We will build Drama Princess as a collection of components. One of the first components that we will build is the action logic. At its root a system for playing character animations based on action sequences. For starters the choice of sequence (=opportunity) will be made by user input and not by some form of artificial intelligence. Then we can
- “play AI” to test the visual effects of our theories before building any systems and
- start with the creation of animation assets early (and direct it based on the results of the tests).
The basis of the action system will be the design discussed before in From goal to behaviour. So it’s not just about playing animations but about going through a sequence of actions based on rules. These actions trigger both animations and changes in parameters (state, position, rotation, etc). But the focus will be on animation blending first.
Other elements we will want to work on will be transitions between animation sequences and idle poses.
Posted on July 9, 2006 at 8:32 am
Another element that will need attention is synchronization of actions between actor and object (character, inanimate or environment). While the goal selection happens on a higher level, the actions in the sequence of the initiating actor will need conditions to make it wait for the object and commands to tell the object what to do (or at least parameters to set that allow a higher system to give those commands).