Showing papers presented at "International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling in 2008"

A Use of Flashback and Foreshadowing for Surprise Arousal in Narrative Using a Plan-Based Approach

Abstract: This paper describes work currently in progress to develop a computational method for generating flashback and foreshadowing, specifically targeted at the evocation of surprise in the reader's mind. Flashback provides a backstory to explain what caused the surprise outcome. Foreshadowing provides an implicit hint about the surprise. Our study focuses on surprise as a cognitive response rather than as an emotional response. The reader's story construction process is simulated by a plan-based reader model that checks unexpectedness and postdictability of the surprise.

Say Anything: A Massively Collaborative Open Domain Story Writing Companion

Abstract: Interactive storytelling is an interesting cross-disciplinary area that has importance in research as well as entertainment In this paper we explore a new area of interactive storytelling that blurs the line between traditional interactive fiction and collaborative writing We present a system where the user and computer take turns in writing sentences of a fictional narrative Sentences contributed by the computer are selected from a collection of millions of stories extracted from Internet weblogs By leveraging the large amounts of personal narrative content available on the web, we show that even with a simple approach our system can produce compelling stories with our users

Narrative Generation for Suspense: Modeling and Evaluation

Abstract: Although suspense contributes significantly to the enjoyment of a narrative by its readers, there has been little research on the automated generation of stories that evoke specific cognitive and affective responses in their readers. The goal of this research is to develop and evaluate a system that produces a narrative designed specifically to evoke suspense from the reader. The system takes as input a plan data structure representing the goals of a storyworld's characters and the actions they perform in pursuit of them. Adapting theories developed by cognitive psychologists, the system uses a plan-based model of narrative comprehension to determine the final content of the story in order to heighten a reader's level of suspense. This paper outlines the various components of the system and describes an empirical evaluation. The evaluation provides strong support for the claim that the system is effective in generating suspenseful stories.

Revisiting Character-Based Affective Storytelling under a Narrative BDI Framework

Abstract: 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.

Interactive Narrative, Plot Types, and Interpersonal Relations

Abstract: The design of an interactive narrative begins with the choice of a type of story. In this paper I examine the potential of three kinds of plot for active user participation: the epic plot, which focuses on the struggle of the individual to survive in a hostile world, the dramatic plot, which deals with the evolution of a network of human relations, and the epistemic plot, which is propelled by the desire to solve a mystery. I distinguish two basic types of immersion--ludic and narrative, the latter subdivided into spatial, temporal and emotional variants, and I discuss the ability of the three kinds of plot to generate these various forms of immersion.

StoryTec: A Digital Storytelling Platform for the Authoring and Experiencing of Interactive and Non-linear Stories

Abstract: Based on the results of INSCAPE and U-CREATE, StoryTec is introduced as a Digital Storytelling platform for the authoring and experiencing of interactive, non-linear stories. Apart from a description of StoryTec this paper focuses on the platform's authoring and runtime environment.

Purposeful Authoring for Emergent Narrative

Abstract: Emergent narrative (EN) is a narrative concept in virtual reality that relies on emergence for a flexible shaping of stories as opposed to fixed pre-determined plots. This has consequences for the creative role of the author in an EN system. In this paper, we aim to clarify the actual function of the author by investigating what is exactly mediated in ENs and how this can be filled in by an author at design time.

Mobile Urban Drama --- Setting the Stage with Location Based Technologies

Abstract: This paper introduces the novel concept of location-based Mobile Urban Dramas . In a Mobile Urban Drama the user become the main character in a play where actors' voices appear in the mobile phone headset linked to the physical setting in the city as the stage for the drama. The paper describes the dramaturgical concept and introduces a software framework supporting drama writers in developing such Mobile Urban Dramas. Experiences with use of the framework are discussed with successful examples of real dramas that have been developed and performed by a Danish theatre group, Katapult.

