Automatic story generation for computer role-playing games

Abstract

Scripting the plot in a computer role-playing game requires a large number of scripts that are difficult to track and maintain. Game adventures often have simple plots, called subquests, that are independent from the main plot. Sub-quests are important, as they add value to the open-world appeal of the game, but they still have to be scripted. We have created a prototype of a tool that helps by automatically producing design pattern specifications for sub-quests. The specifications can be entered into an existing tool, called ScriptEase, to generate scripting code for Neverwinter Nights adventures, without doing any manual scripting. The sub-quest patterns produced are logically consistent, ensuring the story can be completed by the player. The sub-quests are also designed to produce a better story by having the author adjust the amount of interactivity between the sub-quests. The entire process is done with little input from the author. © 2006, American Association for Artificial Intelligence.