{"title":"Structured Synchronous Reactive Programming for Game Development - Case Study: On Rewriting Pingus from C++ to Céu","authors":"Francisco Sant'anna","doi":"10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00036","url":null,"abstract":"We present a qualitative case study of rewriting the video game Pingus from C++ to the structured synchronous reactive language CEU´ . CEU´ supports reactive control-flow primitives that eliminate callbacks and let programmers write code in direct and sequential style. Structured reactivity helps describing complex control-flow relationships in the game logic more concisely. We show gains in productivity for four behaviors in Pingus through a qualitative analysis of the proposed implementations in CEU´ in comparison to the originals in C++. We also categorize the behaviors in recurrent controlflow patterns that likely apply to most games.","PeriodicalId":170922,"journal":{"name":"2018 17th Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames)","volume":"178 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134123999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Title Page i","authors":"","doi":"10.1109/sbgames.2018.00001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/sbgames.2018.00001","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":170922,"journal":{"name":"2018 17th Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames)","volume":"77 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123804906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An Improved Rolling Horizon Evolution Algorithm with Shift Buffer for General Game Playing","authors":"Bruno Santos, H. Bernardino, E. Hauck","doi":"10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00013","url":null,"abstract":"General Game Playing (GGP) is the design of artificial intelligence programs to play more than one game. Here, one of the most famous GGP frameworks, The General Video Game AI Competition (GVGAI) Framework, is used in order to design controllers for Atari 2600 inspired games. Recent advancements in the literature of GVGAI showed that the Rolling Horizon Evolution Algorithm (RHEA) is competitive when compared to other methods, encouraging the use and the research by improvements for this method. The use of a 1-Step-Look-ahead approach and a Redundant Action Avoidance policy during the creation of new individuals are proposed in this paper. The 1-step-look-ahead technique improves the action selection after the shift of the individual in RHEA with the shift buffer enhancement (RHEA-SB), and the redundant action avoidance policy decreases the chance of spatial redundant actions within the individual. Also, a parameter analysis of RHEA-SB is performed here, where different values of population size, depth of simulations, and number of individuals that remains in the population are evaluated. Results show that using 1-Step-Look-ahead and a redundant action avoidance policy improves the quality of the solutions found when compared to the original algorithm.","PeriodicalId":170922,"journal":{"name":"2018 17th Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames)","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130829391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evaluation of the Motion-Aware Adaptive Dead Reckoning Technique under Different Network Latencies Applied in Multiplayer Games","authors":"Luis Fernando Kawabata de Almeida, A. S. Felinto","doi":"10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00025","url":null,"abstract":"Multiplayer games hold virtual worlds which connect dozens of players in the same session, in which these human players experience network latency in networked interactions negatively. A number of predictive techniques were developed to deliver the best experience for the players. With the growing numbers of players and the complexity of the worlds, the limitations of such techniques, like network delay, consistency, responsivity and bandwidth cost, become evident. The main technique used nowadays is called Dead Reckoning (DR) and was firstly presented decades ago. Based on it a variety of authors proposed improvements to the prediction method, culminating on Kharitonov’s proposal of the Motion-Aware Adaptive Dead Reckoning (MAADR) technique. The author’s evaluation did not consider latency, an important factor that affects the consistency (i.e. veracity) of the information and the Quality of Experience for the players. The proposal of this paper is to evaluate both the MAADR and DR prediction techniques in 4 situations ranging from simple to complex movement patterns, with 0 to 300ms of network delay. The results show that the MAADR performance is superior when compared to the classic algorithm for each situation and each different latency evaluated. It shows that the classic DR presents a large decay in precision within medium and high latencies and it is not ideal in situations with great intolerances to network delay. Because of the obtained results, it is recommended the usage of the MAADR technique when medium and high latencies are expected or when there is an intolerance for the loss of the Quality of Experience.","PeriodicalId":170922,"journal":{"name":"2018 17th Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames)","volume":"61 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128710747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
P. Serafim, Y. L. Nogueira, C. Vidal, J. B. C. Neto
{"title":"Evaluating Competition in Training of Deep Reinforcement Learning Agents in First-Person Shooter Games","authors":"P. Serafim, Y. L. Nogueira, C. Vidal, J. B. C. Neto","doi":"10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00023","url":null,"abstract":"This work evaluates competition in training of autonomous agents immersed in First-Person Shooter games using Deep Reinforcement Learning. The agents are composed of a Deep Neural Network, which is trained using Deep QLearning. The inputs of the networks are only the pixels of the screen, allowing the creation of general players, capable of handling several environments without the need for further modifications. ViZDoom, an Application Programming Interface based on the game Doom, is used as the testbed because of its appropriate features. Fifteen agents were divided into three groups, two of which were trained by competing with each other, and the third was trained by competing against opponents that act randomly. The developed agents were able to learn adequate behaviors to survive in a custom one-onone scenario. The tests showed that the competitive training of autonomous agents leads to a greater number of wins compared to training against non-intelligent agents.","PeriodicalId":170922,"journal":{"name":"2018 17th Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames)","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125376678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Improving Players' Profiles Clustering from Game Data Through Feature Extraction","authors":"Luiz A. L. Rodrigues, J. Brancher","doi":"10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00029","url":null,"abstract":"The