GOLD@RU-BLUE.ARPA (03/09/84)
Some of you may be aware of the project known as SMAuG (Simultaneous Multiple AdventUrer Game) that is ongoing at Rutgers University. It is an applied research project designed to examine the problems of distrib- uting the work of a complex piece of software accross local intelligent devices and a remote timesharing computer. The software is a multiple player adventure game. Within the game a player may interact with other players, or with software controlled players referred to as Non Player Characters (NPC's). The NPC's are the area of the project which I am personally involved with and for which I write to this bboard. There are many interesting subtopics within the NPC issue. NPC communication, self mobility, acquisition of knowledge, and rescriptability just to name a few. The object is to create an NPC which can interact with a player character without making it obvious that the it is machine controlled and not another player character. [Aha! Another Turing test! -- KIL] I would like to request suggestions of relevent publications that I should be familiar with. This is a large project, but I am loathe to make it even larger by ignoring past work that has been done. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions for books, journal articles, etc. that might offer a new insight into the problem. Please send responses to Gold@RU-Blue. Thank you very much, Cynthia Gold