Translating natural language to the game description language

Abstract

This thesis presents work done on the problem of translating natural language descriptions of games into the Game Description Language (GDL) --- a logic programming language used to describe games in the field of general game playing. This problem is interesting in that, if solved, it would open up general game playing to the general public and could eventually serve as part of a larger system allowing users to face computer opponents in almost any game they wished. The approach taken in this project was to develop a system that engages in an interactive dialog with the user to obtain the user's description of the game they desired to create. After the system obtains the game description, it is processed through various techniques such as semantic grammars, and then code created from a set of building blocks is produced. The current system presented herein is a successful proof-of-concept and is able to produce GDL code from natural-language descriptions of games in a domain consisting of Connect-4, Tic-Tac-Toe, and some basic variations thereof. While this domain may be small, the methods used hold promise for an expanded and more complete version of the system in the future.