>From: Mark W <developer2013--yahoo.com>
>Subject: Re: AR vs. The Matrix...?
>
>I've been thinking a lot about AI in video games
>lately. I've never seen a satisfactory AI. Something
>along the lines of Eliza, but updated for modern
>computer capabilities. What games do you think come
>closest to creating believable NPC's? This can include
>simulations (flight, chess, maxis games), RPG's,
>Adventure games, Interactive Fiction, etc.

Well, Black and White is an obvious one, and its AI is quite good.. For gaming purposes, Thief had wonderful AI,
though I don't know if you'd call them "believable NPCs" or not, that's a different sort of AI, I would think.
The best NPC I've encountered would be Emily Short's Galatea.. If you don't travel in IF circles, you probably
haven't heard of her.. She doesn't attempt natural speech processing or anything, but Galatea manages to hide
the gears better than any other NPC I can think of... Galatea won the IF art show award for 2000, and has kind of
become the watermark by which NPC interaction in IF is judged. http://www.wurb.com/if/game/1326 gives a
summary.