Official Launch of EKI One Version 1.0
Artificial Technology GmbH releases full version of middleware for emotional and artificial intelligence
Puchheim, 17 November 2008: This news is bound to excite gamers and developers alike: EKI One Version 1.0 is now commercially available! Artificial Technology GmbH’s modular middleware for emotional and artificial intelligence will make the inhabitants of virtual worlds more intelligent, emotional and vivid – adding depth and sheer enjoyment to the game. And the developers at Artificial have also made sure that their innovative technology, which comprises the three components Engine, Configurator and Support, integrates seamlessly
into existing software environments. You can now obtain a free trial version of EKI One for evaluation.
Serein Pfeiffer, technical director and co-founder of Artificial Technology GmbH, comments on the launch of the company’s first product: “With EKI One 1.0, we proudly present a software solution that allows game and level
designers, script designers and programmers to define character behavior efficiently and with ease – from cognition and movement characteristics to intelligent decision-making. The specifications and requests we received from our potential customers have had a direct bearing on the development of EKI One 1.0. We have combined ease of use with the technological depth required for authentic character simulation in a single, well-rounded package.”
Version 1.0 consists of three components. The EKI One Engine is the base technology, the core of the system: It is a modular software library that includes the algorithms for pathfinding, movement and perception. The EKI
One Configurator is Artificial Technology’s answer to the need for a straightforward method of applying complex artificial intelligence. Along with the intuitive graphical user interface, the Configurator provides a broad palette
of tools. The unique sandbox component gives game designers the power to experiment and implement their ideas quickly and easily. The extensive EKI One Support service rounds out Artificial Technology GmbH’s offering.
Yet this is merely the beginning for the young Bavarian start-up. Founders Frank Gwosdz, Serein Pfeiffer and Daniel Renner and their team, which has swiftly grown to 15 employees, are already working on the follow-up version. In a sense, EKI One will become more ‘emotional’ as more and more aspectsof emotional and social psychology are incorporated. “Our primary goal is the simulation of virtual worlds in which the characters can move without any restrictions. We also want to make it even more convenient for game design studios to integrate EKI One into their complex workflows,” states Serein Pfeiffer. Thus, Artificial Technology GmbH hopes to give developers working in a big team an incentive to create worlds with a large number of computer-
controlled characters. With characters that behave in much more varied and lifelike ways, these games, in turn, will take the gaming experience to the next level.
