APPLICATION IN PROLOG GAME

Introduction:

To many computer adventures, Prolog is the magical door of programming languages.

Prolog supports formal symbolic reasoning, making theoretically possible “intelligent
computers” that can understand human languages diagnose medical illness as well as
androids that can perform routine tasks without the need for a procedure defined by a
human.
Prolog has a built-in backward chaining inference engine that can be used to partially
implement some expert systems. Prolog rules are used for the knowledge representation,
and the Prolog inference engine is used to derive conclusions. Other portions of the
system, such as the user interface, must be coded using Prolog as a programming
language.
The Prolog inference engine does simple backward chaining. Each rule has a goal and a
number of sub-goals. The Prolog inference engine either proves or disproves each goal.
There is no uncertainty associated with the results.

Application for Prolog:

Prolog is useful for almost any application that requires formal reasoning. This includes
application in:

• Expert system
• Natural language processing
• Gaming and simulations

The Prolog application in game:

Prolog is ideal for games. Most games employ a set of logical rules that control the play
and these are very adaptable to Prolog programming. Prolog makes it possible to test
various heuristics against a particular control strategy. Many classic games, such as
ELIZA, Towers of Hanoi, the N Queens Problem, and some version of Adventure, are
written in Prolog.

Basic game design:

Game design is an experiment in artificial language. Prolog execution is a cyclic operation

involving a predicate and three basic modules.
Tactical Games:

Most games have a set of formal rules that govern the play. Winning may involve luck,
skill, or a combination of both, but to win the game, the player must develop a strategy or
heuristic that will get him or her to the goal state before the opponent.
Prolog is excellent at symbolic reasoning and interference; it is an excellent language for
developing games. You can design a program to be your opponent, challenging your own
strategy and creativity. Alternatively, you can code rules into the prolog program let it tell
you what a winning strategy or heuristic would be.

With a little expertise, you can write many of the simple reasoning games- Mastermind,
Nim and Kalab – in Prolog.

Adventure Game

1 Objective and Evaluation

The objective of the project is to create an interesting text adventure game. You can form
teams of up to three people for this project. The project will be evaluated based on the
following criteria

• Originality of the game:

– Is the story interesting? Does the course of the game make sense, and does it motivate the
player to continue?

– How well are the descriptions of the environment written? Do they fuel the imagination
of the player? Do they include clues for the player?

• Complexity of the game in terms of number of rooms, objects and agents. However, the
connection between these items has to make sense. A scoring procedure, monitoring
the health of the avatar and events that are triggered by these factors also benefit the
complexity of the game.
• Implementation includes:

– How well the information is displayed to the player; does the player quickly perceive
the information and is not distracted of confused.

– How well does the system understand the player’s input; message like “I don’t
understand!” can be frustrating the player if they occur too often. Giving the player a
limited list of commands, like “north”, “south”, “pick”, “drop” etc. is less exciting than a
Natural Language interface with a decent vocabulary.

– Technical considerations include the completeness of the game implementation,

correctness of the game procedure

2 Introduction

Text-based adventure games come from an era long before your time when people were
constraint to text terminals or small home computers with a few kilo Bytes of RAM.
Nevertheless, text based games are a great platform to develop interesting story lines and
game plots. Even in the age of movie-like computer graphics and surround sound these
games can fascinate their audience just like a good novel1.

Read this article about the timelessness of text-based games

In principle, players have to navigate through the world to solve a puzzle. Clues and
objects that may help to accomplish the task can be found at various locations. Often the
players are required to collect certain objects that allow them to proceed at a later stage.
Popular items to collect are keys and flash-lights which may later help to unlock doors, or
enter dark spaces. Other items, such as food, can be used to strengthen
the players or trade clues and other objects. The possibilities are virtually endless.
Players receive a detailed description of their current situation. Often that description also
includes items they have at their disposal and clues about their health, e.g. whether they
feel hungry or tired. Then, they are prompted to enter a command about what they intend
to do: e.g. “walk through the door”, “go west”, or “take the key”.

2.1 Theme

People usually think of adventure games as “the Lord of the Rings meets Harry Potter”.
Pick a theme that excites you. There are alternatives to the warrior lost in the forest, and
surrounded by elves. How about shopping in Manhattan, or clubbing in South Beach:
players need to stop at an Internet cafe to register for party in order to get their name on
the DJ list.

The following is a list of typical components in adventure games:

2.2 Rooms
There are two common methods to represent the topology of the world: either as a graph
with links between the rooms the players can navigate, as depicted in Figure 1, or as a
three-dimensional grid, where each room may have up to six directions to leave, as
depicted in Figure 2. Navigation commands have to implemented in accordance to the
room model: games using the graph representation usually describe the various exits;
navigation in games using the grid model follows the directions: north, east, south, west,
up, and down.

2.3Objects

Objects in the game may have specific significance for the plot. These objects may be
used to access certain rooms, defend the players from attacks, or can be used to feed or to
trade. Games usually allow actions like “examine”, “take”, “drop”, or “eat” on these
objects. Though, consequences of the actions may vary among objects. Usually players
can take objects to carry them for later use.

2.4Agents

Other characters in the game my appear at certain times and locations. Any interaction
with these agents is possible: share food, receive gifts, fight, or even engage in a dialog;
clues for the player could be included in the conversation.

2.5 Health
Introducing the health of the player as a game parameter can increase the complexity of
the game, and make it more challenging: players may have to find food and water in
regular intervals to main their health and strength. E.g. certain rooms cannot be entered
unless the player is fit enough.

2.6 Scores

Players may receive scores for the accomplishment of certain tasks, e.g. finding a
particular object, or walking a particular route. These scores may be shown on the screen
and added to the total score at the end of the game. A more subtle way could be to reward
players indirectly by letting them find more food or extra clues.

3 Teams

Teams can have up to three members. Choose your team-members wisely: of course, you
have your loyal study partners and best friends; but consider teaming up with someone
who complements your skills. This is the moment for story tellers to shine. Use the
WebCT discussion board to advertise you skill, or post a message if you need somebody
on your team.