Interactive audio entertainment apparatus
First Claim
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1. An entertainment apparatus comprising:
- network data and character data stores coupled with a data processor;
the network data store holding data defining a network of forward-linked nodes, with at least some nodes having forward links to two or more further nodes, and with the data processor being configured for the sequential selection of linked nodes of the network; and
the character data store containing at least one stored attribute value and selection from said forward links to at least two further nodes being determined by said attribute value;
said attribute value being at least partly defined by at least one of earlier values of said attribute value and other attribute values;
an audio data store containing a plurality of data streams defining a respective audio signal segment for each node of the network, the audio data store being coupled with the network data processor and controlled to output an audio signal segment data stream on selection of a respective node.
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Abstract
The speech of a group of virtual characters is modelled using a directed graph or audio web, where each utterance is a node (A1-A7, B1-B5) in the web having links from it to each possible utterance that can be made in reply at any point in the course of the interaction. The choice of the next node (conversation segment) is dependent on attributes of the character and/or the virtual environment in which the conversation is taking place. These attributes may be fixed, modified by system function calls available at each node, or modified in response to user input.
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13 Claims
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1. An entertainment apparatus comprising:
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network data and character data stores coupled with a data processor; the network data store holding data defining a network of forward-linked nodes, with at least some nodes having forward links to two or more further nodes, and with the data processor being configured for the sequential selection of linked nodes of the network; and the character data store containing at least one stored attribute value and selection from said forward links to at least two further nodes being determined by said attribute value; said attribute value being at least partly defined by at least one of earlier values of said attribute value and other attribute values; an audio data store containing a plurality of data streams defining a respective audio signal segment for each node of the network, the audio data store being coupled with the network data processor and controlled to output an audio signal segment data stream on selection of a respective node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for providing entertainment comprising the steps of:
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providing linked nodes, each of said nodes having at least audio data, at least some of said nodes being linked to two or more further linked nodes; having at least one attribute value being used to determine a sequence of said linked nodes; said at least one attribute value being based at least partly based upon at least one of a previous value of said attribute value and other attribute values; and accessing said linked nodes in said sequence.
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Specification