Creating Human-Like Synthetic Characters with Multiple Skill Levels: A Case Study Using the Soar Quakebot

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This paper reports on a preliminary attempt to develop and evaluate synthetic characters with nmltiple skill levels and with human-like behavior. Our goal was to determine which aspects of behavior have impact on skill level and humanness. We developed a bot that plays the computer game Quake against a human opponent. That bot can be parameterized along four dimensions: decision time, aggressiveness, number of tactics, and aiming skill. We then played variations of the bot against a human expert. Through empirical and human judgments we then evaluated the skill level and humanness of the variations. Our results suggest that both decision time and aiming skill are critical parameters when attempting to create human-like behavior. These two parameters could also be varied to modify the skill of the bots, and for some ranges, maintain the same level of humanness.