> Maybe I'll design a Polonius to follow me around and say inane things, so
> I can verbally toy with him, occasionally. :)
>
> AI-wise, do you think he can respond sufficiently, so as to preserve
> the illusion of interacting with somone capable of verbal repartee?
> What techniques would you have to employ to successfully bring it off?
> I know this skirts the boundary of technical constraint, but good AI is
> very hard to implement and if there's a simpler way to bring it off I
> think that would be preferrable.
Actually, Polonius could be written to realize he's in trouble with the
conversation, and he could decide to punt. He could then say something
like "I don't undertand, My Lord", or "Who, me, My Lord?". Maybe this
would work better with a character like Igor, or a dog.
Hey! A dog would be pretty easy. Ten or twelve one-word commands, and
specific actions assigned to each. Code to make him avoid bumping into
walls and such. Automatic things like getting bored and wandering around
sniffing for something to bring my attenion to. As I add code, and make
him more intelligent, he could become a trained ape, and then Igor, and
later, maybe, Polonius.
> Like, what if I switched swords on (damn, I
> forget his name) the guy who wants to kill Hamlet, so that his sword
> has no venom on it?
That was Laertes, Ophelia's brother, Polonius' son.
BTW: The text of the play is at:
http://the-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/works.html
... as are all the rest of Shakespeare's works.
--- Andrew C. Esh mailto:andrew_esh@cnt.com Computer Network Technology andrewes@mtn.org (finger for PGP key) 6500 Wedgwood Road 612.550.8000 (main) Maple Grove MN 55311 612.550.8229 (direct) <A HREF="http://www.mtn.org/~andrewes">ACE Home Page</A>