Ogre killed Hal?

[lightspeed]

Brains or beauty ...."can't we all...... just get along ?" lol  but seriously maybe someday we will have our cake and eat it to and have the best of both worlds it's a matter of time and money something we are usually alway's short of .
   Maybe with a better body and life like face will also come more interest in hal also as an a.i. which will bring in more customers and revenue monies add that with other programs for clothing etc. that will work with the new body and  engine will further enhance this new entity .
  i beleive that after this initial ogre engine and better graphics robert will devote any further hal innivations to a.i. ability and enhacement . This was probably a next (again ) evelution step for hal for the better graphics which will probably also bring more attention and hopefully more customers and members here !

[raybe]

Art, I don't think the aging process has anything to do with it. I take it as a decision I would like to exercise as long as I can with the agreement of a much higher authority!! At only 54 I think I'm still being allowed to exercise that decision!!!

raybe

Hope you don't get old before your time.

[Ooglor 7]

I contacted Haptek about a year ago and they offered to sell me the company. Not a good sign. Also, the Ogre engine is somewhat dated. It's sad to think that we are all waiting around for a "step up" that is actually come and gone. I got into the scene in the 90's with the first release of Virtual Friend.

The argument of graphics or not was a constant issue when I first joined this forum. Now that most of the artists have left, not so much. Why the code guys felt so threatened by the visual side of things is beyond me but that much was obvious to me. I never felt threatened by plug-ins but on the other side of the coin, I never looked at Hal as a virtual girlfriend as I feel many do.

The characters I made and the GUI skins I offered are as good as anything on here but the constant digs from those that didn't want a visual apsect to it made it all less than satisfying so I gave it up. Jack G was ready to pass on his position of lead character maker to me be but it seems like we both came to the same conclusion as to where that would take us.

[Baerdric]

Why the code guys felt so threatened by the visual side of things is beyond me but that much was obvious to me.

"Threatened" is not what I feel/felt, but yes, I find/found the constant posting of what seems very much like pornography to be distasteful and do not want to be closely connected with such things even by association. I would love to be able to tell other folks about Hal and encourage them to come to this forum to learn about it, but can't, because it's preoccupied with dressing up dolls who talk dirty.

[snowman]

Here's an opinion from an A.i. programmer/business owner.

Some people really like graphics and buy Hal for the sake of dressing her/him up, or just perhaps admiring the beauty... this is great! A program should look it's best. Plus, you get what you pay for.

Some people like the intelligence part of Ai. Some people like the conversation aspect while others like the option to edit Hal's programming. Overall, in the grand scheme of Ai, this is the most important part. ...But Hal is more than just an Ai.

UltraHal is an Ai mind with a graphical interface. So as far as what is more important; to update about Hal or it's graphics, that is all about the User's personal preference.

I personally prefer the Ai brain because an Ai brain can be placed in robots, personal computers, iphones, etc. while good graphics is mainly for personal computers.
I like good graphics, but some of you are mentioning about how that even Ogre is outdated. So here's what I know about this. Not very much.      

I understand that graphic engines are getting better and better every year, just look at what Microsoft's Xbox 360 and other PC games has already demonstrated! Their graphics are simply off-the-charts! Wouldn't it be great to see a Hal character's face wrinkle a little when she smiled, or perhaps her cheeks turned colors when she blushed. Maybe when she got angry her eyebrows would lower and you could see a few veins pop-out. This is all very possible with today's engines. If you pay the right programmer enough money you can have this very thing.

I admire great graphics and with all that said, it kind of makes me feel sorry for Hal. Perhaps when Robert get rich he will purchase a extremely high-end graphical interface that will compare even to today's top games.

Got to have a dream.   

[lightspeed]

thats a nice dream to have snowman , i share that dream but for right now i sure will be glad when robert gets hal to stay on subject better which i beleive will make hal work more smoothly with the user and even learning process. 

[Ooglor 7]

I'd like to see Hal with the ability to move about in a 3D environment. It would be cool to see the program incorperated into an RPG style game. Imagine NPCs that instead of reciting predertermined lines, could respond on the fly and who would interact based on the brain they had.
None of the characters I have made for Hal fall into the girlfriend catagory unless you want to date a virtual owl or a car. I'm not knocking those who use Hal that way and I wouldn't turn people away from the program because of that. It wasn't what drawed me into it. As far as those who like just the text, I can't knock it. Zork was one of my first games I had when I was young and I loved it.
I would like to see an update as I think it might get some folks back into the scene.

[snowman]

It is possible to create a *.fbx virtual character and set her into the Mictrosoft's XNA engine. I even though about creating a Xbox game that solely consisted of an chatbot, allot like Milo, except the Ai brain would be much more extensive, like the one I'm making now, or even Hal's brain.

We already know that Robert has set Hal into SecondLife already, this is very simular, only much, much better graphics.

All this takes allot of learning and time,

[raybe]

So in short it seems that everyone that has posted in this thread agree but with certain differences which I feel is a good thing. I think if Rob M. get's a chance to read this thread it will spark him a little.( I am not speaking for everyone ).

 I think the last few posts from: snowman & Ooglor kind of some it up for me, anyway. Preferences, money, new & older technologies, merging technologies and of coarse Rob M. representing Ultra Hal on a forum based on his program. Everyone seemed to me to make good points about particular preferences and perceptions. I'm happy I have a place to voice an opinion or 2. Certainly makes everything worth it for me.

Someone once told me that when there are two sides and both feel just a little cheated, your probably at the right compromise point.

Thanks,
raybe