The aim of the 15th annual European GAMEON® Conference (GAMEON®’2014) on Simulation and AI in Computer Games, is to bring together researchers and games people in order to exchange ideas on programming and programming techniques, which will be beneficial to the gaming industry and academia. Secondly it aims to steer young people into this industry by providing how-to tutorials and giving them the opportunity to show their ideas and demos to the gaming industry. The conference will concentrate mostly on the programming of games, with special emphasis on simulation, AI and fuzzy sets, and physics related computer graphics. Next to that, all of this will be fused in the topic of computer game design in stand-alone and networked games. Software providers will be able to show their latest packages and give hand-on tutorials for the participants.
Organised by
The European Technology Institute
Sponsored by
EUROSIS
For latest information see:
www.eurosis.org
or
http://www.eurosis.org/cms/?q=taxonomy/term/357
KEYNOTES
Conference keynotes will be given by:
Richard Bartle, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, United Kingdom
David King, Associate Technical Director at EA Criterion, Guildford, United Kingdom
Ewan Lamont, Legendary Games, Nottingham, United Kingdom
and
Julian Togelius, IT University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
More info on: http://www.eurosis.org/cms/index.php?q=node/2834
TUTORIALS
Gesture Recognition and Control using Microsoft Kinect
Dr. John C. Murray, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom
Tutorial on Game AI
Dr Cüneyt Süheyl Özveren, International Collaborations Manager, School of Engineering Computing and Applied Mathematics, University of Abertay Dundee, United Kingdom
More info on:
http://www.eurosis.org/cms/index.php?q=node/2835
GAMEON’2014 consists of three core tracks, which cover, Gaming Methodology, Artificial Intelligence and Simulation, while the other tracks cover peripheral technologies closely linked to games design, like 3-D scalability, facial and skeletal animation, 3D in-game animation etc, Mobile Gaming and Gaming Applications…
All submissions will be peer reviewed by at least three members of the International Program Committee. Accepted papers will be published in the conference Proceedings (both print and electronic format), that will be copyrighted and widely disseminated.
Contributions to the technical program are solicited in the
following general areas;
Conference Themes
The conference will cover three core tracks and a number of peripheral tracks
Core Tracks
Game Development Methodology
Game Development Methodology, Game Design and Research Methods, Production Roles, Techniques and Process Management, Social and Technical Interactions in Art and Engineering, Participatory Media and Heterogeneous Development Approaches, Sociotechnical MOG Development, Communities and Sustainability, Business and Requirements Modeling for Game Projects, Software Architecture and Modeling in Games, Interaction Design and Usability in Game Contexts, Play Testing, Gameplay Experience Evaluation. Game Design using telemetry, cognitive ethnography, empirical phenomenology and causal network analysis.
Game Theory – Multi-Agent Systems
Game Theory- Multi-Agent Systems and their potential applications to computer games
Artificial Intelligence
Designing (Extensible) AI Engines with Built-in Machine Learning Technologies, Using Adaptive Markov Models, Using Decision and Behaviour Trees, Hierarchical Task Networks, Production Rules and Learning, Using Fuzzy Logic for membership functions and inference procedures, Using Rule Based AI or a Finite State Machine (FSM), Using Fuzzy State Machines (FuSM) or Cascaded FuSMs ,Using Artificial Life and layered AI Techniques, Level-of-Detail AI, Using scripting languages and buddy AI to govern NPC Bots, synthetic characters, or believable agents, Controlling simulated characters (Group Behaviour control, Contect Sensitive behaviours, Computational Behaviour, Unpredictable Behaviour, Human Behaviour Emulation, Human Evolutionary Behaviour) using f.ex. flocking algorithms based on extensible scripting systems, Language Comprehension and Response, Cognitive Modeling: (combining geometric models and inverse kinematics to simplify key-framing. physical models for animating particles. Bio-mechanical modeling, behavioral modeling), Domain knowledge specification and character instruction, Creating AI Networks using supervised learning and genetic algorithms, and pathfinding, Terrain Reasoning Systems, Real-Time Strategy Models, Using Databases using the winnowing algorithm, Using Multi-user Data Management.
