Game Development Toolkits
2/18/08
Before my graduating from my 9 years Dept. of Computer Science in NCTU, Hsinchu Taiwan, I believe that this is the final time I become my Prof.'s course assistant. I totally have been TA for 8 semesters. The course provided by my Prof. this semester is named "Digital Game Research" for graduated student. The first thing I must do is finding a list of current toolkits for game design, and the following is my list:
1.1 RPG Maker(http://www.enterbrain.co.jp/tkool/RPG_XP/eng/index.html)
1.2 Second Life(https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Main_Page)
1.3 Warcraft III World Editor(http://world-editor-tutorials.thehelper.net/)
1.4
1.5
1.6 GameWeaver(http://www.gameweaver.com/Default.aspx) Designing games on NDS/GBS
1.7 Game Maker(http://www.yoyogames.com/make)
1.8 Sploder(http://www.sploder.com) Flash game creator
1.9 TiraWireless(http://www.tirawireless.com/index.asp) A tool for design mobile game
1.10 Elysium Source(http://www.splamm.com/elysium/index.php): An MMORPG maker
1.11 Game Editor(http://game-editor.com/)
1.12 Realm Crafter(http://www.realmcrafter.com/)An MMORPG Creator
1.13 First Person Shooter Creator(http://www.fpscreator.com/) US$49.99
Poster:jirlong @ 5:11 AM 0 Comments links
Tags: Digital Game, Second life, software, Tools, Virtual World
Submit a Camera-Ready Paper "A Web-based Tagging Tool for Organizing Personal Documents on PCs"
2/6/08

This is a picture of the most famous church in Florence. I submitted a paper entitled "A Web-based Tagging Tool for Organizing Personal Documents on PCs" for attending the great CHI2008's workshop "Personal Information Management". Meanwhile, I also submitted another paper entitled "Evaluating Player Experience in Real-Time Strategy Game" to another workshop "Evaluating User Experience in Game" in CHI2008. Both are reviewed and accepted. Therefore, I will visit Florence, Italy at April. However, I hate taking airplane. The pdf copies of both papers can be found in my personal website.
1. A Web-based Tagging Tool for Organizing Personal Documents on PCs
2. Evaluating Player Experience in Real-Time Strategy Game
Poster:jirlong @ 1:46 AM 0 Comments links
Tags: Conference, Knowledge Engineering, My Publication, My Submission, Personal Information Management, Travel
Studay the "Call for paper"
1/27/08
Although I am not the expert of specified area, I still enjoy studying the call for paper from my E-mail alerts.
For example, the fallowing call for papers news for the IEEE Tranc. on Multimedia: Special issue on communities and media computing. One of my research interests is studying the communities dynamics in MMOG (among thousands of players). But, this call for paper announcement triggers me to explorer other possible areas based on my original research topics.
The IEEE Transactions on Multimedia invites submissions to a special
issue on Communities and Media Computing. Topics of interests include,
but are not limited to, the following:
* Personalized, community-aware multimedia annotation and analysis
* Modeling personal and collective context, as well as knowledge
* Models for evolutionary community and knowledge dynamics
* User interfaces for community-based media computing (a lot of softwares have been developed)
* Emergence of new semantics – frameworks for discovery (very difficult)
* Fundamental issues relating to concept learnability and concept scalability.
* Community centric multimedia services and applications (Interesting but needs complicate multimedia design. applying google phone or )
* Fundamental system challenges due to very large scale media
collectives, including encoding and peer-to-peer distribution (not my interesting topic, a lot of P2P techniques, researches, and softwares have been published by other teams)
* Structure of social networks and its influence on information dissemination (good topic for my lab, try to develop some idea)
* Understanding real-world social network and communities based on
multimedia understanding or communication analysis. (oh!!! good!!! using chatting log to explore the community.)
Poster:jirlong @ 5:45 PM 0 Comments links
Tags: Digital Game, research, special issue
Free Mindmap to describe my Knowledge Income and Outcome
A good tool to organize personal knowledge is very important. In present year, a mindmap tool still cost a lot. Mind42.com provides free online mindmap for publishing. This is an illustration created by Mind42.com of my publications, knowledge ports, focus, and useful tools(web-based or stand-alone).
Poster:jirlong @ 6:45 AM 0 Comments links
Tags: Mindmap, My Knowledge, Tools, Web-based
" Mining Replays of Real-Time Strategy Games to Learn Player Strategies"
1/26/08
Conference: Canadian AI 2008
Time: Jan 25, 15:37 GMT
Author: jilung hsieh, Chuen-Tsai Sun, Cheng-Hong Wang and Chia-Ying Cheng
Keywords: Case-base reasoning, Data Mining, Digital game, Player modeling, Real-Time Strategy
Abstract: Developing computer-controlled groups to engage in combat, control the use of limited resources, and create units and buildings in Real-Time Strategy(RTS) Games is a novel application in game AI. However, a controlled and closed console commercial game environment pose challenges to researchers interested in observing player activities, constructing player strategy models, and developing practical AI technology in them. Instead of setting up new programming environments or building a large amount of agent’s decision rules by player’s experience for conducting real-time AI research, the authors use replays of the commercial RTS game StarCraft to evaluate human player behaviors and to construct an intelligent system to learn human-like decisions and behaviors. A case-based reasoning approach was applied for the purpose of training our system to learn and predict player strategies. Our analysis indicates that the proposed system is capable of learning and predicting individual player strategies, and that players provide evidence of their personal characteristics through their building construction order.
Poster:jirlong @ 8:27 AM 0 Comments links
Tags: Digital Game, My Publication, My Submission, Real-Time Strategy
Review "The future of the Real-Time Strategy game"
This article "The future of the Real-Time Strategy game" posted by N. Toronto in Jan 2008 appears on the popular game research and news website GamaSutra. The most significant contribution is the author made his effort to 1) compare the difference between real-war and current commercial real-time strategy game, and 2) between real-time strategy and real-time tactics. Comparing the real world, current RTS games allow their users to develop "no" strategies except only "destroy and win the opponent". For me, I need more vivid sentences to describe the RTS game play. Following is my summery.
What's is an Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game?
- In the current commercial RTS game, player micro-controls( or manages) the soldier, but didn't provide a strategy direction.
- Players get used to the control, learn all the hotkeys, become efficient with the mouse, and find the best way to win is to build units and firepower as fast as possible and throw them at the opponent in successive, inexorable waves.
- In StarCraft, the player directs drone-like units to collect resource, turns those resource into buildings and combat units, and then directs those combat unit to seek out and destroy enemies.
Poster:jirlong @ 8:11 AM 0 Comments links
Tags: Digital Game, Real-Time Strategy, Virtual World
Using Dr.eye in Acrobat Reader 8.0
1/24/08
Someone will find that Dr.eye instant translation cannot work in Acrobat Reader 8.0 professional. Following process can solve this problem.
1) copy the Dr.eye40.api in C:\program files\Investec\Dr.eye\.
2) Paste the file into Acrobat's folder plug_ins.
3) Restart the Acrobat reader and Dr.eye
OK.
Poster:jirlong @ 12:19 AM 0 Comments links
Good Second Life Slidesq
1/20/08
There are some slides which aims to introduce the development and idea of second life on the website slideshare.
Poster:jirlong @ 7:10 AM 0 Comments links
Tags: Digital Game, MMOG, Second life, Virtual World
"Tabula Rasa" An MMOG whihc aims to hook "Casual Gamer"
1/19/08
This is a interesting post which introduces an novel MMOG Tabula Rasa which aims to hook "Casual gamer" which is one of player type. The Casual gamer seems not pay a lot of attention and time playing in game. They used their fraction of leisure to player online. Often, this kind of player can not enjoy the high-end game design. For example, a raiding guild in World of Warcraft won't recruit a casual gamer to participate in raid mission. I am really feel curious about how this MMOG can stimulate casual gamer. Will this MMOG can turn casual gamer to hardcore gamer. Or, it just simply provides fun for casual playing.
How to categorize player in Massively Multi-player online games has been widely investigated by R. Bartle and T.L. Taylor. By Bartle's definition, players can be categorized into "Achiever", "Explorer", "Socializer", and "Killer", according to the behavior of how player acts and the target of what player interact with. T.L. Taylor also widely investigate the behavior and motives of power gamer in her books "Playing between world". I put my attention on distinguishing the following player type including casual gamer, hardcore gamer, pro-gamer, and power gamer. The definition of power gamer seems to overlap the definition of hardcore gamer. Discriminating the definition between these two type of gamers is not my main mission. But, I need an unequivocal term to develop my analysis on player's behavior in MMOG.
Poster:jirlong @ 9:43 AM 0 Comments links
Tags: Digital Game, MMOG, Player Modeling
Scale Free Network or Not
2/23/07
Scale Free Network or Not INTRODUCTION 以下此段落,並無任何參考文獻可以引證。信件網路(E-mail Network)過去被提到為一個無尺度網路,然而,其實每個人每天所寄出去的信量,與所接觸到的人,應該不至於呈現高度無尺度發展,意味著大部分人每天都會寄不少信。若這些寄信中的人中,某些人特別喜歡回信,並且引起對方的興趣的話,會導致他的朋友群固定性的把他加入考慮寄信的對象之中,經過長時間的累積,會發現此人的收件對象特別多,就成為了所謂的無尺度現象。 在這裡,我認為無尺度網路大部分是累積的結果,當然有些議題,例如某些網站比較吸引人,而某些網站比較少人看,呈現無尺度分佈的情形,部落格也是有這樣的情形。 人際關係原本為一個小世界網路,不管從哪一種程度的接觸來說,誰和誰認識,誰和誰是好朋友,誰和誰曾經碰過面,這種敘述人際關係網路的方式是靜態的。過去為什麼這種靜態的人際關係網路被非常多人討論,是因為其所能夠得到的資料是靜態的,例如E-mail的收發紀錄、人和人的實體送信記錄、在交友網站中(Ex. friendster.com)中的朋友關係,在部落格的好友名單中。這些朋友關係的紀錄,透過時間不斷地累積,所形成的就是一個靜態的人際關係網路。然而,若考慮到人際網路中的動態,是否每個人每天所接觸的人數,會呈現無尺度分佈呢(意味著大部分人每天接觸的人很少,少部分人每天接觸的人相當多)?隨著網路的發達,人與人的接觸雖然仍然受到時間總數上的限制(就算每天想要與很多人交談,但是時間仍然有限)但是已經幫助人際關係跨越了許多地理限制,例如使用IM軟體,卻也因此,每個人很容易從網路上「碰面」,也減弱了無尺度的效果,因為大部分人在電腦面前就可以接觸到很多在空間上沒辦法碰觸到的朋友。 那什麼是動態的人際關係呢?這些動態可能是一個「形成」、「改變」或「產生」。以無尺度網路的形成是基於引薦效果所造成的Referral Effect。所以會有富者越富的狀況。 而人際關係網路動態是在什麼樣的架構上發生呢?通常可以發現除了少數的動態會產生新的關係外,大部分的動態行為會在原本固有的人際關係網路上作發展,強調、或出現。再次的出現,可以使得原本的關係更為穩固。例如持續不斷地轉寄訊息、回信、打招呼、或者介紹朋友給新的朋友。這樣的情形就像在新聞議題網路上,某些議題不斷地重複出現的時候,自然會受到大眾的注意。 人際關係底層的網路是由於不斷地動態所構成的結果,若均以底層的網路來做研究時,在某些議題例如新聞傳播上或者流行病傳播上,會造成不準確的結果,因為有些底層的網路雖然結點之間具有關係,但是該關係可能是一時所出現的關係,真正會影響社會議題或流行病傳播的,是目前所發生的網路動態本身。但這樣就和過去累積下來的靜態網路關係沒關係了嗎?其實不然,因為前面提到過,動態網路的發展與傳遞,傾向於舊有的網路上發展,就算產生新的關係或結點,通常也是因為舊有的網路產生引薦的效果。 RELATED TOPICS 對象個數 接受者個數 關係強度 範例 時間 1: Y (almost fixed Y) Limited 中 在醫院一天只能看固定人,在interview時,一天只能interview固定群數 付款 1: Y (almost fixed Y) Limited 強 性關係 1:1 or 1: x(1<x<<N) Limited 強 一個人在一個simulation clock中只能和一個人或某幾個人有性關係 知識傳播 1:N Unlimited 弱 和E-mail相同 電子郵件 1:N Unlimited 弱 一個人一次就可以寄給很多人,沒有成本。 以上內容來自 <file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\Administrator\桌面\Memo.doc>
