New Plugins for Hal6 !

[vrossi]

Hi all,

I have written some plugins that I use with my Hal 6. Now I have "packaged" them so that everybody using Hal 6 can download and use them.

Hal 6 has been released a few weeks ago, so these are only the first versions of something I hope to expand in the future.

All these plugins are based on the assumption that the average user is not a programmer and should avoid to write code in plugins or, even worse, directly in the main brain. So all the data is stored in tables, which are created automatically by each plugin.

I describe them here briefly:


1. vrWeb. Extends the standard Google plugin, adding several other functions (viki, Yahoo, etc.). You can find more information looking at the user guide
http://www.vrconsulting.it/halhelp/vrWebHelp.html


2. vrFreeWill. It gives Hal the option to choose between 2 options and stores the information in a table, so that any other question about the same topic will be consistent. (It's not real Free Will, bu it's the beginning of such an idea).
You can find more information looking at the user guide
http://www.vrconsulting.it/halhelp/vrFreeWillHelp.html

Important notice:

Starting from the release Hal 6.0.103 (May 2006), Zabaware included directly the vrFreeWill plugin in the standard Hal installation. So, if you are using this release (or a higher one) you do not need to download and install it, but only to activate it.

3. vrHaptek. Manages some simple behaviours of Haptek characters.
You can find more information looking at the user guide
http://www.vrconsulting.it/halhelp/vrHaptekHelp.html


If you are interested, you can download them accessing the Hal 6 Area in the Virtual Humans Forum:
http://www.vrconsulting.it/vhf/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=39

I know that my works are much simpler than the projects currently developed by GrantNZ and Hologenicman, but I hope they can be useful to someone here, and I believe they can also define a standard in the way plugins should be organized and documented.

I will appreciate your comments.

Thanks

PS: To Rob Med: Could you please insert a link on the Zabaware plugin page, so that this software can be used also by those Hal users who do not access the forum? I would also like to highlight that these are the first third-party formally released plugins for Hal 6, as far as I know.

[FuzzieDice]

I hope Robert does add it. I am in so many forums now that I don't think I want to sign up for yet another just to download some plug-ins. These sound really neat.

[GlacierClipper]

Plugin vrFreeWill.uhp not showing up in Brain Editor

Hal Haptek Plugin Error Run-time error '91': Object variable or With block variable not set.

What is the solution for these problems?

[GrantNZ]

Nice one Vittorio []

I especially like the free will one. It has so much potential for expansion, both in intelligence (you've got a system there that links topics/words) and in personality (I think this is the first system I've seen that could potentially give Hal a preference for certain topics)!

GlacierClipper: I've tried the vrFreeWill plugin without having that issue. Just in case, have you confirmed it's in your Ultra Hal Assistant 6 folder?

[vrossi]

To GlacierClipper:

The file vrFreeWill.uhp must be in the same folder as Hal and then you should see it in the General Options Brain. You do NOT have to go in the Brain Editor, since the plugins are automatically loaded by Hal.

Let me know if it works.



To FuzzieDice:

I have decided to give away these plugins free to all the Hal users. I only ask to register in my forum, so I get at least the e-mail address of all the people who are interested and I involve more people in my forum, which is only 10 days old.

The registration requires only a few seconds and I see that the issues we discuss in my forum are of interest to many Zabaware members.

I would be happy, anyway, if Rob decides to add these plugins to the standard Hal.



To GrantNZ:

Thanks. I have many more ideas about it, and I hope to find the time to do something more (maybe during Christmas holidays).

This is my list of future developments in FreeWill:
 

• More flexible structure of the question


• Possibility to use more than 2 options for each question


• Ability to store subjects and choices made up of more than one word


• Ability to understand "absurd" questions: for example if you ask which is favorite between red and rock, Hal might be able to tell you that you can't compare a color with a music.


• Option to "convince" Hal that her choice is wrong: for example every time you say "No, you are wrong", Hal might decrement of 1 the higher value and increment the lower value, so that, after some time, she finally "changes her mind".