Physics and Simulation
Collision detection, contact resolution and manifold generation (methods Lin-Canny, OBB Trees, I-Collide and Ray Tracing); Calculation optimization between objects; The closest point algorithm by Gilbert Johnson and Keerthi (GJK) between convex and union-of convex objects; Contact equation formulation (point-plane, edge-edge and sphere-plane); LCP (Linear Complementary problems) Based contact resolution; Iterative constraints and penalty methods for contact resolution, Micro-Collisions, Software Object Interaction.
Peripheral Tracks
3-D Scalability
MRM (Multi-Resolution Mesh) Technology and the Messiah and Lith Tech Engines; Scalable level of detail-oriented rendering ; Methods for scaling animation quality; Scaling animation quality, new animation steps, on interpolated key-frame animation or key-frame morphing; Bump mapping: emboss-dot product and environment mapped bump map (EMBM).
Facial Animation
Facial animation for Real-Time, Model Behaviour of 3D Modeling; Modelling the bone structure of faces, facial hair etc… Facial animation using animation engines (f.ex. Euphoria)
Skeletal Animation and Fully-Scaled Rendering
Physical Simulation, 3D Character Animation and physical controllers; Simulation performance; Rigid body physical animation and rigid body dynamics; Polygon Character Design and level of Detail under Technical Constraints; Particle systems, full polygonal models or sprites; Smooth rendered skins, soft skinning, head animations and full body animation (Skin, extrude and boolean, Design, composition and anatomy); Skeletal, skinning, single skin meshes; Creating Character Animation Assets; Real-Time motion Synthesis, Kinematics and Dynamics, Animating the real-time run cycle; T-Buffers and motion blur; Motion Capture Techniques.
3-D In-Game Animation
Creating and scaling special effects in Real-Time 3D: environmental weapon effects and general pyrotechnics, software used to produce single frame and animated textures, booth looping and linear, and the pivotal role of alpha channels. Modeling an animation of the geometry needed and the system used to encode additional engine-specific timing and trigger data into the files. The use of the engine particle system and scripting capabilities, Weighted vertices, Streaming SIMD Extension Overview (floating point instruction) ;Pre-rendered cinematics ; Scaling of special effects and texture tricks: particle systems for generating smoke and fire, texture tricks, for volumes, lens flares and onscreen pyrotechnics, Animation Blending.
Modelling of virtual worlds
Due to their complexity and size, virtual worlds used in next-gen games will have to be automatically generated, to a large extent, whether based on real data or fully imaginary. Representing objects and their relations in these worlds needs to take into account more data than simply their geometry or appearance. In addition, most objects in such worlds will typically require a high degree of adaptivity, in order to avoid most current rigid behaviours, as well as to cope with the need for really adaptive game-play in both entertainment and serious games. This theme focuses on tools and methods for achieving such goals.
AI and Simulation Tools
Silicon Graphics (MAYA, as a game prototyping environment), 3D Programming for Rage Programmable Shaders (Renderman), 3D Studio Max, Scratch, XNA, Delta 3D and other Open Source Games Software.
Design
Game Engine Design and game environment creation; Using rapid prototyping (NEMO-DEV) and generic technology (generic world building engine), portable code; Using Math for Game programming by solving simultaneous Equations; Using Modularity and isolation abstraction, data hiding, functional independence, cohesion and coupling; Using Java as an embedded Game scripting engine ; Procedural content placement, level design, enemy and entity placement; Using Databases in online Games; Programming in Linux, C++ and Visual Basic ; Programming Web Games in Java Scalable 3D games; Creating large 3D worlds; Creating Multiplayer online Games; Techniques for scaling game content, and approaches to scaling game content; C++ optimization Strategies and Techniques; 3D Engine optimization; Optimizing games for the MIPS RISC Architecture; Game design: User set set according to hard limits, pre-runtime profiling and runtime profiling History of Game Design.
