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Kaela O ’ Neill
Software Development
Smart Management : Creating a Village of Utility-Driven , Socially Active AI
My thesis artifact was developed over approximately 7.5 months . My goal for the final artifact was to showcase a simulation that , when observed , made sense and was interesting .
In the village of Eklektos , artificial intelligence ( AI ) act according to their desires and plans . Behaviors are designed in XML and populated to SmartObjects for in-game management . Behaviors are evaluated and selected through context queries and a utility algorithm .
As AI perform actions , users can observe and provoke scenarios at runtime while tracking stats and decisions with realtime graphical displays .
I was inspired to create this project because of my interest in Non-Playable Characters ( NPCs ) for Role-Playing Games ( RPGs ). I enjoy AI that socialize with each other , and I wanted to develop a baseline behavior management and selection system that could be expanded for my own future games .
Each AI ’ s unique needs , preferences , and social relationships are considered during action scoring ; these factors fluctuate and evolve over time .
90 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT