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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 7916802" data-attributes="member: 3285">In the past, computer role-playing games (CRPGs) have largely sidelined the role of the game master in favorite of simple automation chiefly dedicated to managing non-player characters (NPCs). But that's beginning to change as artificial intelligence (AI) takes over the more complex role of managing the entirety of the game--a role human game masters have been handling for decades.[ATTACH=full]118332[/ATTACH] <a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/robot-mech-machine-technology-2301646/" target="_blank">Picture courtesy of Pixabay.</a>Meet the Game MasterIn <a href="https://amzn.to/31LhrKi" target="_blank">Master of the Game</a>, co-creator of D&D Gary Gygax outlined seven primary and seven secondary functions of what constituted the role of a game master:Of these roles, game designers and marketers filled the primary roles of Moving Force, Creator, and Designer and the secondary roles of Narrator, Interpreter, Force of Nature, Personifiation of NPCs, All other Personifications, and Supernatural Power. NPC control has now become so advanced that it's possible for computers to pretend to be other players, <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/when-you-cant-tell-whos-an-npc.668135/" target="_blank">as Fortnite has demonstrated</a>.With some exceptions, most games eliminated Arbiter, Overseer, Director, and Umpire/Referee/Judge--particularly problematic in massive multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs) <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/when-the-dm-isnt-invited.665171/" target="_blank">where a human overseeing some situations could prevent ugly interpersonal conflicts</a>. That's now beginning to change thanks to AI.The Return of the DirectorAn AI Director restores the Director role to CRPGs in a way that is both subtle and far-reaching. AI Directors, like game masters, operate behind the scenes to keep the game balance and competitive, managing the NPC AI and reacting to player decisions. One of the first leaps forward in using AI was Left 4 Dead (L4D), a four-player zombie survival game. Mike Booth, architect L4D's Director, <a href="https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2018/11/19/mike-booth-the-architect-of-left-4-deads-ai-director-explains-why-its-so-bloody-good" target="_blank">explained why they implemented it</a>:Alien: Isolation <a href="https://towardsdatascience.com/artificial-intelligence-in-video-games-3e2566d59c22" target="_blank">is a more recent example</a>, and it shows how multiple AI can work together to create a compelling game experience:This <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/preview/2020/01/15/five-highlights-from-our-hands-on-time-with-magic-legends" target="_blank">same methodology</a> is now being used in the upcoming Magic: The Gathering video game, Magic: Legends:If this sounds familiar, it's because the AI-driven Director is handling the role human game masters have been handling for decades. It's ironic that Wizards of the Coast, through its partner Cryptic, has come to the conclusion that a CRPG needs a Director for D&D's sister franchise. We can only hope WOTC will apply these lessons to future D&D video games.</blockquote>

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