Poster:jirlong @ 10:17 PM 0 Comments links
MEJ Newman, Detecting community structure in networks
MOTIVE 目前沒有一種方法是適合做真實複雜網路資料上的族群分類與偵測(community detection),雖然過去已有Kernighan-Lin algorithm和hierarchical clustering兩種方法可以偵測族群。只有稍微review過將網路分群的演算法,從一個沒有weight的網路做起,之後找出最大的weight。 BACKGROUND: 過去類似的研究例如Graph Partitioning,其把一群在平面上的點,分成數群,而使得每一群的個數相等,最普遍的兩種方法是(注意!這裡所講的是Graph Partitioning而非K-mean等作法): 缺點:必須先指定要分出幾個群,並且指示出初始點,和群的大小。 這兩種方法均是為了把某個圖分成樹狀結構,為了要知道兩個節點是否要擺在同一層,就要去測量他們的similarity,相似度。 當某兩個點具有相同的neighborhood的時候,其被稱為structure equivalence。但是多半真實的複雜網路資料不會有完全相同的點,所以會定義出一個相似度,稱為Euclidean Distance for structure equivalence。可想像應該是找兩個點鄰居差多少,作為其距離。 定義出edge-independent path between vertices,其代表這兩個vertex間所有的路徑,但這些路徑彼此不重複,可以用min-cut或者max-flow來計算。 優點:以上Hierarchical Clustering的方法,無論是計算similarity或者non-similarity-based的計算方法,均不用先指定群組的數量。 Girvan and Newman: 作法:計算edge betweenness: The betweenness of an edge is defined to be the number of geodesic (i.e., shortest) paths between vertex pairs that run along the edge in question summed over all vertex pair. 缺點:無法知道最後會分成幾個群, Tyler et al.: 作法:改自Girvan and Newman的方法,giving partial betweenness scores for all edges. 優點:計算複雜度較低。可以計算比較ambiguous的點(亦即該點可能屬於某兩群的任何一群) Radicchi et al.: 作法:計算最短的loop。 缺點:若很多triangle小loop就會很多。 QUESTION 有向性、權重性 計算網路上的資訊流通量。Ex. Blog的出現量。Frequency。越常出現就越重要,不要只針對一個靜態的網路下去講。有些link似乎是一個weak tie,但事實上資訊流通量若不高的時候,說穿了還真的不太重要,可是卻會在某個網路的瞬間會被視為很重要的東西。在群與群之間重要的是那個經過的edge的頻率數很高的,而不是原本所定義的weak tie。
Poster:jirlong @ 9:56 PM 0 Comments links
Quantitive and sociological analysis of blog networks(2006)
2/12/07
相關研究:可作為pky的背景討論。
Poster:jirlong @ 4:31 AM 0 Comments links
Making connections
2/11/07
群集。
Poster:jirlong @ 6:17 PM 0 Comments links
Novelty-based incremental document clustering for online documents
2/10/07
Poster:jirlong @ 4:13 AM 0 Comments links
Iterative Incremental Clustering of Time Series
Artificial Intelligence. Vol 7, No. 2, April. ACM Press
Poster:jirlong @ 2:36 AM 0 Comments links
Knowledge Acquistion Via Incremental Conceptual Clustering
2/7/07
Poster:jirlong @ 10:18 PM 0 Comments
Tags: catogorization, Classification, clustering
>Architecture Diagram
10/20/05
於是拿書展示了好幾個系列的Diagram,並現場畫十個Diagram做練習,
在書中的建築專案,尤其是那幾位建築大師,
總是用最簡單最恰當的元素去present自己的idea的感覺,
似乎跟每次碩班Rehersal老師在狂電投影片的感覺,
把中文翻成英文的感覺,
在論文中用概念圖表把數值圖表化,或者描繪模型的感覺,
大有相同的趣味。
著實興奮極了。磨練思考磨練思考!
