Intrinsic Algorithm News » GDC

Dave’s Lectures at GDC AI Summit

Dave Mark — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:56:38 +0000

One again, Dave is an advisor for the GDC AI Summit in March. He is also speaking, this time on using psychology in AI and on how we can improve AI through mathematical modeling of behavior. See more about the two lectures at the AI Game Programmers Guild site.

GDC AI Summit: Less A, More I – Using Psychology in Game AI

GDC AI Summit: Embracing the Dark Art of Mathematical Modeling in AI

(Photo by Neil Kirby)

GDC 2011

Dave Mark — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 02:39:13 +0000

As usual, Intrinsic Algorithm will be at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Dave Mark is once again a co-advisor of the AI Summit at GDC. As part of that Summit, he is co-lecturing with Brian Schwab of Blizzard, moderating a panel, and delivering a short rant.

If you are looking to meet with IA to discuss AI consulting, please contact us as soon as possible!

Dave Mark to Speak at GDC Online (Austin)

Dave Mark — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 02:41:43 +0000

I will be speaking at the 2010 GDC Online conference in Austin again this year. GDC Online is October 5th – 8th at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, TX.

Here is the tentative description of his session proposal as accepted by the GDC Online Advisory Board:

Session Description
Many areas of game design and programming benefit from very simple premises found in the 50-year old discipline of game theory. When games go awry, it is often due to not applying one or more of these ideas. Online competitive games in particular are prone to tipping precariously out of balance. By comparing staple online games such as World of Warcraft, Team Fortress 2, and Starcraft to classic game theory examples such as Rock-Paper-Scissors and Prisoner’s Dilemma, this lecture offers practical tips on how game theory methodologies can be used to craft well-balanced games—and potentially avert disaster!

Session Takeaway
The attendee will see some of the classic example problems of game theory in action, how their concepts can be applied to the design of online competitive games, and how those applications can create richer gameplay.

This will be my second appearance at GDC Online (formerly GDC Austin) and my 4th overall participation at GDC events. My 2009 GDC Austin lecture, ”Cover Me! Promoting MMO Player Interaction through Advanced AI” garnered a attendee rating of 4.9 (out of 5) compared to the conference average of 4.29. This included a 4.9 score on the item, “Would you recommend this session to a colleague?”

My thanks to the GDC Online advisory board and the wonderful conference staff, Jen Steele and Kara Foley, for the opportunity once again. A special nod to board member Raph Koster whose excellent “Games Are Math” session from last year gave me a reminder of how relevant this topic is.

Hope to see you all there!

(To download lecture slides from any of my past conference lectures, visit our “media” page.)

Dave Mark GDC/GameX Lecture Slides

Dave Mark — Mon, 24 May 2010 20:36:54 +0000

Lost in all my annoyance at the old blog issues, I never mentioned that I have created a page to hold the slides from my lectures in the past. These include:

2009 GDC AI Summit
Breaking the Cookie-Cutter: Modeling Individual Personality, Mood, and Emotion in Characters

2009 GDC Austin
Cover Me!: Promoting MMO Player Interaction through Advanced AI

2009 GameX Industry Summit
The Art of Game AI: Sculpting Behavior with Data, Formulas, and Finesse

2010 GDC AI Summit
Improving AI Decision Modeling Through Utility Theory
AI Devs Rant!

Some of these were joint lectures but only contain my content. The exceptions are the GameX one and the Utility Theory lecture. Both of those were joint with Kevin Dill. I have permission to use his content (as he does with mine).

I will continue to update that page as I do other lectures in the future.

Heading to GDC and the AI Summit

Dave Mark — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:06:00 +0000

Once again, Dave is heading to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and once again he will be helping run the AI Summit as a presentation of the AI Game Programmers Guild.

In addition to his role as Summit Advisor, he will be delivering a joint lecture with Kevin Dill entitled Improving AI Decision Modeling Through Utility Theory and taking part in a panel, Deciding on an AI Architecture: Which Tool for the Job?

If you are at GDC this week, you should be able to find Dave at the AI Summit or at any of the various AI roundtables or lectures. See you there!

Dave Mark at 2010 GDC AI Summit

Dave Mark — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:23:00 +0000

Dave’s sessions for the 2010 GDC AI Summit have been posted. In addition to being one of the two Summit Advisors this year (along with Steve Rabin), Dave will be giving a joint lecture with Kevin Dill, participating in a panel, and giving a 5-minute “rant”. The session details are below.

Improving AI Decision Modeling Through Utility Theory
Speaker: Kevin Dill (Software Engineer, Lockheed Martin), Dave Mark (President and Lead Designer, Intrinsic Algorithm)
Date/Time: TBD
Experience Level: Intermediate
Summit: AI Summit
Format: 60-minute Lecture

Session Description
The ‘if/then’ statement has been the workhorse of decision modeling longer than digital computing. Unfortunately, the harsh transition from yes to no often expresses itself through behavior in ways that are just as harsh. Utility theory has roots in areas such as psychology, economics, sociology, and classical game theory. By applying the science of utility theory with algorithmic techniques such as response curves, population distributions, and weighted randoms, we can improve the modeling of the underlying brain of our agents, broaden the potential decision space, and even manage edge cases that other decision systems stumble over.

