Creative Problem Solving for the Virtual Storyteller

We propose a design for a flexible Creative Problem Solver for use in the Virtual Storyteller domain. The Virtual Storyteller generates and tells stories similar to known fairytales, and will use the Creative Problem Solver to solve problems for both the plot agent and the individual character agents. In this design, creativity is implemented by means of a case-based reasoning system augmented by creativity heuristics. We propose an expression language that is syntactically close to the Virtual Storyteller to express the cases, problems, and solutions. We also propose several heuristic functions that modify the problem space, and briefly discuss methods for inventing new heuristics. Finally, we discuss the cases themselves, and we explain what cases are most suited for the system as well as how to extract them from existing fairytales. November 2005 University of Twente