Gadin
IRIS Wiki - IS Systems - Gadin
Availability
Technical Description
Gadin is an interactive narrative engine that unfolds a story based on a user's (or the system's) response to dilemma situations. Gadin consists of a storyworld populated by characters, locations and objects. Applied to the storyworld are actions and dilemmas. The story planner presents actions (whose preconditions and applicability are verified) in order to tend the story towards a dilemma.
Result Description (end user perspective)
A soap opera style story is presented to the user. As the plot unfolds, dilemmas arise, for which the user must decide on the outcome. The user's choices provide the direction for the resultant narrative that can either be limited in scope (achieve a story goal and end) or be continuous (infinite - just as a tv soap can carry on). The Gadin system presents the user with the story, line by line, and asks for input when a dilemma needs to be resolved.
Authoring Description
Actions : certain actions can be reused between domains. For each new domain, all the possible applicability conditions must be added to the knowledge base
Dilemmas : certains dilemmas can be reused between domains otherwise they need to be identified, generalised and instantiated following a general structure
Events : certain events can be reused between domains otherwise a general structure must be followed to create new events
Knowledge : each knowledge item must have preconditions, reasons to share it and how to come about knowing/unknowing it. Initial knowledge characters will have must also be specified
User Model : a model of the user is created based on past action choices and then used to propose the user new dilemmas
Length : whether the narrative generated will be finite or infinite must be specified
Strong Points
- Extends the planning approach to the narrative concept of dilemmas.
- Gadin allows for endless story generation, as is the case for the soap operas it basis its dilemmas around. The tool continuously presents the user with dilemmas to keep the narrative going. The planning algorithm takes into account previously accomplished dilemmas to avoid redundency for the user.
Limitations
-
Main Publications
- Barber, H., Kudenko, D. (2008). Generation of Dilemma-Based Narratives: Method and Turing Test Evaluation. In Spierling & Szilas (Eds.) Proc. Interactive Storytelling - ICIDS 2008 (pp 214-217). Springer Verlag.
- Barber, H., Kudenko, D. (2007). Dynamic Generation of Dilemma-based Interactive Narratives. Proceedings of the Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment conferance - AIIDE 2007. AAAI Press: Menlo Park, California.
Supporting Narrative Theories
While litterature on the Gadin system doesn't point to any specific narrative theory, the system focuses on the importance of dilemmas for narrative interest. Dilemmas are strongly related to Aristotle dramatic theory and the notion of conflict in screenwriting (cf the three-Act Paradigm and the Five-act model).
Computational Model
Planning technology.
