Overview:

The character of Ellie in The Last of Us presented a challenge. The game was centered on the player's relationship with her, and we needed to ensure that the systematic presentation of the character was in line with what was presented by the narrative. This session will investigate the successful techniques used to generate a believable "buddy" AI character, including an overview of the mindset with which we developed the character, and a look at the individual systems developed. The talk will also review the shortcomings and discuss why certain decisions were made.