In: Autralian Computer Science Communications, Vol. 23, No. 1. 2001.
Also in: Proc. 24th Australasian Computer Science Conference (ACSC 2001), January 29 - February 2, 2001, Gold Coast, Australial, Vol. 23, pages 29-37. 2001.
Abstract: Current techniques for behavioral specification provide the ability to describe individual methods of action, interaction and behavior, but do not allow scripting of a complex behavioral sequence as it is required for a virtual actor within the plot of stage-play. These existing specification techniques are also designed primarily for use by computing experts, usually as a text-based language, and are therefore not easily accessible by laymen. This paper presents Petri Nets Script (PNS), a new graphical language for specification of virtual actor behavior. PNS provides a graphical interface to behavioral scripting that enables specification of actions and interactions for virtual actors that can then interact with human actors on real time. A quantitative justification as to the effectiveness of the new language is evaluated through comparison of required complexity to achieve a simple behavior against that of a more traditional specification technique using an adaptation of McCabe's Cyclomatic Complexity.
Keywords: McCabe's cyclomatic complexity, PNS, Petri Net Script, Petri nets, actor systems, behavioral specifications, complex behavioral sequences, real-time interactions, visual languages.