Cricket-controlled Pac-Man

It looks like hamsters aren't the only critters that have found themselves as unwitting accomplices is some mad game designer's grand scheme to find a less artificial intelligence. Recently, grad student Wim van Eck turned to crickets to add a bit more unpredictability to a game of Pac-Man, casting them in the role of the lowly ghosts against a human-controlled Pac. There's few details about how the system actually works, but it seems that the crickets actually proved to be more worthy adversaries than your typical AI-controlled enemy: at one point, a particularly clever "ghost" decided to shed its skin, probably knowing full well that it would become invisible to the game's color-based detection system. Not bad, now how about a centipede-controlled version of Centipede, Wim?

[Via Pasta & Vinegar]

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2006 4:27PM]

That kinda creeps me out.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2006 5:26PM]

But less creepy than centipedes

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2006 6:03PM]

Hahaha what a clever idea! Bring it on

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2006 6:13PM]

Is Wim van Eck a common name in Holland?

Because that is the same name of the guy who invented Van Eck Phreaking:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Eck_Phreaking

This is referenced in Neal Stevenson's Cryptonomicon, as many of you will know.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2006 7:15PM]

Sounds wonderful, I hope to get he opportunity to play this!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 3rd 2006 7:59PM]

What did he do? Just say one day: "Hey, You know what would be really cool? If I got some live crickets to play as the ghosts in pac-man"

Seriously...

[sr1329 Posted Jul 3rd 2006 8:47PM]

Was this writer really serious when he implied that the cricket shed it's skin knowing full well that the detection system would not be able to track it?

Please tell me he was joking. Please.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 4th 2006 12:55AM]

the thing is there is no AI in centipede.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 4th 2006 6:55AM]

SR:
Were you really serious when you were asking if the writer was serious?

Please tell me you were joking. Please.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 4th 2006 7:16AM]

That's really far out.

CS guys are always desperate to finally create a new form of life and hail themselves as gods. Must be an ego thing, with the chick flow so typically low, they have to compensate with stunts like this.

But I have to admit, that's pretty cool.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 4th 2006 1:11PM]

Great Idea: same thing, but using mice as ghost, and a controlled piece of cheese for Pacman!!!

Oh I'm a genius.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 17th 2006 9:39PM]

Hi there

I made this game, and if you want some more info and see movies, go to:

http://pong.hku.nl/~wim/bugman.htm

greetings,

Wim

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 17th 2006 9:40PM]

And yeah, the name is quite common:)....