Jake Klinkert
Software Development
«
Artificial Psychosocial Framework for Affective Non-Player Characters
My thesis focuses on the creation of a human. However, programmers create
computing. This type of computing research provides programmers tools to
human-like characters using affective
involves designing algorithms in computer
sciences that are based on concepts
from psychology. Affective Non-Player
represent NPCs with a set of affective
responses.
Characters (ANPC) have the same I researched this topic for six months
but ANPCs can simulate the process of that is integrated into the Unreal Engine.
functions as Non-Player Characters (NPC),
generating emotions like humans. ANPCs
are socially aware of other ANPCs, have
intrinsic motivations, and can empathize
with the player.
This research intrigued me because I
specialize in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
have an interest in Psychology. Games
and created a library in three months
From this project, I had a crash course in
affective computing, learned the process
of modelers creating a cognitive system,
and was able to connect a static library to
an API. This changes the perspective of AI
design from solving a problem from strict
logic, to utilizing reaction and reason.
like Left 4 Dead and This War of Mine Developing with ANPCs can lead to
games, at their core, combine elements of environments, managing ANPCs through
have had a lasting impact on me. These
psychology and AI to influence gameplay.
When developing a game, designers may
wish to personify NPCs to react more like
76
NPC behavior based solely on logic. This
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
procedurally populating entities in
a traumatic event, choosing non-violent
actions for exciting scenarios, animating
facial micro-expression, and producing
emotional prosody.