Birthday
To schweinsty, though it's a day early, happy birthday in advance! ♥

Artificial Intelligence
If the volume of memories is important to an AI, perhaps it's true that Google could be the next AI. When I wrote S.A.I. I put forth that self-awareness is merely the sum of our memories. I also said that our memories change us, and that interactivity (being changed by one's memories) isn't quite there with Google just yet. Maybe once Google's programming starts actively changing with each bit of information it learns and digests, I'll change my stance on this.

Translation
I finally finished translating the first two pages of Touya Kouyou's profile in the Hikaru no Go Gorgeous Character Book. As usual, it's posted on ann_applecore; here's the link, if anyone is interested. I still have a ton of profiles from PoT 40.5 to do! I've fallen so far behind in translating it's scary. harumi, I read on aishuu's journal something about you translating profiles. Were you by any chance translating the character book, and do you still have the translations you did? *wonders if she's re-inventing the wheel* [Edit: aishuu, harumi says it wasn't her. Any chance you can remember who, and let me know?]

Hikago Meme
I've been reading the memes posted on my f-list. So far, the general consensus is that AkiHika rules the universe (I suspect it would anyway even if Jun hadn't put down "TK's disapproval"), Ochi and Ogata are pretty much tied for most-hated, and Touya Kouyou will die reaching for the Hand of God. (Poor TK. *hugs the old man*) Ogata was named right after TK, though, so who knows? On a more personal note, I don't want to be seen as promoting divorce, okay, so let's get this out in the open. My parents are divorced. I would NEVER wish divorce upon anyone. I will never ever have children, and if anyone so much as seems about to break my heart I'm OUTTATHERE. I don't need to deal with that sort of thing. Life's too short. So just because I ship Touya Kouyou/Sai, does not mean I am anti-Touya Kouyou/Akiko.

Work
Co-worker (who is close to seven feet tall) walked into the room, towering over everyone else (and there are about 25 other people in it). He came up to me and sat nearby, textbooks etc in hand. I said, "Wow, one never realizes how tall you are until you walk into the room with everyone else."

Co-worker looked at another co-worker sitting beside him, and then they both looked at me and said, "One?"

*hides face* Oh, shut up. We are not amused.

Random
Sparked by a line in a fic: Is it really that hard to explain things to someone who's very intelligent (or at least, has a high IQ)? Why/why not?

Not Writing
If I could learn to stop taking myself and writing so seriously and just have fun, dammit, perhaps I'd do better at the effing thing. *very frustrated* No, I haven't broken the writing hiatus. I doubt I'm actually capable of doing so, because I'd rather not break it for drivel, and all that is likely to come out is sheer trash. ARGH. Can you tell I'm frustrated here? I will not cry. This is merely writer's block. I will not cry.

ETA: ... I didn't even notice it was Friday the 13th. O_o

Body Clocks
*sighs* 5am this time. I'm glad today is the last day of work and now my weekend has begun. I don't know whether to want to take a sleeping pill and move my internal clock, or to embrace the automatic 5am wake-up and use the time productively (anime/drama, or writing, or SOMETHING). *sighs* I don't know anymore.

Zettai Kareshi
I am very strongly reminded of my S.A.I., and I can't believe I'm addicted to this already. I find the whole AI part of this show completely absorbing. I also can't believe I'm rooting so much for this robot! (All AI stories seem to converge on the whole "own will" thing. Probably because the blurring line between reality and make-believe is so interesting!) [ETA: NO WAY she can stay in a huge place like that and only pay 50,000 yen. She's supposed to be in Tokyo. I pay more than that for a TINY place, and it's not even my own! GAH!] [ETA3: *records the time down, MUST leave for work*]

Work
Well, being up so early has its advantages--no more fighting over the shower. *goes in first so that roomie won't take it up later*

ETA2: Ai, dear. You did not buy 75 cereal bars just so you could eat them all in one day. STOP.

Scanlations
Heard back from NCIS, they want me to do the second-pass translation after all. I guess I have a lot of work to do! *gets cracking*

Artificial Intelligence In Games
[Reply from the previous person]: ( Read more... )

[My response:] ( Read more... )

ETA: ( Last response from the other side )

There doesn't seem to be much else needed for the rest of this discussion. ^_^

Sleep
Dear self, PLEASE GO TO BED, it's past 2:30am. This all-night revue needs to stop.

More About Artificial Intelligence In Games
Eep. Did not realize a game AI website had picked up my post on AI. ^_^; I got an e-mail today about it from someone who was interested in the concept and had a question!

The e-mail I received:
( Read more... )

My answer:
( Read more... )

I wonder if anything will eventually come of this?

ETA: Forgot to mention that the whole discussion came about because we were talking about fiction and writing, and Rolf said something about how writing seems to be the last thing some games think about. Can we have more Grim Fandango please? That was a really funny and REALLY COOL script. Heck, Planescape: Torment would be nice. Ah, it's nice to be going home--I'm going to get my old games and start re-playing them. I forsee fic output dropping in the future.

ETA2: In other news, my DS owns my soul. *sighs* I really should be in bed.

More Artificial Intelligence In Games
Because my brain works this way. I'd add an "Attraction" gauge and have a scale for same-species interaction. ontogenesis, what was that scale called again? The one with the "completely straight/completely gay" and a range of ... 0-7? Something like that? [EDIT: Found by moonsliver.]

I'd have a Kinsey Scale setting, not a gauge, but then that setting would affect my "Attraction" gauge depending on the _PERCEIVED_ gender of the other individual (as well as any attractiveness modifiers or any random "attracted to X values or X gauges" setting to be determined by those smarter than me).

Of Artificial Intelligence in Games
I spent the last three hours talking about a game AI engine. Purely theoretical, of course, but mathematician Rolf was bemoaning the sorry state of AI and writing in games. We covered a lot of ground, starting from story/quest and writing in general. This led to him bemoaning the horrible AI in games and the scripted responses. This led to me laying out a typical (and completely theoretical) AI engine to solve that problem. That in turn led to a long discussion and argument about what the AI engine would be like.

Essentially I envision an engine/self-contained thing (for want of a better word) with possible input and output values. The engine itself is composed of a range of settings (I'll call them "gauges"). These gauges would have values like "Happiness", "Sociability", "Interactivity with Environment", "Energy", etc (like Sims, but with a LOT MORE, not just 6). We might get into "relationship" guages, but let's save that for another discussion.

These gauges will come with built-in programming (perhaps every gauge has a "responsiveness" setting one should either set, or randomize) that will affect other gauges. For example, if the Happiness gauge moves more than 5 points, then the "Generosity" or "Kindness" meter moves too. Likewise, if the "Anger" meter moves past a certain threshold, then for every 3 points, it may affect the "Aggression" or "Activeness" meter, or both, or maybe this meter is a combination meter. There should also be time triggers. For example, if the Happiness meter has been at 100 for a long time (game standards, not sure now one day would be represented, but I'm sure we could do something like "ten hours"), then if there is a significant drop in happiness (say, 6 points or more), it should affect a "Depression" meter.

[ETA: Forgot to mention a gauge I think is important--"Tolerance". The angrier/sadder one gets, the lower this gauge. The happier one gets, the higher the gauge. The "Tolerance" gauge affects how many times a "so-called" routine input can be repeated before it gets annoying. High-disruption inputs will fill this Tolerance gauge quickly. Smaller inputs will inch it up. Some inputs will pass by without registering at all, perhaps things like "light rain" or "low-level crowd noise" (well, up to a point--see "time triggers" above). "Tolerance" should repair itself over time (rate of repair can be affected by things such as "Anger", "Happiness", "Energy", etc.)]

Those are the gauges. Then, we have the inputs.

Inputs are basically object interactions. Interactions can come from the five senses. Touch, taste, smell, hear, see. For example, chocolate is in the vinctinity. If the AI becomes aware of the chocolate through any of the five senses, it may be a "Hunger +2" input. This may increase over time (recurring inputs), or it may be a one-time thing such as receiving a gift ("Happiness +2" or more depending on the gift's classification).

All inputs and objects should be classified. For example, a loud noise should be classified (or "tagged") "unknown", "noise". Anything "unknown" should prompt an investigation if the "Interactivity" or "Curiosity" gauge is above a certain threshold. (Most instinctual responses are either "run" or "look at/for source"). Perhaps once it is within line of sight and a distance field (say 100m or any value you want to represent sensory ability), it can either be identified as a known object of sorts or an "uninteresting" and "non-dangerous" unknown. (Anything with "unknown-uninteresting" should be henceforth ignored unless it changes suddenly--in which case it will lose the "unknown-uninteresting" tag and regain an "unknown" or other identifying tag, and be investigated again.)

So far so good? Moving on.

Outputs would be gauge readings. For example, "Energy" gauge output is now -3 (allowing for superhuman efforts to stay awake in the presence of "danger" tags). The gauge reading should flag an instinctual reaction such as collapse or fall asleep (depending on the reading of the "Security" gauge). Some instinctual reactions (those you would expect from a very young child of, say, 3 or 4) should be programmed into the AI engine.

ALL OTHER ACTIONS ARE LEARNED.

They should not be programmed into the engine. However, the engine should be allowed to run itself and assign some random variables and behaviours at different times (or you can specify these variables eg "grew up with no parents, therefore Happiness gauge maximum set at 95" or "Anger gauge more responsive" or whatever you want). You should also be able to evolve/run the AI until you get the required age, and then it will produce for you a pretty good approximation of a generic Joe Schmoe who will react in a human enough manner to entertain AI-watchers, and yet have enough variety that you don't feel like you're seeing the same computer model just copied and pasted with a different gender or hair color. And it goes without saying, the AI can be scripted over, and whenever a situation that is scripted for (specific interactions with X characters or explosions or whatever it is you want to control) occurs, your script takes over. The AI is there to fill in the gaps.

Er, bedtime. Feel free to poke with comments or suggestions. (All are welcome to link and discuss.)