A methodology to validate interactive storytelling scenarios in linear logic

Abstract

Debugging is one of the main requirements for Interactive Storytelling (IS) authoring tools. During the authoring phase, authors have to specify large numbers of rules and actions as well as consider many possible paths. As a consequence, flaws may happen and finding them "by hand" is complex. Therefore the validation of an IS becomes a crucial issue and automatic assistance in this process is needful. Originated from those requirements, we propose, within the framework of this paper, a methodology using Linear Logic, based on analyzing automatically the resource allocation mechanisms, that helps authors derive a valid scenario of an IS. To do this, we model a scenario by a Linear Logic sequent, then prove the received sequent, which allows building and examining automatically all the possible branches in the scenario, thereby authors may guarantee that all the decisions (that may be made while unfolding the IS) lead to satisfactory endings of their goals. The paper ends with an example on an extract of an educational game to illustrate the methodology. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.