The ultimate embodiment of artificial intelligence (A.I.) has traditionally been seen as physical robots. However, hardware is expensive to construct and difficult to modify. The connection between graphics and A.I. is becoming increasingly strong, and, on the one hand, it is now clear that A.I. research can benefit tremendously from embodiment in virtual worlds (c.f. Badler et al. 1999, Laird 2002, 2001). On the other hand, computer games, a highly visible area of computer graphics development, could benefit from the use of more advanced A.I. (c.f. Terzopolous [1999]). But a synergistic marriage of the two fields has yet to occur.
A substantial impediment to introducing more intelligent characters into games is the lack of practitioners who understand both the realms of graphics and of A.I., and who can drive their integration. Another is the diversity in programming languages and environments that people from both camps use.
We are working to address these problems using a multi-prong approach. Here we present two of these, which are interrelated. First, we present a new design methodology aimed at making the construction of A.I. systems easier for novices and experts alike. Second, we present network-based software designed to take advantage of this methodology, allowing general-purpose systems-level integration of A.I. programs with other systems, including graphics. The software is available free of charge to researchers.