User-Recordable Non-Player Characters for Croquet

Abstract

Visually rich, immersive multi-user environments are commonly used for entertainment and online socializing. However, growing attention is being given to education and simulations for training using these immersive "game-oriented" technologies. In this paper, we describe extensions to Croquet facilitating the recording and playback of avatar interactions in 3D multi-user spaces. Applications of recordable user-controlled avatars include creation of Non-Player Characters (NPCs), and recording/playback of social interactions for education, such as foreign language instructional environments. By combining a set of user- controlled avatar gestures with live and pre-recorded avatars in a 3D Croquet space, we can create a virtual laboratory for users to practice both language and the social gestures which go with the language - and then replay the actions to both analyze the interactions and try different viewpoints and roles.