ISRST IS

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IRIS Wiki - IS Systems - ISRST IS

Availability

The website http://ninfort.com/isrst/isrst.html provides online access to "When Your Heart Takes Over", a full-length implementation of an ISRST-based interactive story that is playable on a Java enabled Web browser.

Technical Description

ISRST is an interactive storytelling ontology model based on Rhetorical Structure Theory. It is an evolution of the SRST model, aimed at improving authoring flexibility. In addition, an approach to user interaction/user modelling in interactive digital storytelling based on the notion of interest is introduced. Here, from the current interest in the story expressed by the user, the measures of global background interest and particular interests in individual story characters ("Agent Interest Evaluation") are derived. Background interest influences story presentation in terms of whether preference is given to advancing the story or presenting further (causal or background) detail; inferred degree of empathy with characters provides a basis for choice of story evolution towards an ending agreeing with this user preference.

Result Description (end user perspective)

The story is presented in 3D with audio, speech, and text overlays in a Java enabled Web browser. The user interface includes a color-coded interest level display operated by shifting the mouse, a selector to speed up/slow down the textual display of dialogue, and a button to pause presentation.

Authoring Description

ISRST provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for describing a story and its possible ramifications. One major evolution over the prior SRST system is the move away from strict dependence/reliance on RST-derived constructs, with the introduction of a graph-based structure for representing scenes and episodes. This is meant to provide improvements over issues with flexibility/expressivity (now multiple entry/exit points can be specified for scenes) and to allow an author to maintain an overview over what is currently possible with the given structure.

Strong Points

The system has a certain degree of maturity that is reflected in the stability of playback on a variety of browser platforms. The realised story is also comprehensive.

The interest indicator is a novel user interface device that is clearly linked to narrative theory.

The conceptual framework provides a comprehensive basis for the fleshing out of complete stories.

Limitations

The actual level of story flexibility supported by the framework (in terms of kinds of flexibility) is rather limited. This includes a strong character-centric perspective.

The mechanisms implemented for runtime variability (i.e. the interpretation of the interest indicator level for deriving two different variables affecting the decision process of selecting the next event to be played back) raise some questions regarding their validity.

Main Publications

  • Nakasone, A. & Ishizuka. M. (2006). SRST: A Storytelling Model using Rhetorical Relations. Third International Conference on Technologies for Interactive Digital Storytelling and Entertainment, TIDSE 2006, Stringer LNCS 4326, Darmstadt, Germany, pp. 127-138.
  • Nakasone, A. & Ishizuka. M. (2007). ISRST: An Interest based Storytelling Model using Rhetorical Relations. Proc. Edutainment 2007, Springer LNCS 4469, Hong Kong, China, pp. 324-335.
  • Nakasone, A., Prendinger H. & Ishizuka. M. ISRST: Generating interesting multimedia stories on the Web, Applied Artificial Intelligence (forthcoming).

Supporting Narrative Theories

  • Bordwell, D. (1986). Narration in the Fiction Film. London: Routledge.
  • Bruner, J. (1991). Acts of Meaning. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
  • Crawford, C (2005). Chris Crawford on Interactive Storytelling.
  • Tan, E. (1996). Emotion and the Structure of Narrative Film. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Zillmann, D (1988). Mood Management: Using entertainment to full advantage. In L. Donohew, H.E. Sypher, & E. Tory Higgins (Eds.), Communication, social cognition and affect (pp. 147-171). Hillsdale, NJ; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Computational Model

ISRST IS is based on ISRST.