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[BloodBeard]

Dwarven AI 0.1.1 Alpha available for download here

Spoiler: Older versions (click to show/hide)

Dwarven AI 0.1 Alpha

News:

17/2/12 - Dwarven AI 0.1.1 Alpha released. This isn't the new version i'm working on with word recognition, it's the same as 0.1 Alpha but with new optimizations I just recently discovered. It has 1,344 less linkages, 448 less gears and over 600 redundant doors removed so there should be a small increase in FPS. If you've already downloaded 0.1 Alpha and are getting good FPS you won't really gain anything from this.

21/12/11 - Alpha Version 0.1 is released, consisting of the text display component capable of displaying up to 32 characters. Instructions on how to use it are included.

Original post:

This topic will serve as a journal detailing my progress and discussions on a project i'm working on, programming an A.I. in Dorfs.

I'm self taught in the basics of computer programming and that's all i'm going on for this. I'm bound to run into roadblocks and that's partially why i'm making this thread. Though i've made my share of megaprojects i've never even dipped my toes in the art of dwarf computing. Help would be much appreciated.

I don't have much to show as far as mechanical logic but I do have my input/output displays constructed as well as a mock keyboard to be used to communicate with the A.I. -

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

At the top is the keyboard, with another image next to it showing what the keys are when you use 'N'otes. I'm hoping I can get this to work and keep the input device nice and simple like that but I could end up adding more. The top display shows your input and the bottom is where the A.I would respond.

This isn't going to be some fluid logic and timers that control the goings of the fort, I fully intend the A.I to be capable of recognizing words and word combinations and computing an appropriate response based on a varying emotional state. Be nice to it and become friends and it might help your dwarves out, try to mess with its inner workings or be a dick then well... you've seen the movies.

There's likely to be a lot of pre-programmed responses to pre-programmed inquiries, but i'm hoping to go more in depth to its decision making process and not just be a parrot. This will probably be the hardest part of all seeing how real A.I. even have trouble with it. I also want it be be able to learn from the user, teaching it words and other more complicated things.


The fort i'm working in is highly modded to make things easier on my brain. It's also a fort that i'll eventually throw away and start anew when I get a better idea of the design and amount of space needed.

ATM i'm working on input. Given the sheer number of letter and number combinations across a large display it will probably take up a sizeable chunk of my fort so i'm experimenting with different designs. Getting it to work shouldn't be too hard but I need to make sure it will be compatible with the search and logic functions. And be fast, of course. I'll be starting out small and trying to find a design that can be scaled.

[MrShovelFace]

can somebody link the mega project where that guy used fluids to make a crude computer?
Iv looked around for it but have never found it

+1 cookies if you can make a von neumann machine that replicates itself across multiple levels under certain conditions

[Diamond]

please create an proper A.I. so my dream of DF being the first sentient program can come true.

What ? A game that simulates mass murders at will using magma and permanent loss of common sense due to constant alcohol consumption as a sentient AI ? We would be doomed.

[Teneb]

This... this is awesome. But dangerous. Delete the save folder at the first sign of true sentience.

[Urist McDwarfFortress]

I'm not much of a programmer, but this sounds like quite a task, even for a modern computer.  And you want to try to build such an AI out of stone, water, and beards?  You, sir, are the epitome of dwarfyness!

[BloodBeard]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

OH GOD!

...

Yes, it sounds crazy. That's why i'm doing it 

[Zyro]

Whatever you do,don't insult that AI!(Or And badgers,or and giant badgers,or and badgermen,or and honey badgers,or and Ing theives)

[BloodBeard]

3,608 pressure plates, roughly 64,944 mechanisms to link them and 3,608, possibly 7,216 pumps.

And that's just to make it so that the display can support all the characters. I'd like to think I could scale it down a bunch but mechanically it needs to be done if I want to converse with the A.I with the display. 

This display is killing me more then I thought it would. I can probably eliminate the numbers, that would cut costs by a quarter. And maybe I can cut corners with the A.I,'s display. It doesn't need the flexability the input display needs. Come to me maths.

Either way if I want to get this done i'm going to need one hell of a reactor to power everything. 


QUICKEDITZ: Maybe i'm going about it the wrong way. Right now i'm thinking about linking each pressure plate to produce an individual character on each large tile. It would make things more difficult to utilize, but maybe I could instead link each individual game tile that make up the larger tile. I don't know, just putting it out there for me to think about and remind myself later.

[Kilroy the Grand]

Imma build yo' a computer in yo' computer so you can play DF while playing DF.

[FearfulJesuit]

That is the ultimate megaproject, isn't it? Playing DF on a dwarfputer.

[Quietust]

Imma build yo' a computer in yo' computer so you can play DF while playing DF.

You forgot the "Yo dawg I herd you like Dwarf Fortress"...

[Kofthefens]

I'm scared. Very scared. What if a crundle contaminates the device?

[Geen]

Dear god. We're all doomed. I'm gonna go get in my underground apocalypse bunker filled with canned food and guns. You guys can come if you want. But it'll be no use, since we're all gonna die screaming. Due to magma. and/or zombies.

kudos if you got the Jonathan Coulton reference. I got to FREAKING meet him two days ago.

[BloodBeard]

I pondered and pondered and decided smaller is better.

New display:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Some of the letters and numbers will look a little wonky but they're legible.

As to the potentially better way to control the input I mentioned in my last post, it's definately a better plan. Instead of linking 40+ different pressure plates for each of those big tiles to support letters and numbers, i'm just going to link each individual floor hatch. The downside is i'll need a secondary logic cell to find the memory addresses to control them, which means slower processing (also a lot more pumps working at once in general).

Doing it this way i'll only need 960 pressure plates (as opposed to 3608), 1920 mechanisms to link them (as opposed to 64944) and 1920 pumps (as opposed to 7216). The secondary logic cell (or memory address finding whatchamacallit) isn't included, but it won't be nearly as big. Also i'll be able to keep numbers in and potentially support more characters at very little cost.

Keep in mind i'm just using phrases like logic cell and memory address without fully understanding what they mean, i'm just going by what sounds right 

[Random_Physics_Nerd]

You're in for quite a bit of insanity I beleive. Computers have troubgle simulating an AI, I can't imagine the difficulty of simulating another computer simulating an AI.