Recent content by Michael Cook

Hi all! I like to get involved in the comments threads here, but I'm afraid I missed the air date on this one so I'm a little late. In case any of you ever check back, here's a few points I wanted to make: You both make valid points, but you're missing out on what is being worked towards...

What Your Archmage Build Says About You An information-gathering Neverwinter Nights mod could someday lead to games that change to suit your personality. Read Full Article

Yes and no. Whilst it is possible to avoid firing a single shot, most gamers won't approach it like that, and there are some moments that most gamers will interpret as a sign they need to engage people. Good examples here - when you leave the drainage duct system in 'Jacknife', you're told to...

I knew someone would see that. Nice. ;)

That's an interesting one. I kind of came to like it - you get a 'feel' for jumping into the wall. But then again, I was using a mouse so there was a bit more fidelity in the directions you could take Faith in.

Hey folks! I can't say I'm surprised to see a mixed results here - some people loved Mirror's Edge, some hated it. This article was a great opportunity for me to finally conclude my love affair with the game - I had spent last Summer exploring it fully in a blog dedicated to it, The Runner. You...

Stumbling Through Mirror's Edge Mirror's Edge is a beautiful paradox: a first-person action game that emphasized "flight" over "fight." But while it took a familiar genre and reconfigured it into an entirely new kind of gameplay, it was also deeply flawed. Michael Cook examines what brought...

It's good to see - as I'd suspected - that a few of you had already done this but weren't sure what to do with it. You need to get your work out there! Once more of it's hitting the internet, people start to take notice and the communities grow. Glad you all enjoyed it. Please post your...

Story Time with Agent 47 The best videogame narratives are often the ones you write yourself. Michael Cook talks to a few game writers who have been uniquely inspired by their favorite medium. Read Full Article

But what's interesting, to me at least, is whether these linear narratives could be procedurally generated. Certainly, our desire is to break the rules, to rock the narrative boat. So the freedom offered by, say, The Sims, is different to the freedom offered by Fallout or Facade. In Facade, I...

Interestingly, RAK, Dr. Colton is due to give a talk this week entitled "Ability versus Enjoyability in DEFCON AI-bots", and it's a field of study that both he and Robin are pursuing. We don't want to get beaten, but we don't want it to be easy either. It's an interesting thing to consider.

If only I were lucky enough to be researching! I'm sorry to say that I'm currently only a lowly undergraduate, with two hard years left before I get close to research. However, I'm sure Robin (www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~rb1006) and Simon (www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~sgc) would both be interested in talking to you...

There Is Research To Be Done Think computer opponents in games are hard now? Wait until A.I. researchers get through with them. Michael Cook examines how the industry and academia are profiting from an open dialogue on artificial intelligence. Read Full Article

Hero Worship "Gaming became a recluse. It stayed in its bedroom most nights, and like every sulking teenager it hung posters of its idols on the walls. A ferociously bearded Richard Garriott. A godlike silhouette of Will Wright. A revealing portrait of Peter Molyneux wearing only a coy smile...