Rendering
Rendering Equations and architectures; Image Based Rendering (polygon counts (throughput) and overdraw (filtrate); Photorealistic rendering using Open GL and Direct 3D ; Multi texture tricks like gloss mapping, dynamic environment mapping, detail texturing and bump mapping Spatial aliasing and Anti-aliasing and accumulation buffers; Setup, Rendering and Transforms ; Full floating point setup ; Perspective-corrected texture mapping, multiple filtering modes, sophisticated texture blending for special effects and effective looking transparency ; Classical local illumination equations and colour theory; Creating Reflections and shadows with stencil buffers and Z-Buffers; Light maps and changing texture coordinates, shadow maps, projected shadow maps; Methods for scaling lighting and shadows, lighting calculations ; Equation on a per pixel basis, pixel path and voxel animation; Procedural Texture Methods and Theory and Real-Time; Procedural Texture Implementation; Parametric Surfaces, Deforming surfaces, Curved surfaces and tri-linear flip-flopping Using NURBS (non-uniform rational B-splines) and other parametric surfaces for representing 3D Geometry; Matrix Manipulations; Methods for scaling geometry using parametric curves and surfaces in relation to polygonal models; Progressive meshes and subdivision surfaces.
On-line Gaming and and online-gaming security
As online gaming becomes more and more popular security issues now come into the forefront of secure game play using public key cryptography, symmetric key cryptography, digital signatures, authentication and available cryptographic tool-kits. If you are designing or working on these issues you can,
Voice Interaction
Using Intelligent Speech Synthesis Algorithms, Speech Processing, Voice Interaction, Speech Synthesizer; Interaction with AI-NPC’s, Voice-Over Net Technology (one to one, and one to many).
Cognitive Psychology
applied to games, based on player to game interactions and biometric data analysis.
Affective Computing and Emotional Gaming
affective gaming, affective user modeling, player emotion recognition, Developing believable NPC, methods to improve emotional gameplay etc (see Milo soft f.ex.), Games for health, Games for well-being, Persuasive games, Music in games (and affective audio in games)
Artistic Input
Artistic input to game and character design.
Storytelling
Storytelling and Natural Language Processing, Interactive narrative generation.
Game Analysis
Game Analysis using telemetry, cognitive ethnography, empirical phenomenology and causal network analysis. techniques, case studies, research etc…
Applications
Wargaming methodology and techniques applied to strategic game design using Campaign managers, character generators, terrain generators. Multiplayer wargaming and Web Wargaming
Serious Games applications
Aerospace Simulations, Board Games etc…
Games for training
Games Console Design
Gaming with Robots
Handheld Gaming Devices – Mobile Gaming and VR Gaming
Gaming with I-Toy, WII, Microsoft Kinect and other handheld devices such as phones, I-Pads, Datapads, Virtual Sat-Nav Gaming and App creation.
Gaming using Oculus Rift, the Omni Move etc…
Perceptual User Interfaces for Games
Humans communicate using speech, gesture, and body motion, yet today’s computers do not use this valuable information. Instead, computers force users to sit at a typewriter keyboard, stare at a TV-like display, and learn an endless set of arcane commands — often leading to frustration, inefficiencies, and disuse.
The idea behind PUI is that a computer system “hears” users’ voice commands and “sees” their gestures and body positions. Interactions are natural, more like human-to-human interactions. PUI use here machine perception to allow users to interact with computergames and within computer gaming environments. By reading gestures, motions and speech we should be able to in a much more natural way interact with the games.
But sensor systems deliver only raw position and pose information. For interface use, these are not the desired quantities”we need to understand the abstractions appropriate for a natural interface and consider how the various perceptual input degrees of freedom should relate to available commands and options.
POSTER SESSION
The poster session only features work in progress. Next to the
actual poster presentation, these submissions also feature as short
papers in the Proceedings.
STUDENTS SESSION
This session is for students who want to present their work in
progress or part of their doctoral thesis as a paper. Student papers
are denoted by the fact that only the name of the student appears on
the paper as an author. They are published as short papers in the
Proceedings.
DIVERSE ACTIVITIES
For demonstrations, tutorials or video sessions, please contact EUROSIS.
