Lionhead co-founder discusses the illusion of humanity, and why it works
Peter Molyneux has revealed more on the inner-workings of his latest project, Milo, by stating that the Natal-reading avatar is very much like a illusionist’s mind trick.
In fact, speaking to Develop, Molyneux specified that Milo is “an awful lot like” the British illusionist Derren Brown.
Derren Brown has made a career out of incorporating both magic traits such as legerdemain with psychological practices such as neuro-linguistic programming, often leaving his audience with the belief that a simple trick had involved impossible feats such as mind-reading.
“Derren Brown can’t really read your mind,” said Molyneux. “What he does is collect together a number of little tricks that tell him things.”
One could speculate that Molyneux’s choice of words suggests that Milo’s use of Natal will incorporate calculations and readings that the players will not be aware of.
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“You’ve got to remember that we’re not creating a piece of academic research; Milo can’t actually think – we’re just making the illusion that he can,” he said.
Throughout his interview with Develop, Molyneux made it clear that most crucial value of Milo was not how it employs numerous tricks, but how the character’s performance immerses the player.
“What we’re showing is a tentative first step towards making something that feels real. And by real, I mean that he’s aware of you.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Molyneux talks about the emotional AI that has permeated through old Lionhead and Bullfrog games, or at least were perceived to. He also reveals exactly why Milo needed to be a mad boy, and makes the astute observation that adults are “tough, complex and disturbed creatures.”
It all sounds very clever.
But the trick is ...he is real!
I can see the point they were trying to make in the video, but I think a lot of people made more out of it than actually was there. At the end of the day, it was a very scripted set up. Presumably there were only certain things that could be said to the character - we didn't see what happened if someone with a (say) thick Glaswegian or Liverpool accent (for example) tried to talk to it, or if something was asked that hadn't been scripted.
I'm not knocking it but, like BC said, Milo isn't real. The video that was released, I really don't think it was an "off the cuff" conversation. If you want true interaction, grab a random individual from the audience, get them to talk to it. Could you do it and get the same results? Course not.
On the other hand, Molyneux said himself that what's important is how it immerses the player. Fair enough. As that, I suspect it may work very well.
I didn't say Milo isn't real at all.
He is real. He is real!
Course he is!
good point. it's hard enough to understand a scouser standing right next to one..if Milo could 'understand' say Steven Gerrard, I would be impressed.
