CSC 216/s08/clever imaginings

Finite State Machines and the State Pattern

The problem

Finite state machines are abstract models of systems that have a set number of states, inputs, and rules for transitioning from one state to another. Understanding all the parts of a FSM can be difficult, especially in systems that feature a large number of states and transitions. As an interesting application, a Finite State Machine can be used to model the emotional states of an Non-Player Character (NPC) in video games.

Participants and props

Students should work in pairs. In Part 1, one student will act as the FSM, and the other will act as the environment. The student acting as the FSM should reference the following table (which may be printed on a notecard) to determine their reaction to stimuli.

	Compliment	Dull Comment	Insult
Amicable	Amicable	Neutral	Neutral
Neutral	Amicable	Neutral	Agitated
Agitated	Neutral	Agitated	Agitated

The other student should use the following list of generic insults, compliments and dull comments:

Compliments	Dull Comments	Insults
"You have a lovely smile." "Your intellect astounds me." "You move very gracefully."	"The weather is nice today." "That desk looks heavy." "Space travel is boring."	"You disgust me." "Clearly, you don't understand." "Please be quiet, the adults are talking."

Formatting Resources

Formatting Help Guide from MetaWiki