Idea Takeaway
This lecture explains the underpinnings of utility theory, and shows concrete examples of how to leverage it using the power of other algorithmic techniques regardless of the overall structure being used for the agent AI.

Deciding on an AI Architecture: Which Tool for the Job?
Speaker: Charles Rich (Professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute), Steve Rabin (Principal Software Engineer, Nintendo of America), Alex Champandard (Writer & Contributing Editor, AiGameDev.com), Michael Dawe(Programmer, Big Huge Games), Dave Mark (President and Lead Designer, Intrinsic Algorithm)
Date/Time: TBD
Experience Level: Intermediate
Summit: AI Summit
Format: 60-minute Panel

Session Description
Often one of the most important issues an AI programmer needs to address is the decision of which architecture to use. This choice lays the foundation for the rest of the project both enabling and limiting choices down the road. With myriad (and even conflicting) pro and con arguments for all the major AI architectures, it can be difficult to determine which one is right for a given project. This panel approaches this issue from a unique perspective. With one person acting as an advocate for each of the popular AI architectures, the panel will be presented with hypothetical game examples and asked to explain why their method is the right tool for the job and why others are not.

Idea Takeaway
While this session is likely to get playfully adversarial, the attendee will be given not only a better understanding of the pros and cons of each of the types, but witness some of the thought processes that must occur when deciding on an AI architecture.

Microtalks – AI Devs Rant!
Speaker: Borut Pfeifer (Freelance Game Programmer/Designer, Plush Apocalypse Productions), Dave Mark (President and Lead Designer, Intrinsic Algorithm), Adam Russell(Games Studio Manager and Lecturer, University of Derby), Kevin Dill (Software Engineer, Lockheed Martin), Steve Rabin (Principal Software Engineer, Nintendo of America), John Funge (Head of Game Platforms, Netflix)
Date/Time: TBD
Experience Level: Intermediate
Summit: AI Summit
Format: 60-minute Lecture

Session Description
Sometimes things just need to be said. Saying them out loud in a room filled with (hopefully) like-minded people just makes it all the more interesting and cathartic. Seven AI developers from all corners of the industry will deliver quick, to-the-point rants about what’s on their mind. Topics include AI design and programming, working with other portions of the dev team, working with academia, the perception of game AI by the public, scripting languages, and even those scary floating point numbers! Whoever said AI programmers only sit with their heads down over their keyboards?

Idea Takeaway
Find out what’s on the minds of AI developers in a fast-paced, fun, yet hopefully not controversy-rife session!

2010 GDC AI Summit Announced

Dave Mark — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:54:00 +0000

The GDC folks have put up the main page for the AI Summit at the 2010 GDC. This year, I am listed as a Summit Advisor alongside Steve Rabin. While I helped out a lot last year, I wasn’t listed as an official advisor. That makes for a wonderful honor. I’m so pleased to be working with all the great people in the AI Game Programmers Guild to put this event on.

On the Level 3 Red Couch

Dave Mark — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:34:00 +0000

As a speaker at GDC Austin, I was invited by Level 3 to sit on their “Red Couch” for a video interview. Because they are an internet backbone provider, their whole take is how connectivity over the net enables “stuff”. I tweaked my spiel accordingly. It’s only about 5 minutes long.

Details of GDC Austin Lecture

Dave Mark — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:31:00 +0000

The information for my lecture, Cover Me! Promoting MMO Player Interaction through Advanced AI, at GDC Austin has been posted.

Here’s the relevant information:

Takeaway
This lecture shows examples of some of the aspects of PvP games that are attractive to players, the AI techniques that can be used to replicate them, and the effect that inclusion of these aspects can have in an MMO environment. The attendee will leave with a variety of concepts that can be included in their own MMO designs.

Session Description
Historically, PvE AI in MMOs has been a straight-forward affair. While this leads to predictability, it also leads to monotony. In online, team-based PvP games, however, much of the attraction is the dynamic nature of the engagement that necessitates that players read, communicate, and react appropriately to changing, even unexpected actions of their enemies. By leveraging more advanced techniques that are becoming common in FPS, RPG, and RTS games, the AI in MMOs can be designed to provide some of the more attractive and engaging elements of PvP games. This, in turn, can lead to more involved team play, greater replayability, and an increased sense of community in the game.

Speaking at GDC Austin

Dave Mark — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:49:00 +0000

I will be speaking at the 2009 Austin GDC, September 15-18. Rather than the broad-based coverage of the GDC, the Austin GDC is more tailored to online games. In that vein, I will be doing a 1-hour lecture entitled “Cover Me!: Promoting MMO Player Interaction through Advanced AI“.

More details soon.