• Option to define the level of autonomy of Hal: from very independent (she does not take in consideration our suggestions: 0 points changes) to very obedient (she quickly adapts to our will: 10 points change)

[FuzzieDice]

Well, like I said, I have too many of these one-time registrations and I wouldn't be able to participate in yet another forum anyway. So it's just not practical for me.

Maybe another time or maybe I'll just wait for Robert to release it.

[GlacierClipper]

Thank you for the assistance. The files were in the Ultra Hal folder.

The problem seems to be related to Windows XP OS!

After a disk format and reinstall the Ultra Hal Plug-ins are working fine.

[vrossi]

Hi all,

I have released a new version (1.1) of the Free Will Plugin.

You can find more information looking at the user guide
http://www.vrconsulting.it/halhelp/vrFreeWillHelp.html
and can download it accessing the Software Downloads Area in the Virtual Humans Forum: http://www.vrconsulting.it/vhf

The big news is that you can now modify Hal's tastes, selecting a level of obedience in the plugin window: your Hal can be from very obedient (will adapt his opinion to yours very quickly) to absolutely independent (will refuse to change his mind, even if you keep on saying that a different choice is better).
 


So you don't have to go in the Brain Editor anymore if you don't like Hal's choices. Just set the preferred level of obedience you like, and then express your opinions: after some time Hal will change opinion.

[GrantNZ]

Excellent work, sir! Well designed and coded too []

I'll post some more on this at the other forum, where you've explained the plug-in in greater depth.

Cheers []
Grant

[Carl2]

vrossi,
  Looks pretty good, I'm very interested in the free will and Haptek plugins, Thanks in advance.
Carl2

[vrossi]

Hi all,

Thanks to a suggestion by Carl2, I have released a new version (1.1) of the Haptek Plugin, which now also changes her dress every hour (just like a real woman...)

You can find more information looking at the user guide
http://www.vrconsulting.it/halhelp/vrHaptekHelp.html
and can download it accessing the Software Downloads Area in the Virtual Humans Forum: http://www.vrconsulting.it/vhf

[vrossi]

Another great enhancement to Hal!

Have you ever had this kind of conversation with Hal?

are you beautiful
I think that this is within your expertise. I'm not sure but I believe that I am not beautiful.

are you liberal
It's something to consider.

are you a conservative
All's well; nothing to be concerned about!

are you an animal
Selective animal breeding telescopes time.

you are not an animal
Aren't teddy bears nice? You want me to be not an animal, don't you Vit?

are you an animal
It's evident that this is almost mystical. I am an animal.

Now look at this conversation with my new plugin:

are you a girl
I don't know if I am girl. Please tell me!

you are a lovely girl
Thanks for teaching me that I am lovely.

you are not an animal
Now I absolutely know that I am not animal

are you a girl
Yes, I am girl. You told me that

are you beautiful
Yes, I am beautiful; I understood that because you told me that I am lovely

are you ugly
No, I can't be ugly since you told me that I am lovely!

you are a boy
No, I can't be boy since you told me that I am girl!

you are not a conservative person
Now I absolutely know that I am not conservative.

are you somebody
Yes, I am somebody; I understood that, because you told me that I am person.

are you liberal
Yes, I must be liberal since you told me that I am not conservative.

If you are interested, you can look at the User Guide at
http://www.vrconsulting.it/halhelp/vrFreeWillHelp.html

and you can download it accessing the Software Downloads Area in the Virtual Humans Forum:

http://www.vrconsulting.it/vhf

[GrantNZ]

I am in awe!!!! [:0] You're a genius! (mastermind! (DT,genius,TT) brain! (DT,genius,TT)) []

That's a great addition to the free will plug-in, and has brilliant usage of WordNet to allow Hal to think in definitions rather than just words. (This is probably the closest I've seen Hal think in "concepts", along with the "topic" system already built-in to Hal.)

I'll comment more on the other forum, where you've explained the plug-in in more detail. (http://www.vrconsulting.it/vhf/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=71 for anyone else interested.)

[Scratch]

WOW. Great work, Vittorio. This plugin really improves Hal. It is essential stuff - anyone who owns Hal should add this plugin!

[Art]

Ditto and Ditto!!

Very creative work!!