study of players profiles is an emerging area which commonly uses demographic characteristics as determinant features. However, there is the need for a deeper understanding that these characteristics alone do not provide. Another problem is the use of predefined profiles that might be oversimplified or too embracing. This paper investigates players profiles based on their gameplay data, besides demographics, using an educational math game as a testbed. Thus, problems such as noise, mixed data types and high dimensionality must be tackled. To this end, we investigated two feature extraction methods to mitigate these difficulties, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Features Agglomeration (FA). Then, two unsupervised learning algorithms were used to find the profiles in our experiments, showing that both PCA and FA improved clustering performance, wherein the best results indicated four profiles: advanced, skilled, beginners and intermediated. Our findings provide game designers with insights about playing styles, can be used to adapt the game in real-time and to assess how distinct players profiles perform in the educational subject, as well as their playing performance.","PeriodicalId":170922,"journal":{"name":"2018 17th Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames)","volume":"50 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122678515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Implementation and Analysis of a Non-deterministic Drama Manager","authors":"Milo N. R. Utsch, G. Pappa, L. Chaimowicz","doi":"10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00028","url":null,"abstract":"Adaptive interactive storytelling is a resource used to guide the player through the game narrative in a way he/she can understand, in his/her own unique way, the multifaceted nature of the story being told. In interactive storytelling, the player is presented with a set of options to help direct the narrative, and the Drama Manager (DM) is responsible for controlling the narrative trajectories the user will experience. This work proposes a DM based on a genetic algorithm, which will be able to present non-deterministic plot lines to the player, increasing replayability. The proposed DM will follow the Anthropological Structures of the Imaginary proposed by Durand to guide the narrative, which will be the basis for a player model. Experiments were performed both with synthetic datasets as well as eleven players. The results show the GA finds subsets of plot lines that are not far from the optimum while increasing replayability. Qualitative analyses of the players preference considering the three regiments that defined Durand’s theory show it is appropriate to model the players preferences in interactive storytelling.","PeriodicalId":170922,"journal":{"name":"2018 17th Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames)","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121371782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rubens Lacerda Queiroz, I. Coutinho, G. Xexéo, P. Lima, F. F. Sampaio
{"title":"Playing with Robots Using Your Brain","authors":"Rubens Lacerda Queiroz, I. Coutinho, G. Xexéo, P. Lima, F. F. Sampaio","doi":"10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00031","url":null,"abstract":"The use of EEG (electroencephalography) has been perceived as an interesting tool for people with motor disabilities to control a sort of electronic devices like robotic wheelchairs, exoskeletons, robotic arms, computers, among others. This kind of BCI (Brain Computer Interface) can be useful to help those people to carry out daily chores as well as to engage in recreational activities, like playing games, just for fun or as a way of performing the necessary training for the mental control of electronic devices in a playful way. In this sense, this paper presents a proposal for a Hot and Cold game using a Turtlebot3 Waffle robot and an EMOTIV Insight 5 channel mobile EEG.","PeriodicalId":170922,"journal":{"name":"2018 17th Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames)","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122007584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Visualization of Interactions in Crowd Simulation and Video Sequences","authors":"P. Knob, V. Araujo, R. M. Favaretto, S. Musse","doi":"10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00037","url":null,"abstract":"Although crowd behavior has been investigated in several applications and a variety of purposes, just a few of the existing simulation methods take into account the phenomenon of interaction between persons. This work aims to use BioCrowds, endowing our agents with personalities and the ability to interact with each other, as well to design interactive visualizations which show relevant information about such simulations. Examples of visualization data is the occurrence of interactions as a function of personalities. Also, we extract such interactions between pedestrians from reallife video sequences, and visualize the output achieved with our visualization tool. The achieved results show that our agents are able to interact with each other as expected. Also, the designed visualizations were helpful to generate relevant information about the captured data, both from simulations and video sequences","PeriodicalId":170922,"journal":{"name":"2018 17th Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames)","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130629061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joao Marcos Epifanio da Silva, A. Callado, P. Jucá
{"title":"Representing Sentiment Using Colors and Particles to Provide Accessibility for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Players","authors":"Joao Marcos Epifanio da Silva, A. Callado, P. Jucá","doi":"10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/SBGAMES.2018.00034","url":null,"abstract":"Providing game accessibility to deaf or hard of hearing players is still an issue in the game industry. The most common access feature developed to provide accessibility for players with this type of disability is to implement closed captions and other textual information to detail sentiments. This paper presents another approach to this problem. Based on the study of colors, this work uses the particle system provided by Unity engine and combines these elements into different scenarios where colorful particles propagate in different directions and with different speeds and forms. This paper proposes that these scenarios can express different sentiments. The proposal evaluation was performed through user interviews. The results present a set of scenarios that can be used by game designers to visually express the intended sentiment of the music or game environment sounds and a Unity plugin that support this task.","PeriodicalId":170922,"journal":{"name":"2018 17th Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames)","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131007058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}