| It is common for computer game developers to release world-building toolsets to the public, packaged with their games. This allows home users to create and share custom game modules. Many toolsets utilize text-based scripting languages to specify in-game character behaviors. While text-based languages are generally powerful, non-programmers find them difficult to learn and use. This is unfortunate since many professional game designers and home users are not proficient programmers. In this dissertation, we present our research in developing a powerful and practical visual scripting tool, called ScriptEase, which automatically generates code in an underlying text-based scripting language. In ScriptEase, users specify information through a series of questionnaires and context-sensitive menus. Currently, ScriptEase generates scripts for Bioware's computer role-playing game, Neverwinter Nights, but in the future, it could be extended to work with a variety of different games. |
