At the TEDGlobal 2010 Conference in Oxford, Lionhead co-founder and Microsoft Game Studios creative director Peter Molyneux demonstrated the Kinect-based
Milo and Kate project.
Milo and Kate promises to allow users to interact with a virtual child and his dog via the Xbox Kinect interface. Users can interact with the characters through voice and gesture based communication.
According to the BBC, Molyneux explained that the software uses “psychological techniques” to simulate believable interaction; examples include subtle facial features, such as blushing or flared nostrils.
While the software teaches players to interact with Milo, it simultaneously begins to recognize them. "After three-quarters of a hour, he recognizes you," said Molyneux.
When users interact with Milo, they will influence how the virtual character evolves and behaves. Molyneux also mentioned that the software is cloud-based, indicating that Milo’s intelligence can increase over time.
"His mind is based in the cloud," explained Molyneux. "As millions of people use it, Milo will get smarter."
"I want to introduce a new revolution in storytelling," said Molyneux. "Films, TV, even hallowed books, are just rubbish because they don't involve me...It's a sea of blandness."
Though there has been some
discussion as to whether Milo will become a product, or whether it's pure research, the project is still under development. Microsoft has no current plans to release
Milo and Kate, though Molyneux hinted that the game could eventually become a commercial product.