From Debugging to Authoring: Adapting Productivity Tools to Narrative Content Description

Abstract: Recent progress in Interactive Storytelling has been mostly based on the development of proof-of-concept prototypes, whilst the actual production process for interactive narratives largely remains to be invented. Central to this effort is the concept of authoring, which should determine the relationships between generative technologies underlying Interactive Storytelling engines, and the actual description of narrative content. In this paper, we report the development of an authoring technology on top of a fully-implemented Interactive Storytelling system. Although this system originated as a debugging tool for a Planning system, its interactivity as well as the high-level nature of the formalism it manipulates makes it a candidate to support collaboration between authors and technologists.

Embracing the Combinatorial Explosion: A Brief Prescription for Interactive Story R&D

Abstract: In this editorial, the quintessential requirements for successful interactive story systems are examined and discussed. As part of the discussion, a brief prescription for interactive story research and development is suggested.

Let's Pretend I Had a Sword

Abstract: We describe how autonomous character agents that inhabit a story world can make (out-of-character) decisions about its details, filling in the story world as they go. We describe how we model these kind of late commitment decisions, and discuss how we use them to support action selection and to justify the adoption of character goals. Although a rigorous evaluation remains future work, we have implemented the approach presented here and have performed some exploratory testing.

Emergent Stories Facilitated

Abstract: In this paper we address the issue of how to transform a set of actions and behaviors generated by autonomous characters into a meaningful and interesting story. To do that, we consider the issues involved in developing an architecture that is generic enough to be applied to entertainment/educational applications that convey stories through the interactions between intelligent graphical characters and a user. As such, issues in organizing the emergent content are discussed and a generic story facilitator (a kind of game master) is described. Finally two storytelling applications that use the architecture are described demonstrating the generality of the approach.

Making Stories Player-Specific: Delayed Authoring in Interactive Storytelling

Abstract: Of all forms of storytelling, interactive storytelling presents authors with a unique opportunity: while most traditional stories must rely on having general high appeal, the nature of interactive stories to encourage audience interaction allows aspects of each individual's state to be automatically inferred. Given such information, an author's decisions would become more informed, and his ability to affect the audience would be improved. In this paper, we present an analysis of the decision-making process in interactive storytelling, and construct a method for characterizing storytelling systems based on features of their design. We demonstrate our method by comparing four recently published systems, and review related literature on inferring player information. Finally, we present Delayed Authoring, a new perspective on the design of interactive storytelling systems which takes advantage of their opportunity to make stories player-specific.

Story Planning with Vignettes: Toward Overcoming the Content Production Bottleneck

Abstract: Storytelling is prominent part of the daily lives of humans. Entertainers, educators, and trainers often concern themselves with the production of novel stories for entertainment, education, and training. However, it is possible for the consumption of story content by end-users to outpace the rate of production of story content. One solution is to instill greater creativity in computer systems in the form of story generation. We present an incremental advancement to planning-based story generation that increases the space of narratives that can be automatically searched in an attempt to make planning-based story generation more creative. The VB-POCL story planning algorithm implements a form of case-based planning that can incorporate vignettes --- plot fragments that are a priori known to be "good" --- into a narrative planning process. We show that VB-POCL can generate narratives with favorable structural properties that cannot be generated reliably with previous attempts at planning-based narrative generation.

The IRIS Network of Excellence: Integrating Research in Interactive Storytelling

Abstract: Interactive Storytelling is a major endeavour to develop new media which could offer a radically new user experience, with a potential to revolutionise digital entertainment. European research in Interactive Storytelling has played a leading role in the development of the field, and this creates a unique opportunity to strengthen its position even further by structuring collaboration between some of its main actors. IRIS (Integrating Research in Interactive Storytelling) aims at creating a virtual centre of excellence that will be able to progress the understanding of fundamental aspects of Interactive Storytelling and the development of corresponding technologies.

The Functions of Music in Interactive Media

Abstract: In this media theoretical and critical elaboration we intend to close the gap between music in static linear and non-linear interactive media. We will give a brief overview on media music perception and its historical development that enables us to recognize parallels between music in films and games and, thereby, uncover future perspectives of interactive media music. According to this, we will elaborate its narrative functions and potentials in order to widen the scope of the field where music meets interactivity.

