EXPRESSIVE INTELLIGENCE STUDIO FROM ABSTRACTION TO REALITY: Integrating Drama Management into a Playable Game Experience Anne Sullivan, Sherol Chen and

EXPRESSIVE INTELLIGENCE STUDIO

FROM ABSTRACTION TO REALITY:Integrating Drama Management into a Playable Game Experience

Anne Sullivan, Sherol Chen and Michael Mateas

Anne SullivanUniversity of California, Santa [email protected]://soe.ucsc.edu/~anne/

EXPRESSIVE INTELLIGENCE STUDIO UC SANTA CRUZ

Introduction

DODM

Application of DODM to real-time game

Initial user studies


Game Story Dilemma

Player agency vs. Authorial intent

Apologies to Capcom Entertainment, Inc © 1991

Agency Intent


DODM

Declarative Optimization-based Drama Manager Bates (proposed 1992) Weyhrauch (developed 1997) Search-based

Expectimax


DODM – Theory

Stand-In Designer

Player agency Plot points

Authorial intent DM actions Evaluation features


DODM – Theory

Pick DM move with highest projected evaluation

Plot points

DM actions

Evaluation features

Sequence so far

Project possible futures

Evaluate projected histories

Backup projected history evaluations

…


DODM – Practice

EMPath


DODM – Practice

EMPath


DODM – Plot Points

Plot points

DM actions

Evaluation features…


DODM – Plot Points – Theory

Player choice Important events in game Author chosen Player activated

Examples:Killed monkey kingFound information about prisoner


DODM – Plot Points – Example

Kill monkey king

Leave monkey king

Player choice

Monkey King defeated plot point


DODM – Plot Points – Reality

Plot points move Spatial reasoning

What constitutes a plot point? Encounter monkey king Kill monkey king


DODM – DM Actions

Plot points

DM actions



DODM – DM Actions – Theory

DM choices Author control Changes the game Causer, Hint, Denier/Enabler

Examples:Lock door to boss roomDrop note after next enemy dies


DODM – DM Actions – Example

Deny Monkey King defeated

plot point

DM choice

temp_deny_monkey_king_defeated DM action


DODM – DM Actions – Reality

Non-static hint probabilities Hints move, calculated at runtime Example:

info from enemy

Non-trivial refiners DM actions during real-time play Player location matters Example:

deny_candle after monkey_king_defeated


DODM – Evaluation Features

Plot points

DM actions



DODM – Evaluation Features – Theory

Abstraction of author goals Multiple goals Examples:

Thought FlowManipulation

Used to evaluate story quality


DODM – Evaluation Features – Example

Plot Point:info_jailsubplot = jail

DM Action:info_guard_next_roomhints = info_guardsubplot = jail

Drama Manager (DM)

wants to maintain Thought Flow


DODM – Evaluation Features – Reality

Story Density Non-instantaneous travel Wandering – good and bad Room transition based metric 1 – 4 rooms between plot points


DODM – Story Density



Plot Point

Plot Point

Plot Point

Plot Point

Plot Point

Plot Point

Plot Point



Plot Point

Plot Point

Plot Point

Plot Point

Plot Point

Plot Point

Plot Point

This is bad



Plot point



Plot point

Also bad


DODM – Player Models

Plot points

DM actions

Evaluation features

Weighted by probability of plot point occurrence

…


DODM – Player Models – Theory

Calculate probabilities of plot points Uniform distribution

Each plot point as likely to happen


DODM – Player Models – Reality

Plot points Map-based distribution

World Knowledge Random walks Unpredictable players

Plot Point

Player

Plot Point


World Knowledge User Model Accuracy

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

boss_

dead

get_k

ey

get_w

ax

gets_

to_stai

rs

give_

flute

guard

_dea

d

info_

jail

info_

key_

guard

info_

loc_w

ax

info_

use_

wax

plot point

perc

enta

ge c

hose

n

uniform

world knowledge

real players


User Tests

Preliminary Tests

Drama Management On 11 users

Drama Management Off 10 users

Follow-up Interview


User Tests

Did the game make sense?

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

none of the time some of the time most of the time always

DM off

DM on


User Tests

Interview Results

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

left without questions could figure out what todo next

felt like events happenedunder their control

DM off

DM on


Conclusions

Drama Management works Preliminary user tests promising

Successful integration with game Framework changes

Interesting future work Scalability Authorship tools


Thank You

Questions?

Documents

EXPRESSIVE INTELLIGENCE STUDIO FROM ABSTRACTION TO REALITY: Integrating Drama Management into a Playable Game Experience Anne Sullivan, Sherol Chen and