filename     : p_Nie03.pdf
entry        : inproceedings
pages        : 323--331
year         : 2003
title        : Hierarchical and Heterogenous Reactive Agents for Real-Time Applications
author       : Christoph Niederberger and Markus Gross
booktitle    : Proceedings of the Eurographics 2003, Computer Graphics Forum, Conference Issue
editor       : P. Brunet and D. Fellner
publisher    : Blackwell Publishing, UK
language     : english
month        : September
keywords     : Autonomous Agents, Behavior Modeling, Reactive Behavior, Real-Time Simulation, Hierarchical Behavior, Group Behavior, Behavior Composition, Multiple Inheritance, Weighted Inheritance
abstract     : We present a generic concept for autonomous agents with reactive behavior based on situation recognition in real-time environments. Our approach facilitates behavior development through specialization of existing behavior types or weighted multiple inheritance to create new types. Additionally, the system allows for the generation of hierarchical and, at the same time, semi-individual group organizations using specification and recursive or modulo-based patterns. Our framework is designed to support the creation of large numbers of secondary characters with individual and group behavior in simulation environments such as game engines. The engine allows for the specification of a maximal time-per-run in order to guarantee a minimal and constant frame-rate. We demonstrate the usefulness of our approach by various examples with up to some hundred individuals.