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New EA Patent: NPCs with the ability of self-learning

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

A new EA patent has surfaced online, and the technology it protects could play a substantial role in shaping future games from EA and its studios, particularly BioWare, which is currently working on a new Mass Effect game and Dragon Age 4. The patent in question involves NPC behavior, and, more specifically, equipping NPCs with the ability of self-learning, which in turn would permit NPCs to adapt to the decisions the player is making. Of course, NPCs reacting to the decisions players make isn't a revolutionary idea nor a new one. If you play a Renegade Shepard in the Mass Effect games, NPCs react differently to you compared to a Paragon Shepard. They do this though because of precise scripting on the behalf of BioWare.

So, what's different about the patent? Well, if you read between the lines of the technical jargon, it sounds like the aim is to make NPCs react not only to decisions players make over the course of a story, but to the player's playstyle as well. In other words, rather than check if you made a certain decision to influence dialogue, the NPC would react to all available data about the player, and then adapt themselves based on this data.
 

reksveks

Member
So the dumb example is

If I go around shooting everyone with a sniper rifle instead of a machine gun, the shop keeper will adjust their script to sell me a new sniper rifle or maybe suggest I try a new weapon type?

Could be interesting if you play like a bloody thirsty hero in general gameplay (non-lethal takedown vs lethal) , whether that automatically puts you in a renegade lane.
 

Barakov

Member

A new EA patent has surfaced online, and the technology it protects could play a substantial role in shaping future games from EA and its studios, particularly BioWare, which is currently working on a new Mass Effect game and Dragon Age 4. The patent in question involves NPC behavior, and, more specifically, equipping NPCs with the ability of self-learning, which in turn would permit NPCs to adapt to the decisions the player is making. Of course, NPCs reacting to the decisions players make isn't a revolutionary idea nor a new one. If you play a Renegade Shepard in the Mass Effect games, NPCs react differently to you compared to a Paragon Shepard. They do this though because of precise scripting on the behalf of BioWare.

So, what's different about the patent? Well, if you read between the lines of the technical jargon, it sounds like the aim is to make NPCs react not only to decisions players make over the course of a story, but to the player's playstyle as well. In other words, rather than check if you made a certain decision to influence dialogue, the NPC would react to all available data about the player, and then adapt themselves based on this data.

RVDm5ui.jpg

Maybe there's hope for the human race after all.....
 

nush

Gold Member
Didn't Virtua Fighter 2 on the Saturn already have this feature? Maybe they didn't patent it?
 

Jennings

Member
The cynic in me says that EA is less interested in making this actually work in any games ever and more interested in making a dollar every time another company does anything remotely close to what the patent describes.
 
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Fuz

Banned
The cynic in me says that EA is less interested in making this actually work in any games ever and more interested in making a dollar every time another company does anything remotely close to what the patent describes.
The AI will learn how to scam us better.
 

nemiroff

Gold Member
They couldn't even be bothered to link to the actual patent.. Unless I overlooked it. In the meantime I'm going to assume this is another useless method patent (much like the "daily" Sony patent threads on gaf..) only good for potentially stifling other efforts. On the upside there's something good in here; Someone in EA is actually looking into these matters, so lets hope the game making teams are taking notes.
 
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Brofist

Member
They are so smart they automatically buy all the game’s DLC for you too.
 
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oldergamer

Member

A new EA patent has surfaced online, and the technology it protects could play a substantial role in shaping future games from EA and its studios, particularly BioWare, which is currently working on a new Mass Effect game and Dragon Age 4. The patent in question involves NPC behavior, and, more specifically, equipping NPCs with the ability of self-learning, which in turn would permit NPCs to adapt to the decisions the player is making. Of course, NPCs reacting to the decisions players make isn't a revolutionary idea nor a new one. If you play a Renegade Shepard in the Mass Effect games, NPCs react differently to you compared to a Paragon Shepard. They do this though because of precise scripting on the behalf of BioWare.

So, what's different about the patent? Well, if you read between the lines of the technical jargon, it sounds like the aim is to make NPCs react not only to decisions players make over the course of a story, but to the player's playstyle as well. In other words, rather than check if you made a certain decision to influence dialogue, the NPC would react to all available data about the player, and then adapt themselves based on this data.
I know from a friend working at EA that they are testing machine learning for sports games like fifa. Like AI positioning based off thousands of hours of game footage from actual soccer.
 

K.N.W.

Member
Is it possible to deposit patents for systems which have already been done? Because MGSV and other games already do that to some degree.
 

ABnormal

Member
Great. Now put some of those NPCs on the direction of the Battlefield franchise, so that it can be directed by someone who can learn from mistakes.
 

PerfectDark

Banned
This thread is like saying Telsa patents hovercrafts for new cars.

EA is using the same AI in Madden and other sports games as they did from 15 years ago.

EA is too busy with MTX than anything in a video game like AI.
 

DaGwaphics

Member

First thing I thought of when reading the title of the thread. Only this time Guy doesn't try to save the world, he tries to be the best he can at selling those shoes. :messenger_winking_tongue:

Seriously though, a large open world filled with NPCs that were machine learning based on real-time player conduct would be something very unique. Although I can see said game potentially becoming impossible to beat. Maybe you would need the ability to join servers in different stages of "learning".
 
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EDMIX

Member
I know from a friend working at EA that they are testing machine learning for sports games like fifa. Like AI positioning based off thousands of hours of game footage from actual soccer.

Thats some wild shit! ^^^

Good to hear someone cares about trying to improve that. I wonder in the future how big a role AI will play in RPGs and other games. Imagine in the future an NPC can say a series of lines that no one wrote, but it just states based on what is going on around it.

Thats some scary shit lol
 
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