.. README for ActAffAct, master thesis of Stefan Rank.
   more information at http://www.oefai.at/~rank/actaffact.html

:questions: stefan(DOT)rank(AT)oefai(DOT)at (substitute ;-)

===============
  Act Aff Act
===============

Instructions
=============
Simply unpack and start with ``java -jar AAAViewer.jar`` (assuming a standard classpath setting and the java executable on the path).

The only requirement for running it should be a Java 1.5 Runtime Environment.

Sound can be disabled by commenting out the corresponding line in aaas/basic.aaaStage

What's this?
=============
ActAffAct is the product of the master's thesis of Stefan Rank. It is a small proof of concept program that extends a BDI architecture with an appraisal component. It tries to demonstrate the applicability of such an architecture to the area of emergent narrative.

Emotion plays a central role in engaging drama. The conflicts between the
characters in a play and the emotions involved in resolving them are the constituents
of a dramatic structure, a plot. This premise leads to the assumption
that a cast of characters driven by a simulation of the process described by
the appraisal theory of emotion might realize dramatic structures by simply
interacting in an environment that is prone to conflict. This should even be
possible without any directing entity that controls the characters. Using an
appraisal-based architecture is thus seen as a key to construct emotionally and
dramatically believable characters for interactive drama.

The ActAffAct project constitutes an effort to test these ideas with
an implementation of such characters in order to gain experiences about the
feasibility and the involved complexity. A belief-desire-intention architecture
for software agents is extended by an appraisal component following a psychological
model of the appraisal process. Key features of different theories
of drama are considered during the construction of the environment and the
internal setup of the synthetic actors.

The results are meagre, but they provide a starting point for further work about emotional agent architectures and their use in virtual worlds.

Toolkits Used
==============
ActAffAct's main parts are derived from **JAM, the Java Agent Model** (by Marcus J. Huber, http://www.marcush.net/IRS/irs_downloads.html).

Furthermore it uses the **Batik Toolkit** (http://xml.apache.org/batik) for rendering simple SVG graphics,
and the non-commercial version of the **JGoodies Looks** library (by Karsten Lentzsch, http://www.jgoodies.com/freeware/looks/).

JAM can be used freely for non-commercial purposes (the disclaimer can be found in the src directories). JGoodies Looks is freeware. Batik uses the Apache Software License, Version 1.1 (see also the lib directory).

As a result, ActAffAct can be used freely for non-commercial purposes.


Disclaimer
=============

This software is provided as is, without representation as to its
fitness for any purpose, and without warranty of any kind, either
express or implied, including without limitation the implied
warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
Stefan Rank shall not be liable for any damages, including special,
indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, with respect to any
claim arising out of or in connection with the use of the software,
even if they have been or are hereafter advised of the possibility
of such damages.