PRISM: A Framework for Authoring Interactive Narratives

Abstract: The advances in computing technologies enable the computer users to create and share their own stories to the community at large. However, it is still regarded as complicated and laborious to author interactive narratives, where a story adapts as the user interacts with it. In authoring interactive narratives, two main approaches--branching graphs and AI planning--have been significantly used to augment interactivity into conventional linear narratives. Although each approach offers its own possibilities and limitations, few efforts have been made to blend these approaches. This paper describes a framework for authoring interactive narratives that employs an adapted branching narrative structure that also uses planning formalism to enable automated association between nodes. We expect that our work is valuable for non-expert users as well as AI researchers in interactive storytelling who need to create a large quantity of story contents for varied endings for a story.

Improvisation and Performance as Models for Interacting with Stories

Abstract: One common metaphor for Interactive Storytelling has been the notion of Interactive Dramas, in which players assume the first-person role of the main character in a digitally mediated narrative In this paper we explore the model of improvisation as a means of understanding the relationship between the author/designer and the reader/player of such narratives This model allows for a new formulation of the notion of agency, by shifting the concept of the reader from a player-centric model to a performer-centric model We also show how we can conceive of interactions between performers and authors as being governed by the same rules that are in play between multiple performers in a piece of improvisational theatre We connect this idea to a phenomenological theory of human computer interaction and cognition which foregrounds the role of communication and commitment between interactors

Looking at the Interactive Narrative Experience through the Eyes of the Participants

Abstract: The topic of interactive narrative has been under research for many years. While there has been much research exploring the development of new algorithms that enable and enhance interactive narratives, there has been little research focusing on the question of how players understand and internalize their interactive narrative experiences. This paper addresses this problem through conducting a phenomenological study on participants playing Facade ; we specifically chose a phenomenological methodology due to its emphasis on the participants' lived experience from the participants' viewpoint. We chose Facade , because it is the only accessible example of an experience that revolves around social relationships, conflict, and drama as its core mechanics. In this paper, we discuss sixteen themes that resulted from the analysis of the data gathered through the study. In addition, we reflect on these themes discussing their relationship to participants' backgrounds, and project implications on the design of future interactive narratives.

Tales for the Many: Process and Authorial Control in Multi-player Role-Playing Games

Abstract: Multi-player Role-Playing Games form rare examples of interactive, collaborative storytelling systems, especially within the tabletop format. However, despite recent advances in the theory and general knowledge of the field, models of the operation of the storytelling process in multi-player non-digital role-playing games remains relatively unspecific. In this paper, a critical synthesis of the available theory is combined with observations from a series of experiments, in a detailed model for the gaming process.

Exploring Non-verbal Behavior Models for Believable Characters

Abstract: Believable characters constitute an important component of interactive stories. It is, therefore, not surprising to see much research focusing on developing algorithms that enhance character believability within interactive experiences, such as games, interactive narrative, and training environments. These efforts target a variety of problems, including portraying and synchronizing gestures with speech, developing animation tools that allow artists to manipulate and blend motions, or embed emotions within virtual character models. There has been very little research, however, devoted to the study of non-verbal behaviors, specifically mannerisms, patterns of movement including postures, gaze, and timing, and how they vary as a function of character attributes. This paper presents a work in progress of a study conducted to (1) identify key character characteristics recognized by animators using an acting model, and (2) formalize non-verbal behaviors patterns that animators use to express these character characteristics.

Dear Esther: An Interactive Ghost Story Built Using the Source Engine

Abstract: This paper reflects on the design and production of an multimodal, environmental storytelling experiment constructed in the first-person game engine Source. Rather than being based around the resolution of conflicts and acheiving goals, Dear Esther presents a sparse environment with no embedded agents, relying purely on the player's engagement with and interpretation of a narrative delivered through semi-randomised audio fragments. Dear Esther was released for free download via a number of modding sites in June and this paper reflects on the experience of building and the response by gamers.

Adaptive Musical Expression from Automatic Realtime Orchestration and Performance

Abstract: When scoring an interactive scene or narration music has to follow its events and development organically. Approaches toward musical nonlinearity are needed. Therefore, the means of orchestration and expressive performance provide a big potential that has not been tapped even a little yet. In this paper we will show how to translate them into the interactive context. But to change musical expression it is not feasible to simply switch hard between different instrumentations and performative styles. We introduce and discuss a new style-independent method for organic and musically believable transitions of compositional and performative expression characteristics.