--
Ji-Lung Hsieh(吉隆)
Computer Science, NCTU.
Blog :http://www.wretch.cc/blog/jirlong
MSN: is87097@cis.nctu.edu.tw
Poster:jirlong @ 4:44 PM 3 Comments links
Tags: Architecture
Ocean Park 2
--
Ji-Lung Hsieh(吉隆)
Computer Science, NCTU.
Blog :http://www.wretch.cc/blog/jirlong
MSN: is87097@cis.nctu.edu.tw
Poster:jirlong @ 6:43 AM 2 Comments links
Tags: Architecture
>Formcore
10/11/05
今天看到好多人把Formcore的特性發揮的淋漓盡致,我一直在思考之前Ian說的,為什麼要用Formcore做,Formcore的語言是什麼等問題。However, I didn't spend enought time to explore the basic property of formcore。看見Green和宜軒把Formcore的切割發揮的淋漓盡致,心裡頭真是癢。
雖然在製作的模型中,我不斷地去思考如果要在三度空間接合兩道線,其中一條沿著X-axis,另外一條在Y軸上,靠X軸彎一點,又靠Z軸彎一點,處理這個接合面處理了很久,切錯好幾次。不過等到切習慣了,心中不禁有一分輕鬆和愉悅。
嘗試把鐵絲戳進formcore裡面去造型,說不定也是一個有趣的考量。
Poster:jirlong @ 11:49 AM 0 Comments links
Tags: Architecture
>Ocean Park W1
10/9/05

Ocean Park Project 1
在第一個作業當然沒有做任何的限制,這也是我做的第二個模型,沒有任何的基礎,沒有任何的想法,純粹地把自己的感受表達出來。我收到的圖是這張OcentPark。在我第一次看見他的時候,左看又看都不知道這是什麼,感覺上像是一個street corner,加上我修的是建築課,乾脆做一個很實際的street corner。
之後憑著想像,想像著這有可能是個瀑布的感覺,於是做了第二個模型。
最後,不管我看到什麼,我就是做一個很瀑布的模型,於是第三個模型就產生了。
得到的評語是,這系列課程是在告訴我們什麼是建築,不要一開始就做一個看起來很立體的東西,
很立體的東西很可能很不建築,很不立體的東西可能很建築。具有震撼效果的一堂課。
Poster:jirlong @ 2:08 AM 0 Comments links
Tags: Architecture
>切斜角
10/8/05
為了把兩片版子以一個角度接合,嘗試要把一個東西割出斜角來,
揣摩了很久,立起來看著角度割、垂直割下來,
最後發現,畫一道線,擺橫著切過去,對我來說割的最準。
真是奇怪!不過有些東西如果不去試試看,就是不會知道。
learn by doing
Poster:jirlong @ 9:48 PM 0 Comments links
Tags: Architecture
>我的生活和建築課
10/2/05
除了大學第一年沒考好,很隨心所欲地不小心走進補習班之外,這大概是最不怕死的一年。在最忙的時候,為了瞭解自己究竟想作什麼與一償宿願,不怕死地上了在syllabus上說每週至少花二十小時作作業的課(結果是不止)。助教、當講師、總管實驗室、和CDC與陽明大學也都有合作案、修課、帶碩班作研究、考proposal,樣樣都要花時間,每天的生活就是從早到晚的忙碌。
不過當學弟看我在熬夜作模型說:「吉隆,我看你作的好像很快樂,很羨慕耶」頓時疲勞一轟而散,當時學弟在趕學長交代他的論文,而我正在實踐我腦子裡面的想法,這可是完全兩種不同層次的感受啊!當然啦!所謂疲勞一轟而散不過是屁話,沒多久就去泡咖啡了。
真高興在短短三週就有點心得可以留下來,但是此時尚未成形不宜發表。不過我仍然在摸索,何謂建築、什麼叫做「這部電影很建築」、什麼叫做「同學麻煩要作抽象的ho..拜託拜託∼不要具象的。」也許受畫人像畫太久所囿,看見任何東西,背景,透過自己當時的心情,就盡量準確地把他描繪在紙上,這是這三年來所受的觀察力訓練。所以在前幾個作品上,才會跳脫不開所謂「九十度的感覺」。也許就是因為如此,讓我分不太清楚何謂抽象和具象。
