The SIGGRAPH conference is always like a treasure chest for anyone working in fields relating to graphics or simulation. This year’s event is still a few months away, but the main papers are already online. Here’s a selection of the best papers that are the most relevant for creating artificial intelligent characters in games.

Some of these research projects take a little effort to see their potential, but the others are barely short of revolutionary!

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This week in his column Dave Mark ponders about tricks we can use to share our thoughts with AI controlled characters. Join in the developer discussion and let him know how you think we can solve this problem.

“Thank you for entering the large orc dining hall. Please listen carefully as our menu has changed.

If you would like to attack the orcs in this room, press 1. If you would like to retreat, press 2. If you would like to –

If you would like your have the thief hide in shadows, press 1. If you –

If you would like the thief to hide in the shadows on the left side of the room, press 1. If you would like the thief to hide in the shadows on the right side of the room, press 2. If you would like the thief to hide in the shadows behind the large chairs on the other side of the banquet table, press 3. If you would like to hear these options ag –

Your thief will hide on the left side. If you would like him to assassinate the orc leader, press 1. If y –

Your thief has now been instructed. Whether or not he can be trusted remains to be seen.

If you would like your wizard to cast offensive spells, press 1. If you would like him to case buffs on you, press 2. If you woul –

If you would like your wizard’s offensive spells to be area of effect in nature, press 1. If you will be wading into the fray and would like your wizard to show some restraint for a change, press 2. –

Your wizard scowls at you but nods that he understands.

If you would like your paladin to attack the first orc from the left, press 1. If you would like your paladin to attack the second orc from the left, press 2. If you would like your paladin to attack the third orc from th –

You have entered a number that is not recognized, please count the orcs again. Remembering to start from the left. If you would like to hear this menu again –

You have entered a number that is not recognized, please count the orcs again. Remembering to start from the left. If you would like to hear thi –

You have entered a number that is not recognized, please count the –

We’re sorry, but you have died. Perhaps next time you should spend more time fighting and less time trying to communicate your intentions on to your party.

Thank you for using our Advanced AI Direction Interface. Good bye.”

Wow. Technology sure is nice and all… but I sure would like to talk to a human once in a while.

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This week’s roundup is back to normal at AiGameDev.com, as we bring you links the web relating to game AI. This week was marked by impressions of Ubidays; also there have some solid articles and blog posts for you to read — as always. Remember, there’s also lots of great content to be found in the forums here! (All you have to do is introduce yourself.)

This post is brought to you mostly by Marcos Novacovsky (aka “Novack”) with minor editorial comments by Alex Champandard. If you have any news or tips for next week, be sure to email them in to editors at AiGameDev.com. Remember there’s a mini-blog over at news.AiGameDev.com (RSS) with game AI news from the web as it happens.

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A few weeks ago, I mentioned the possibility of going on tour in France around the time of the Paris GDC. Since then, things have fallen into place very quickly. AiGameDev.com has teamed up with the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6) LIP6 to organize our first workshop entirely dedicated to Game AI. We’re also very excited to have SpirOps on board as a sponsor too! They’re a leading AI middleware company based in Paris.

Not only will this event in France definitely happen now, but it’s going to be awesome! In fact, over the course of a week, we’ve already sold out the small room we planned originally. Well, the event is free, but you need to apply by signing-up before it’s too late. Vincent Corruble, who’s co-chairing the event, just managed to book the big room at LIP6, but we expect it to fill up very quickly too at this rate.

The list of people who have confirmed their attendance is very impressive — by any standard… It’s a nice blend of developers from industry and researchers, including some of the gurus from the AiGameDev.com blog and forums too.

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In this week’s discussion column on AiGameDev.com, Dave Mark (CEO at Intrinsic Algorithm) brings up the topic of co-operative AI characters — an increasing trend in video games these days. Let him know what you think and post a comment below.

“AI only needs to be as good as the character’s life expectancy.”

That’s the rule of thumb for the AI programming world. Or at least that’s what we are all taught. In theory, it’s a sound rule. If the average enemy is on screen for seven seconds, make seven seconds worth of behaviors. If they are going to be observable for five minutes, a seven second loop of behavior is going to get old really quick. A recurring character in an RPG may have a good amount of face time broken up over the course of the game, but that is still in reasonable chunks (and generally entirely scripted). But what if the AI agent is going to be around all the bloody time? I mean not just hanging out in the background like a vendor or a citizen in Neverwinter Nights… but around around — like an “in your face” around. A “glued to you at all times” style of around. Now THAT is a lot of AI! And yet that is what is happening in the game world today.

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When there are no technical glitches, weekends at AiGameDev.com are dedicated to rounding up links from the web relating to game AI. This post is a little late, but there’s been lots of activity this week; several jobs, a workshop in Paris and solid articles and blog posts for you to read. Remember, there’s also lots of great content to be found in the forums here! (All you have to do is introduce yourself.)

This post is brought to you by Marcos Novacovsky (aka “Novack”) and Alex Champandard. If you have any news or tips for next week, be sure to email them in to editors at AiGameDev.com. Remember there’s a mini-blog over at news.AiGameDev.com (RSS) with game AI news from the web as it happens.

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In this week’s developer discussion on AiGameDev.com, Dave Mark from Intrinsic Algorithm considers different ways to build AI into games. Let him know which way you approach the problem and post a comment below.

When I was younger and had both the time to listen and the motivation to care, I would tune in to my local rock-oriented radio station to hear the weekly broadcast of the syndicated show, Rockline. In a nutshell, it was the place to hear interviews with popular bands and solo artists. Being a musician myself at the time, it was also a great source of amusement. Sometimes, it was the guests that provided the chuckles, but the real source of entertainment was unscripted. One of the staples of the program was the call-in segment. In the pre-“Beavis and Butthead” days, this was a fantastic opportunity to hear semi-stoned head-bangers in their natural environment. (And kept the producer’s finger on the bleep-button!)

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