INDIVIDUALIZED PERSONA ALGORITHM FOR A SOCIO-POLITICAL ROLE-PLAYING GAMEbyGeoffrey R. ElderUniversity of Advancing Technology

ABOUT THE INNOVATIONIn several role-playing games, interacting with non-player characters of one faction are generally identical. In some cases, an interaction with one individual of a faction is merely a continued conversation held with another member of the same faction. However, the real world has nuances between diplomats as well as soldiers in how a faction interacts with another based on the job, personality and priorities of the individual in question.To better simulate personal agendas of characters in a video game, certain motivations have to be attributed to the characters. Sometimes, these motivations are at odds with groups and affiliations of the character. Within the motivations of a character, the motivations of the group with which the character is associated are prioritized within the characters personal motivations. In some characters, the motivations are the same and share the same priority, in others the motivations are different or have different priorities.The characters also must be programmed to respond to different stimuli based upon these priorities. Interactions with the player and simulated considerations based on the characters motivations will change the situational setting of the game. Different responses by the player should bring different responses from the character based on the characters motivations so that no two members of a faction will have exactly the same reaction to something the player does. The words and tone of the players communication with the non-player characters will be used in the program and interpreted by the characters priorities and a response formulated based on these variables with a slightly random factor.Once an encounter is over, the program will then record the encounter based on the non-player characters motivational priorities. When another individual of the same faction encounters the player, the new individual will take the previous encounters report and interpret and formulate an opinion of the player and interact based on this opinion.INNOVATION TIMELINEBeginning with personality evaluation, developing a list of motivations for each faction should take about three days. Then for each faction, the races and sub nations of each faction will have its own list of motivations and should take about five days. Creating a list of motivations for individuals of each race from which will be randomly selected for the encountered individuals will take approximately two days.Developing a list of responses for semi-scripted encounters will be approximately two weeks. Developing a list of player responses approximately one week and a list of selectable tones should be no more than one day. Compiling list of tones usable by the player should take only two days. Logic used for determining responses based on motivational priorities should be about one month and can be worked on as the list of responses is developed. The algorithm for the logic can be started about half way through the logic and would take about two weeks.Encounter interpretation logic should take about three days with the algorithm taking about a week to write. The report reading and interpretation logic should take about a week to write as well with a week to write the algorithm. The algorithm for modifying a factions views of the player based on the reputation with another faction should take two days for logic and 4 days for writing.INNOVATION INQUIRYDeveloping scope-specific personalities that would provide a realistic game play of a political setting with changes made to the political structure of the setting based on the interactions of the player with personalities within the game. How was the master motivation list selected? How were the motivations determined by race and faction? How were the priorities set for the motivations? What methods were used for assessing reputations? What was the methodology of determining the interactions of the players reputation with one faction with the players reputation with another faction? How do the reputations affection an individual non-player characters reactions to the player?REVIEW OF RELATED MATERIALMany games which involve a socio-political element have a set script for the factions. Meeting one member of the faction is the same as meeting any other member of the same faction. This is particularly true of games such as Star Control 2, or various games like World of Warcraft or DC Universe Online in which talking to someone from one faction or with a particular task within the game is the same as talking to anyone else of the faction or in game task. For greater believability as well as player immersion, a method to develop personal goals and internal personalities for the computer controlled characters should be developed.Many games use what are basically pre-scripted personas. No matter who you are, where and when you meet, the persona of the non-player character will always be the same. There might be some change based on the players reputation with the faction. The character of ZEX in the game Star Control 2: The Ur-Quan Masters does the same thing no matter when he is met, how he is met or under what circumstances he is met. First encounter sends the player on a quest after much discussion. Each subsequent encounter is the same until the player completes the quest. Tanaka, within the same game, continues to try and destroy the player until the player has insulted Tanaka three times. At which point, Tanaka remains vigilant in the system he is encountered. Of course, the quest upon which ZEX sends the player is doomed to failure which will allow the player to repopulate Tanakas race.Massive multi-player online games also use pre-scripted personas. Meeting such characters as city guards always follow the same script, regardless of which guard is met. Quest givers follow the same script each and every time the quest is given, and if the player returns without completing the quest, the quest giver responds the same way without variation. Obviously, this is not a realistic approach to quest giving. Each subsequent return without completing the quest could involve frustration on the part of the quest giver. This is the standard model by which the vast majority of personas in games are made. It is easy to script and follows simple if statements.Random quest generation, though nothing new, is simple to implement. The system simply takes the players level and formulates a challenge by randomly selecting a mob of an appropriate level to be killed, or an item that is dropped by a mob of the appropriate level to be acquired. Usually, a certain number of kills or acquisitions must be accomplished before the quest is completed. Usually, no personas are involved. These quests are usually acquired through a kiosk or a message board found within game. These are also known as dailies in some games where the quests can only be performed once per day. Player generated quests can be the most interactive due to the negotiation of the reward for performing the quest. However, most games utilize an auction house or a bounty system for this. Almost every massive multi-player online game has an auction house where players can sell the more rare items for in game money. In a sense, the player acquires an item and turns it in to the auction house with a minimum price (reward). This is similar to acquisition quests, but there is no experience point gained for turning in the item. If there is a high demand for an item, the money is the incentive to go on the quest. The alternative is the bounty. Bounties are player generated quests by offering in game money or rewards for another player to fight yet a third player within the game. When the server registers a kill of the third player by the second, the bounty is considered complete and the reward paid.To provide the characters with personalities, the programmer must define what constitutes a personality within the scope of the game. Motivations used to determine what is more important to the individual. The level and intensity of that motivation places certain actions of an individual as more likely than others. A list of pre-scripted responses does not necessarily mean that there is no alteration between encounters, but that the program has a wider range of options within the script based on motivations. A non-player character with aggression as a high level and high intensity motivation is more likely to start combat with the player, but might not necessarily do so.Reputation is used in several games to denote favor or disfavor of a faction based on previous encounters and successful quests. A similar method can be used as a means of individual memory as well as faction reputation. A list of reputations, such as those found in the Star Trek Role-playing Games published by Last Unicorn Games, is recommended. A list of reputations is preferred because each faction would have what it considers more important reputation aspects. With an understanding of the quest generation and individual motivation methodology, a means can be developed to combine the two into a single framework of realistic requests and favors of non-player characters which will change based on the actions of the player and those actions moving through the game environment.ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHYBlizzard Entertainment (2004). World of Warcraft [Software]. Available from http:// us.battle.net/wow. Though the quests and interactions all follow a definite script, they are broader in that many of the quests and personalities do rely on previous encounters with other members of the same faction.

Beijing Perfect World (2005). Perfect World [Software]. Available from http://pwi.perfectworld.com. Useful for further information on pre-scripted personalities. It is similar to World of Warcraft, often being compared as the Chinese World of Warcraft.

CCP Games (2003). Eve Online [Software]. Available from http://www.eve-online.com. Carrying an excellent bounty system, I recommend it for the reputation as well. Though there are few other role-playing opportunities in Eve, the bounty and reputation systems developed by CCP games do make for non-linear semi-scripted quests and player-developed bounties.

Funcom (2001). Anarchy Online [Software]. Available from http://www.anarchy-online.com. Helpful for this topic due to the random quest generation. Examples of kiosks are in major player congregations in the game.

Toys For Bob (1992). Star Control 2: The Ur-Quan Masters [Software]. Available from http://sc2.sourceforge.net. Useful in showing the method of pre-scripted personalities. Every encounter of a race is identical as any other with the same race. However, continuing plot elements are progress in a linear manner, regardless of interactions throughout the game.