Revisiting Character-Based Affective Storytelling under a Narrative BDI Framework

Belief-Desire-Intention (BDI) is a well-known cognitive theory, especially in the field of Software Agents. Modelling characters using software agents has been proven to be a suitable approach for obtaining emergent and autonomous behaviours in Interactive Storytelling. In this paper it is claimed that an effective extension of previous models to the BDI framework is useful for designing intelligent characters. An example shows how internal thoughts and motivations of Madame Bovary’s main characters can be more naturally formalised as a cognitive side of the story. A narrative reformulation of BDI theory is needed to avoid the implicit complexity of other proposals

Towards Intelligent Interactive Theatre: Drama Management as a way of Handling Performance

In this paper, we present a new modality for intelligent interactive narratives within the theatre domain. We discuss the possibilities of using an intelligent agent that serves as a drama manager and as an actor that plays a character within the live theatre experience. We pose a set of research challenges that arise from our analysis towards the implementation of such an agent, as well as potential methodologies as a starting point to bridge the gaps between current literature and the proposed modality.Comment: International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling (ICIDS) 201

Towards VEsNA, a Framework for Managing Virtual Environments via Natural Language Agents

Automating a factory where robots are involved is neither trivial nor cheap. Engineering the factory automation process in such a way that return of interest is maximized and risk for workers and equipment is minimized, is hence of paramount importance. Simulation can be a game changer in this scenario but requires advanced programming skills that domain experts and industrial designers might not have. In this paper we present the preliminary design and implementation of a general-purpose framework for creating and exploiting Virtual Environments via Natural language Agents (VEsNA). VEsNA takes advantage of agent-based technologies and natural language processing to enhance the design of virtual environments. The natural language input provided to VEsNA is understood by a chatbot and passed to a cognitive intelligent agent that implements the logic behind displacing objects in the virtual environment. In the VEsNA vision, the intelligent agent will be able to reason on this displacement and on its compliance to legal and normative constraints. It will also be able to implement what-if analysis and case-based reasoning. Objects populating the virtual environment will include active objects and will populate a dynamic simulation whose outcomes will be interpreted by the cognitive agent; explanations and suggestions will be passed back to the user by the chatbot

INDCOR white paper 3: Interactive Digital Narratives and Interaction

The nature of interaction within Interactive Digital Narrative (IDN) is inherently complex. This is due, in part, to the wide range of potential interaction modes through which IDNs can be conceptualised, produced and deployed and the complex dynamics this might entail. The purpose of this whitepaper is to provide IDN practitioners with the essential knowledge on the nature of interaction in IDNs and allow them to make informed design decisions that lead to the incorporation of complexity thinking throughout the design pipeline, the implementation of the work, and the ways its audience perceives it. This white paper is concerned with the complexities of authoring, delivering and processing dynamic interactive contents from the perspectives of both creators and audiences. This white paper is part of a series of publications by the INDCOR COST Action 18230 (Interactive Narrative Design for Complexity Representations), which all clarify how IDNs representing complexity can be understood and applied (INDCOR WP 0 - 5, 2023).Comment: 17 pages, 1 figur