Façade is an interesting artificial intelligence-based interactive project that was created by Michael Mateas and Andrew Stern. It provides a unique gaming experience for the users. The player plays the role of a close friend of a married couple, Grace, and Trip. Throughout the game, you will be interacting with them in first person context, and you can explore the house through the use of arrow keys. You will also be able to communicate with them through typing on the keyboard. During a meet up with them at their apartment, a marriage related conflict will occur, and you will be dragged into it. During the conflict, you will need to take a side and make decisions that will ultimately change the lives of both Grace and Trip.
What I love about this interactive project is its openness to possibilities and explorations. Right from the start, it gives you the opportunities to decide the type of personalities your in-game character will possess as it provides limited information about your character. It gives you the freedom to be yourself or be someone that you want to be. The interaction with Trip and Grace also creates an engaging experience. Your conversation with them will have an immediate impact on their relationship and also their relationship with you. The intriguing part of the game does not provide you with pre-set options in response to their conversations towards you. You are free to type in any reply in your words as responses to them. This leads to limitless possibilities in your interaction with the couple. This motivates you to experiment with different dialogues to discover different outcome possibilities. You can try to persuade them to stay together or try to break them up. It allows you to do anything you want by not providing any objectives.
Through the responsibility of providing personalized responses to the couple, it allows you to be emotionally connected with them. You do not feel that you are just part of an interactive project but rather part of a real-time conflict. You have a clearer sense of attachment to the information you convey to the couple. You are not merely performing the conversations with them for the sake of achieving certain objectives, but it is for the outcome of the relationship between Trip and Grace. I feel that this interactive piece is a revolutionary attempt that makes us rethink what interaction with a virtual dimension is about through the blurring of virtual and reality.
You will be able to download the interactive project through the following link: http://www.interactivestory.net/