World of Warcraft

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AI for Player Expression in
World of Warcraft
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Overview

• AI systems and artifacts
• Less stupid
• More intelligent
• Game Design
• Player Experience
• AI to improve both

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Fundamentals

• Mechanics naked
• Fiction cliché
• Interesting, funny, touching, etc.
• But not essential
• Carrot
• 10 seconds
• 10 minutes
• 10 hours

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World Space

• Level and location interlock
• Quest design
• 20 choose area
• 40 multiple areas
• 60 world-spanning adventures
• Visiting old stomping grounds
• A real sense of progression

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Character Space

• Class
• Skills
• Equipment
• Quests
• Can solo but slow
• Difficult to group with other levels

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Agency

• Individual impact limited
• Persistent world, scripted events
• Group play adds meta-content
• Roles
• Share, heal, inform, save the day
• Ignore, lie, pvp, greed over need
• Pose, strip, dance naked
• If it quacks like a druid.
• Can be hard to feel unique

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AI for Expression

• Put the R back in RPG

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AI for Expression

• Put the R back in RPG
• AI for bosses

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AI for Expression

• Put the R back in RPG
• AI for bosses
• Dynamic quests

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AI for Expression

• Put the R back in RPG
• AI for bosses
• Dynamic quests
• World-scale events...

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AI for Expression

• Put the R back in RPG
• AI for bosses
• Dynamic quests
• World-scale events...
• Information economy?

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Agency Reflection
Exploits
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Agency Reflection
Influence
Exploits
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Agency Reflection
Infamy
Influence
Exploits
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Legends Lore
IronThump
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Legends Lore
IronThump
horde minions
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Legends Lore
Fahna
IronThump
horde minions
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Legends Lore
Fahna
IronThump
horde minions
new threat!
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Legends Lore
Fahna
IronThump
horde minions
new threat!
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Research Questions

• What do truly unique events add to the experience
  of online spaces?

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Research Questions

• What do truly unique events add to the experience
  of online spaces?
• How can AI support and enhance social play, group
  empowerment, agency and dramatic consequence?

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Reasearch Questions

• What do truly unique events add to the experience
  of online spaces?
• How can AI support and enhance social play, group
  empowerment, agency and dramatic consequence?
• How can we reflect information back at players to
  create a sense of history and community in those
  spaces?