Partners for projects session(s) will be organised by EUROSIS to
give potential project teams or individuals the opportunity to
present their research in order to link up with fellow researchers
for future research projects. Those wishing to participate in this
session need to send a proposal to EUROSIS.
EXHIBITION
A special exhibition will be held during the conference focused on
gaming applications. For more information please contact EUROSIS for
further details. Email: Philippe.Geril@eurosis.org
DEADLINES AND REQUIREMENTS
Send all submissions in an ELECTRONIC FORM ONLY in (zipped)
Microsoft Word format, or PDF format (preferred format) indicating the
designated track and type of submission (full paper or an extended
abstract) to the EUROSIS (Philippe.Geril@eurosis.org).
Please provide your name, affiliation, full mailing address,
telephone / fax number and Email address on all submissions as well.
For submissions please put in the subject of your Email the
following indications: GAMEON’2014 and designated track or USE THE
ONLINE SUBMISSION FORM.
Only original papers, which have not been published elsewhere, will
be accepted for publication
Journal Publication and indexing
Only accepted and presented extended papers are eligible for journal publication in any of the journals listed here.
All GAMEON Proceedings are submitted to ISI-Thomson Reuters and IET,
SCOPUS and Elsevier Engineering Village.for referencing. They are also referenced under DBLP
Quality Control
In order to ensure the quality of the proceedings, Thomson-Reuters ISI and IET will receive the listing of the actually presented papers, next to the copies of the Proceedings.
REGISTRATION FEES
All fees are without British VAT in the table below
Registration Fees
Author
EUROSIS members
Other Participants
Pre-registration before August 5, 2014 ? 500 plus VAT ? 500 plus VAT ? 555 plus VAT
Registration after August 5, 2014 Pre-registration required ? 545 plus VAT ? 595 plus VAT
STUDENT REGISTRATION FEES
Registration Fees
Author
EUROSIS members
Other Participants
Pre-registration before August 5, 2014 ? 370 plus VAT ? 370 plus VAT ? 410 plus VAT
Registration after August 5, 2014 Pre-registration required ? 390 plus VAT ? 430 plus VAT
The registration fee includes one copy of the Conference
Proceedings, conference materials, coffee and tea during the breaks, all lunches and a conference dinner.
PAPER SUBMISSION TYPES
FULL PAPER (including abstract, conclusions, diagrams, references)
During review, the submitted full papers can be accepted as a
regular 5 page paper. If excellent, full papers can be accepted by
the program committee as an extended (8-page) paper. Each submission
will be reviewed by at least three members of the GAMEON’2014 International
Program Committee.
EXTENDED ABSTRACT (at least five pages)
Participants may also submit a 5 page extended abstract for a
regular (5 pages) or short (3 pages) paper or poster, which will be
reviewed by the International Program Committee. All accepted papers
will be published in the GAMEON’2014 Conference Proceedings.
ONE PAGE ABSTRACTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.
CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS
Philippe Geril
EUROSIS-ETI
European Simulation Office
Greenbridge NV
Ghent University Campus Ostend
Wetenschapspark 1
Plassendale 1
B-8400 Ostend Belgium
Tel: +32.59.255330
Fax: +32.59.255339
Email: philippe.geril@eurosis.org
OUTSTANDING PAPER AWARD
The 2014 GAMEON Conference Committee will select the Outstanding Paper of the Conference. The author of this paper will be awarded a free registration for a EUROSIS conference. Only papers SUBMITTED AS FULL papers will be eligible for the Outstanding Paper Award.
LANGUAGE
The official conference language for all papers and presentations is
English
IMPORTANT DEADLINES
EARLY BIRD SUBMISSION DEADLINE: APRIL 5TH, 2014
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: APRIL 25TH, 2014
LATE SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MAY 25TH, 2014
NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION: JUNE 30TH, 2014
Authors provide camera-ready manuscript: AUGUST 5TH, 2014
CONFERENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN, LINCOLN, UK, SEPTEMBER 9-11,2014
VENUE
The conference will be held at the University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/
Venue Info:
http://www.eurosis.org/cms/index.php?q=node/2846
Hotel info:
http://www.eurosis.org/cms/index.php?q=node/2840