Improving Search with Supervised Learning in Trick-Based Card Games

In trick-taking card games, a two-step process of state sampling and evaluation is widely used to approximate move values. While the evaluation component is vital, the accuracy of move value estimates is also fundamentally linked to how well the sampling distribution corresponds the true distribution. Despite this, recent work in trick-taking card game AI has mainly focused on improving evaluation algorithms with limited work on improving sampling. In this paper, we focus on the effect of sampling on the strength of a player and propose a novel method of sampling more realistic states given move history. In particular, we use predictions about locations of individual cards made by a deep neural network --- trained on data from human gameplay - in order to sample likely worlds for evaluation. This technique, used in conjunction with Perfect Information Monte Carlo (PIMC) search, provides a substantial increase in cardplay strength in the popular trick-taking card game of Skat.Comment: Accepted for publication at AAAI-1

Defragmenting Beethoven: Sound appropriation as bridge between classical tradition and electroacoustic music

This thesis serves as a written companion for two artistic-based research products built upon the concept of appropriation as connecting bridge between music technology and the classical tradition of music composition. The first artistic work is a set of 9 pieces called "Collages Vol 2", a continuation of a first release meant to be an exploratory work for the present research. The second work is the sound interaction design, and the creation of two compositions for the Network of Intelligent Sound Agents, or "NOISA", built at the Sound and Physical Interaction Research Group from the Department of Media, Aalto University. After providing context and a short survey of influences on music appropriation, I made a comprehensive documentation of each of the pieces created for this thesis, describing form, content, compositional approach and sound processing in a systematic way. I investigated on the diverse forms of appropriation as a technique for electroacoustic music composition. The most influential references for my work are documented in this written work: From the historical approach of appropriation to borrowing in music of the XX century and recent times; including a description of the first volume of my original Collages. Later on, I described my second collection of Collages and the utilisation of appropriation theories in the context of NOISA, a music interface for live performance. Finally, there is a section dedicated to a discussion featuring a commentary of a number of reviews of "Collages” preceding a closing segment with conclusions and further plans to expand this research in the future

Electroplankton revisited: A Meta-Review

When it was released, Electroplankton was avant-garde. Today it looks more like a tame specimen of the wave of non-games, music-games and art games that washes over the gaming market. This review reflects on changes of the landscape of gaming ocurring with and after the release of Electroplankton tracing them in the way the game was received by game critics

Heterogeneity and business cycle fluctuations

[Introduction] Boom-bust cycles in asset prices and economic activity are a central issue in policy and academic debates. An increasing rate of default on mortgage loans in the U.S. precipitated the financial crisis of 2007. A large stock of debt and high asset prices have been both a cause and a consequence of the crisis because more borrowers had access to bigger loans at lower rates of interest. The prolonged recession and difficult recovery highlight the fact that financial frictions are a key driver of business cycle fluctuations. During normal times imbalances emerge and the financial sector can mitigate financial frictions. Yet, during periods of crisis wealth can be destroyed and the financial sector adds fragility and instability to the whole economy. [...

Socially-Aware Navigation Planner Using Models of Human-Human Interaction

A real-time socially-aware navigation planner helps a mobile robot to navigate alongside humans in a socially acceptable manner. This navigation planner is a modification of nav_core package of Robot Operating System (ROS), based upon earlier work and further modified to use only egocentric sensors. The planner can be utilized to provide safe as well as socially appropriate robot navigation. Primitive features including interpersonal distance between the robot and an interaction partner and features of the environment (such as hallways detected in real-time) are used to reason about the current state of an interaction. Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM) are trained over these features from human-human interaction demonstrations of various interaction scenarios. This model is both used to discriminate different human actions related to their navigation behavior and to help in the trajectory selection process to provide a social-appropriateness score for a potential trajectory. This thesis presents a model based framework for navigation planning, a simulation-based evaluation of the model-based navigation behavior

Advancing performability in playable media : a simulation-based interface as a dynamic score

When designing playable media with non-game orientation, alternative play scenarios to gameplay scenarios must be accompanied by alternative mechanics to game mechanics. Problems of designing playable media with non-game orientation are stated as the problems of designing a platform for creative explorations and creative expressions. For such design problems, two requirements are articulated: 1) play state transitions must be dynamic in non-trivial ways in order to achieve a significant level of engagement, and 2) pathways for players’ experience from exploration to expression must be provided. The transformative pathway from creative exploration to creative expression is analogous to pathways for game players’ skill acquisition in gameplay. The paper first describes a concept of simulation-based interface, and then binds that concept with the concept of dynamic score. The former partially accounts for the first requirement, the latter the second requirement. The paper describes the prototype and realization of the two concepts’ binding. “Score” is here defined as a representation of cue organization through a transmodal abstraction. A simulation based interface is presented with swarm mechanics and its function as a dynamic score is demonstrated with an interactive musical composition and performance