另外,經由在建築的學習,又認識自己多一點點,發現自己徹底是個learn by doing的人,很懶得去看一些作品。比方說,雖然從小學畫學音樂學到大,可是也沒看過幾場畫展,音樂會,上台的次數都是當聽眾的幾倍多。一旦對某個事物有點興趣,就會想親自動手。上了建築課,更讓我確定這一點心情。不過卻造成背景知識的嚴重落後。這學期開始學大提琴,再次印證自己是learn by doing的人,其實對大提琴音樂沒什麼偏好,但是抱著他拉出自己的聲音來,就會感動的不得了。
我的指導教授曾告訴我們說「我終其一生這麼努力,就是希望能瞭解我孫春在究竟是個怎樣的人。」我想我也正在嘗試瞭解我自己。
這是我的生活和建築課,作業一下來,腦袋總是繞著題目轉,翻論文翻完了就轉,騎摩托車轉,吃飯轉,然後把每個禮拜三和禮拜日全天空下來作模型,熬夜、思考、激盪。每天深夜裡在實驗室練個大提琴,才收拾東西回家。吃飯一定要去外面吃,躲在交大裡面一定想不出東西來XD
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Ji-Lung Hsieh(吉隆)
Dept. of Computer Science, NCTU, Taiwan.
MSN : is87097@cis.nctu.edu.tw
WWW : http://www.wretch.cc/blog/jirlong
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Poster:jirlong @ 12:20 PM 1 Comments links
Tags: Architecture
>建築、藝術和journal paper
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Ji-Lung Hsieh(吉隆)
Dept. of Computer Science, NCTU, Taiwan.
MSN : is87097@cis.nctu.edu.tw
WWW : http://www.wretch.cc/blog/jirlong
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Poster:jirlong @ 12:00 PM 1 Comments links
Tags: Architecture
>這部影片很「建築」?
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Ji-Lung Hsieh(吉隆)
Dept. of Computer Science, NCTU, Taiwan.
MSN : is87097@cis.nctu.edu.tw
WWW : http://www.wretch.cc/blog/jirlong
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Poster:jirlong @ 11:47 AM 0 Comments links
Tags: Architecture
>Exploring space between two tango dancers(1)
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Ji-Lung Hsieh(吉隆)
Dept. of Computer Science, NCTU, Taiwan.
MSN : is87097@cis.nctu.edu.tw
WWW : http://www.wretch.cc/blog/jirlong
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Poster:jirlong @ 5:23 AM 0 Comments links
Tags: Architecture
Start to blog!
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Ji-Lung Hsieh(吉隆)
Dept. of Computer Science, NCTU, Taiwan.
MSN : is87097@cis.nctu.edu.tw
WWW : http://www.wretch.cc/blog/jirlong
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Poster:jirlong @ 12:11 AM 1 Comments links
Tags: Architecture

