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Media Contact:
Jim Ong
650.931.2710
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STOTTLER HENKE INTRODUCES JAVA TECHNOLOGY-BASED SOFTWARE FOR VISUALLY SPECIFYING
'SMART' BEHAVIOR IN GAMES, SIMULATIONS, AND ADVISORY SYSTEMS
SimBionic for Java allows programmers and non-programmers to quickly produce
artificial intelligence (AI) for all Java technology-based systems
SAN MATEO, California, Feb. 5, 2004 –
Stottler Henke Associates, Inc.
The first Java technology-based software tool kit that lets
programmers and non-programmers collaborate to easily define intelligent, real-time monitoring
and decision-making logic in Java technology applets and client-side or web server-based games and
applications was introduced today by Stottler Henke Associates, Inc., a software development
and consulting firm based here. SimBionic(TM) for Java, which is available immediately from
Stottler Henke (www.stottlerhenke.com), enables rapid authoring of intelligent behaviors that
enhance characters in computer games, emulate people and systems in training simulations,
assess student performance in intelligent tutoring systems, and improve the effectiveness of
customer assistance and decision-support systems.
“Artificial intelligence (AI) in the Java technology environment has taken a giant step forward with this new
version of SimBionic,” said Chris Melissinos, Chief Gaming Officer at Sun Microsystems. “Now
designers and content experts working on Java technology-based projects have an easy means of
adding intelligent behaviors to their systems.”
SimBionic for Java is the second entry in Stottler Henke’s SimBionic product line; the company
launched a C++ version of the software in December 2002. The new Java technology edition,
which has a small footprint, extends the reach of SimBionic to mobile applications, where Java is
a popular platform.
SimBionic overview
SimBionic is a visual authoring tool and runtime engine for creating complex behaviors and state
machines, through the use of AI. It enables training simulation and game developers to speed
their development time, while empowering designers and end users to directly incorporate their
knowledge and expertise into the systems. Speeding the simulation development process can
accelerate time-to-market for games, and can produce smarter simulations for training systems.
And employing a graphical interface for specifying behaviors, so that non-programmer “subject
matter experts” can create them, reduces the risk of simulation errors related to
miscommunication of content between an expert and a programmer. The Java technology
version supports browser and applet-based games, and encourages re-use of AI across games,
which represents an important efficiency for game developers.
SimBionic for Java supports a number of advanced authoring concepts, such as hierarchical
behaviors, which let any behavior invoke any other behavior, allowing users to construct
sophisticated behaviors from simpler ones and efficiently reuse their work; and polymorphic
behaviors, which allow the game engine to dynamically select the appropriate behavior to
perform based on the current state of the entity that is running it. It also contains a full-featured
visual debugger that allows users to execute behaviors step by step to help uncover and fix any
subtle mistakes in its logic.
SimBionic’s components
SimBionic consists of two major components: a visual authoring tool, and a runtime engine. The
SimBionic authoring tool is a standard Windows application. Because SimBionic presents its
logic graphically, it can communicate more information to more people compared to textual
methods. Visual representations can be understood by experts and by software programmers
alike, so they can speak the same language, resulting in superior collaborative development.
The SimBionic runtime engine takes the behavior description, and makes it operational within a
game or training simulation. The engine is efficient, highly scalable, and provides a Java technology
or C++ application programming interface, so software developers can easily interface it with
simulations and games.
The SimBionic authoring tool runs on Microsoft Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000,
and Windows XP operating systems. The SimBionic runtime engine runs on these operating
systems, as well as Linux.
SimBionic price and availability
SimBionic for Java is available immediately from Stottler Henke. Pricing is on a per-seat basis,
and varies based on the size of the installation.
Development of SimBionic was supported in large part by R&D funding provided by the U.S.
Department of Defense.
Founded in 1988, Stottler Henke Associates, Inc.
applies artificial intelligence and other advanced software technologies
to solve problems that defy solution using traditional approaches.
The company delivers intelligent software solutions for education and training,
planning and scheduling, knowledge management and discovery, decision support,
and software development. Stottler Henke's clients include manufacturers,
retailers, educational media companies and government agencies.
Stottler Henke was named one of the "top 100" companies making a
significant impact on the military training industry in 2003 by Military Training Technology magazine.
Web: http://www.stottlerhenke.com.
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