Enhancing fan experience during live sports broadcasts through second screen applications

When sports fans attend live sports events, they usually engage in social experiences with friends, family members and other fans at the venue sharing the same affiliation. However, fans watching the same event through a live television broadcast end up not feeling so emotionally connected with the athletes and other fans as they would if they were watching it live, together with thousands of other fans. With this in mind, we seek to create mobile applications that deliver engaging social experiences involving remote fans watching live broadcasted sports events. Taking into account the growing use of mobile devices when watching TV broadcasts, these mobile applications explore the second screen concept, which allows users to interact with content that complements the TV broadcast. Within this context, we present a set of second screen application prototypes developed to test our concepts, the corresponding user studies and results, as well as suggestions on how to apply the prototypes’ concepts not only in different sports, but also during TV shows and electronic sports. Finally, we also present the challenges we faced and the guidelines we followed during the development and evaluation phases, which may give a considerable contribution to the development of future second screen applications for live broadcasted events

Critical Success Factors to Improve the Game Development Process from a Developer\u27s Perspective

The growth of the software game development industry is enormous and is gaining importance day by day. This growth imposes severe pressure and a number of issues and challenges on the game development community. Game development is a complex process, and one important game development choice is to consider the developer’s perspective to produce good-quality software games by improving the game development process. The objective of this study is to provide a better understanding of the developer’s dimension as a factor in software game success. It focuses mainly on an empirical investigation of the effect of key developer’s factors on the software game development process and eventually on the quality of the resulting game. A quantitative survey was developed and conducted to identify key developer’s factors for an enhanced game development process. For this study, the developed survey was used to test the research model and hypotheses. The results provide evidence that game development organizations must deal with multiple key factors to remain competitive and to handle high pressure in the software game industry. The main contribution of this paper is to investigate empirically the influence of key developer’s factors on the game development process

Interdependent Compositions Employed in Sonic Ecosystems: Integrating the Listener in the Evolving Soundscape

A presente dissertação explora a integração de ouvintes na paisagem sonora em transformação enquanto compositores do ambiente sónico, no formato de instalações áudio.A investigação é motivada pela necessidade de promover e discutir a identidade do património aural da cidade do Porto e a sua crescente transformação.O desenho metodológico seguido é o practice-led research/research-led practice, e foca-se na compreensão e no desenvolvimento de ecossistemas sonoros e das relações interdependentes entre os agentes internos e externos do sistema.Os participantes exploram cartografias sonoras generativas, transformando iterativamente a natureza composicional das paisagens ao navegarem por motivos abrangentes ou focarem em elementos específicos da experiência.Palavras-chave: Identidade, Transformação, Ecossistema, Composição de Paisagens Sonoras, Interatividade.This dissertation explores the integration of listeners in the evolving soundscape as compositional agents of the sonic environment, presented as an audio installation.The investigation is motivated by the need to promote and discuss the sonic landscape identity of Porto and its rapid transformation. A method of practice-led research/research-led practice is followed, focusing on the development and understanding of sonic ecosystems and the interdependent relationships between its internal and external agents.Participants explore generative aural cartographies, transforming iteratively the nature of compositions by expanding into wider motifs or focusing on small and specific elements of the experience.Keywords: Identity, Transformation, Ecosystem, Soundscape Composition, Interactivity

Towards a Common Center: Locating Common Characteristics of African Centeredness in an Independent African Centered Learning Environment

As a culturally relevant alternative to traditional public school environments, Independent African Centered schools feature a particular type of culturally relevant pedagogy. This study explored the teachers’ and administrator’s perceptions and applications of African Centered pedagogy in an African Centered school. Interviews, observations and a document review served as the source of data for this study. This basic interpretive study utilized a qualitative research design to explore the perceptions and application of African Centeredness among the participants. An analysis of the data revealed categories and themes related to the school’s mission and the participants’ perceptions and performance of African-centered pedagogy. Three general conclusions were drawn from the findings. Implications for theory, study limitations and recommendations for future research are provided