3D Immersion in Virtual Agents Education

Abstract: Many projects featuring intelligent virtual agents have emerged in last years, but not many reports on their advances in education. This paper presents the curricula of a university course on Modelling Behaviour of Human and Animal-like Agents, including a seminar in which students develop their own virtual agents using a toolkit we have developed. This course has been also scaled for a workshop with computer science high-school students. An evaluation of the course is presented and main lessons learned overviewed. The paper also explicitly formulates the teaching methodology underpinning the course and outlines several general questions hoping to start a broader discussion on educational issues related to the field of intelligent virtual agents.

Developing a Drama Management Architecture for Interactive Fiction Games

Abstract: A growing research community is working towards employing drama management components in interactive story-based games These components gently guide the story towards a narrative arc that improves the player's experience In this paper we present our Drama Management architecture for real-time interactive story games that has been connected to a real graphical interactive story based on the Anchorhead game We also report on the natural language understanding system that has been incorporated in the system and report on a user study with an implementation of our DM architecture

Planning and Interaction Levels for TV Storytelling

Abstract: Interactivity, coherence and diversity of the stories are key issues for the development of interactive storytelling systems. When stories are to be told via interactive TV, special interaction methods are also necessary in order to cope with high responsiveness requirements. In this paper, we describe the extension of the interactive storytelling system Logtell we have developed to run in an interactive TV environment. Planning algorithms have been applied to provide coherence and diversity for the stories at levels of both plot composition and dramatization. A new architecture was designed to combine these algorithms with special interaction methods incorporated to achieve high responsiveness.

Locating Drama: A Demonstration of Location-Aware Audio Drama

Abstract: Locating Drama is a collaborative project between the Lansdown Centre for Electronic Arts at Middlesex University and the BBC Radio Drama department. The aim of the project is to investigate narrative strategies that utilise locative technologies, principally GPS enabled devices, without being tied to a specific location, allowing listeners to experience immersive, location-aware (but non-location-specific) dramas in suitable locations near their homes, which may eventually be downloaded as interactive pod-casts from the BBC website. The demonstration will present a working drama originally produced for the BBC's Free Thinking festival 2008.

Exploiting Structure and Conventions of Movie Scripts for Information Retrieval and Text Mining

Abstract: Movie scripts are documents that describe the story, stage direction for actors and camera, and dialogue. Script writers, directors, and cinematographers have standardized the format and language that is used in script writing. Scripts contain a wealth of information about narrative patterns, character direction, blocking, and camera control that can be extracted for various applications in interactive storytelling. In this short paper, we propose the creation of an automatically annotated corpus of movie scripts and describe our initial efforts in automating script annotation. We first describe the parts of a movie script that can be automatically annotated and then describe the use of an existing language processing toolkit to automatically annotate specific parts of a movie script.

Animation-Based Interactive Storytelling System

Abstract: This paper introduces an animation story generation system called WordsAnime using the animation database provided by animation Consumer Generated Media. A user generates a story by repeating the steps of inputting scenarios and viewing animations. The system presents manual, semiautomatic, and fully automatic modes of creating scenarios using a common knowledge base that links different scenarios with each other.

Schemas in Directed Emergent Drama

Abstract: A common problem in creating interactive drama is the authoring bottleneck If pre-authored stories are directly incorporated into an interactive virtual environment then there is a need to consider all possible interactions and story twists, which for a sizeable drama is infeasible One proposed solution to this problem is to use search and planning algorithms along with narrative structures This leads to a huge state space and planning becomes intractable for real-time solutions A way to address this problem is to distribute the story planning to autonomous characters so that the drama emerges from their interactions However without predefined structure or directives the drama is unlikely to emerge into the intended story or even the intended genre We propose to divide the drama into narrative episodes which we call schemas Schemas are used by a director and a set of actors to structure the drama so that it emerges into a fully developed drama The schemas are pre-authored in an abstract way such that they can be deployed multiple times in the same drama, which removes the authoring bottleneck In this article, we define the structure of the schemas and how the director and actors use schemas in Directed Emergent Drama (DED)