Gamasutra - Blogs http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ Ron Newcomb's Blogs Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:27:29 EST en-us scarless@think-services.com (Simon Carless) The Scene and the Planning Tree - by Ron Newcomb http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RonNewcomb/20110913/8430/The_Scene_and_the_Planning_Tree.php Game Design,Programming There's a parallel between the planning tree of artificial intelligence and the scenes of narrative. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RonNewcomb/20110913/8430/The_Scene_and_the_Planning_Tree.php Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:07:00 EDT Argument Maps for Unscripted Conversation - by Ron Newcomb http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RonNewcomb/20110830/8334/Argument_Maps_for_Unscripted_Conversation.php Game Design,Programming To replace dialogue trees, we first need a way to represent the ideas in play during verbal conflict. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RonNewcomb/20110830/8334/Argument_Maps_for_Unscripted_Conversation.php Tue, 30 Aug 2011 07:28:00 EDT Re-using Planning Trees for Interactive Dialogue - by Ron Newcomb http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RonNewcomb/20110719/8029/Reusing_Planning_Trees_for_Interactive_Dialogue.php Game Design,Programming Did you ever want to ask an NPC "why"? Or "how"? Or "could"? Here's a method for a creator to provide NPCs with answers without necessarily scripting everything beforehand. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RonNewcomb/20110719/8029/Reusing_Planning_Trees_for_Interactive_Dialogue.php Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:33:00 EDT Before Action Videogames, There Was Pinball - by Ron Newcomb http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RonNewcomb/20110714/7989/Before_Action_Videogames_There_Was_Pinball.php Game Design,Serious If board wargames are the predecessor of strategy videogames, so might pinball precede the action videogame. And so the rise and fall of pinball may foretell something for the action videogame. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RonNewcomb/20110714/7989/Before_Action_Videogames_There_Was_Pinball.php Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:43:00 EDT Dialogue Is The HUD - by Ron Newcomb http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RonNewcomb/20110121/6850/Dialogue_Is_The_HUD.php Game Design In books, dialog is action. In games, dialog is exposition. For genres that lack the human element, here is news. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RonNewcomb/20110121/6850/Dialogue_Is_The_HUD.php Fri, 21 Jan 2011 02:34:00 EST Prose Generation Techniques for Small Platforms - by Ron Newcomb http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RonNewcomb/20110106/5843/Prose_Generation_Techniques_for_Small_Platforms.php Game Design,Programming,Social/Online,Smartphone/Tablet Adaptable story frequently finds limited prose generation useful. While substituting one MacGuffin or character for another is pretty straightforward, verb conjugation, pronoun choice, and subject-verb agreement can get hairy. Especially on a cell phone. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RonNewcomb/20110106/5843/Prose_Generation_Techniques_for_Small_Platforms.php Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:02:00 EST