Scenejo

IRIS Wiki - IS Systems - Scenejo

Availability

http://www.scenejo.org. Currently the system is not directly downloadable, but the developers are working on a downloadable version. The tool in the recent finished version (of 2007, running the KillerPhraseGame) is available on request by first contacting the developers.

Technical Description

The goal of the 'Scenejo' project is to provide an experimental platform for 'Interactive Digital Storytelling', which can be used to experience emerging dialogues or conversations between a number of virtual and human actors. Scenejo connects several A.L.I.C.E. chatbots in a conversational loop of turn taking, which is controlled by a software component called ‘drama manager’. By text-chat via a standard keyboard, users can join in the conversation at any time.

Result Description (end user perspective)

"The Killer Phrase Game" was developed as a first learning application to be created for Scenejo in 2006 within the project ‘Interparolo’ at the FH Erfurt. This project aimed at creating digital learning material on the topic of ‘Moderation and Mediation’ for E-Learning. The resulting game could be test-played with students. It tackles the topic of how to identify and react to so-called ‘killer phrases’ within a discussion. Killer phrases are ‘creativity killers’, often used in a knee-jerk manner, which can destroy new ideas before they are discussed with solid arguments. The designed game assumes a scenario with two parties, planners and residents, arguing about upcoming plans for an airport expansion. The partly predefined conversation between the two parties, carried out across a table, contains such killer phrases. The learner plays the role of the moderator and has to manage the meeting. User interaction is handled through typing natural language text into a chat window. These verbal contributions are transformed into verbal actions (‘dialogue acts’) that may have a meaning within the prepared discussion.

Utterances of all parties in the conversation can influence parameter states in the game, two of which are the most important: The ‘Killer Phrase Level’ as kind of a stress level of the whole debate, and an ‘Agreement Level’. In the best case, the player can influence the stress level in a negative way so that the chances for constructive arguments are higher. Certain arguments increase the ‘Agreement Level’, and the game can end successfully for the moderator. In the worst case, the increasing ‘Killer Phrase Level’ reaches a threshold value that makes the discussion end with an escalation.

Authoring Description

Authoring of the conversations is supported by a graphical interface, and can also be accomplished by directly writing AIML code (an XML-dialect, see www.alicebot.org). Single utterances are defined on 2 levels: an abstract dialogue act, such as "PARKING COMPLAINT", and a concrete wording of the utterance, such as "You should try coming home in the afternoons, you'd be hard pressed to find a parking space." Possible abstract dialogue acts of one character (bot) are then arranged to form either sequences or reaction possibilities to utterances coming from either another bot or the user. In order to accomplish sequences of turn-taking between 2 bots, the output of one utterance of Bot A has to be input as a pattern for another utterance of Bot B.

Dialogue sequences / utterances are groups within dialogue graphs, which are associated to an actor in a scene. Several scenes can be combined as a high-level plot graph, defining the overall structure of the conversation.

Strong Points

Scenejo enables the definition of multi-partner conversations with high-frequency interaction possibilities for users. A strong point is its accessibility for authors stemming from non-programming areas, who can quickly experiment with creating small conversations that can be directly experienced, without knowledge in programming. Therefore, it is well suited for people making their first steps in experiencing typical authoring issues in Interactive Storytelling.

Limitations

Scenejo is currently limited to the design of verbal interaction with "talking heads" by typing text-chat. As it is based on the ALICE chatbot philosophy, combined with a low-level dialogue manager, recognition of user utterances is limited to author-defined patterns, the design of which is challenging.

Main Publications

Spierling, U., Weiß, S.A., Müller, W. (2006). Towards Accessible Authoring Tools for Interactive Storytelling. In: Goebel, Malkewitz, Iurgel (eds.): Technologies for Interactive Digital Storytelling and Entertainment, Conference Proceedings, Darmstadt, Springer Verlag LNCS. [1]

Spierling, U. (2007). Adding Aspects of “Implicit Creation" to the Authoring Process in Interactive Storytelling. In: Cavazza, M., Donikian, S. (eds.): Virtual Storytelling, ICVS 2007, Conference Proceedings, Saint Malo, France; Springer Verlag LNCS. [2]

Supporting Narrative Theories

The tool was designed without any background of narrative theories.

Computational Model

The computational model was built around the philosophy of A.L.I.C.E. chatbots (http://www.alicebot.org). The first version included the Program D variant. On top of that, there is a shallow dialogue manager named "dramatic adviser", which is responsible for turn assignment and selection of next utterances.