the gameplay the game– First, the player can sculpt the creature over First, the player can sculpt the creature over

time which gives satisfaction to the playertime which gives satisfaction to the player– Second, this creature loses a lot of his charm Second, this creature loses a lot of his charm

the more you train him because he is the more you train him because he is focusedfocused•The creature becomes useful, but roboticThe creature becomes useful, but robotic

Ex: Sculpted CreaturesEx: Sculpted CreaturesZebra: Good, Neutral, and Zebra: Good, Neutral, and EvilEvil

Ex: Sculpted CreaturesEx: Sculpted Creatures

Cow: Good, Neutral, and EvilCow: Good, Neutral, and Evil

Ex: Sculpted CreaturesEx: Sculpted CreaturesLeapord: Good, Neutral, and Leapord: Good, Neutral, and EvilEvil

What are the strengths and What are the strengths and weaknesses of the AI?weaknesses of the AI?

• StrengthStrength– Agents have separate belief systems Agents have separate belief systems

due to the fact that they start with none, due to the fact that they start with none, and create a belief system on actions and create a belief system on actions that happen in the gamethat happen in the game

– This way agents do not act the same, This way agents do not act the same, because they gather different because they gather different information during the gameinformation during the game

What are the strengths and What are the strengths and weaknesses of the AI?weaknesses of the AI?• WeaknessWeakness

– Juggling the attention of the creature and the Juggling the attention of the creature and the maintenance of the villagers becomes difficult maintenance of the villagers becomes difficult and tediousand tedious

– The actions that creatures can perform are The actions that creatures can perform are based on a limited set of variablesbased on a limited set of variables• DamageDamage• HungerHunger• TirednessTiredness

– It would seem more human like if there were It would seem more human like if there were many different reasons that the creatures many different reasons that the creatures would make decisionswould make decisions

How effective is the AI in How effective is the AI in improving the game?improving the game?

• In the beginning of the game, before In the beginning of the game, before the player has focused the creature the player has focused the creature due to discipline, the AI is very due to discipline, the AI is very interesting to watchinteresting to watch

• After the creature is focused, the AI After the creature is focused, the AI is not as interesting to watch is not as interesting to watch because it becomes predictable because it becomes predictable

How effective is the AI in How effective is the AI in improving the game?improving the game?

• Overall, the concept of having a game Overall, the concept of having a game where you build a population and take where you build a population and take care of it like SimCity, is not nearly as care of it like SimCity, is not nearly as interesting as Black & White due to the AIinteresting as Black & White due to the AI

• It is fun to play a God like role in both It is fun to play a God like role in both games, but in Black & White you see games, but in Black & White you see direct changes in behavior of characters, direct changes in behavior of characters, which makes it much more fun which makes it much more fun

Thank you!Thank you!