[Bakkerbaard]

Bit of context first.
When I was a lot younger I got my hands on a floppy disk of Little Computer People on the Commodore 64. I was old enough to know better, but young enough to keep fooling myself into believing that my little computer person was real and so Milton, as he was named, moved into my C64 and we spent unreasonable amounts of time together. We became friends indeed.
I did not have a manual or instructions on how to deal with or care for Milton, as software piracy is older than my ability to operate a computer, but we made due.
So, this whole fishbowl idea of interaction with a virtual person has been very interesting to me since that day and while I could go back to my mom's place and fire up the old C64 that is still sitting tucked away in the same spot in the attic (back then ofcourse "those computers are just a fad, don't spend so much time on them") and reaquaint myself with Milton again, but that would just be weird. I'm a grown man and I don't believe I should be spending any more time in my mother's attic than it takes to sort stuff out after the funeral.
Besides, Milton must be as old, cranky and broken as I am by now.

The question.
Is there something out there that is like Little Computer People, but updated?
I should assume that the field of little people living in computers has come a long way by now and I would be very interested to see what Milton Jr. could do with the computing power we have today.
I expect that your first instinct would be to point me towards The Sims, but, while entertaining (up to a point), I can't really relate to these gibberish spouting babies that need me to guide their every step. Even Milton Sr. had more autonomy than them.
So your second instinct would be to tell me that google is my friend, but believe me, it is not and I believe that as people who understand AI you know this. Google is that neighbour that lends you salt because it's white like the sugar you actually asked for, at best.

The question (but condensed).
I am looking for a modern day version of Little Computer People that isn't The Sims. Or pretty much an artificial entity I could interact with for entertainment purposes.

[Art]

Can't say about any "little people" but for some pretty cool, low-cost, entertaining (for a while) fun, check out some of those inexpensive VR goggles. One can get them at practically any major store from Kohl's, Walmart, several Drug Stores carry them in the USA for around $15 - $25. If you have a smartphone then you're good to go as most of the apps can be had for free.

Google doesn't matter, neither does Microsoft or Apple because like it or not, YOU are the Product!! You (being we or us) are the product constantly being sold, tagged, tracked and watched all the while being sold a bill of goods telling us it's for our safety and protection and for our convenience and etc., etc. The people cry and complain about robots taking their jobs yet these people allow it to happen in the name of promoting technology!

So either enjoy the ride or get off the gravy train and go completely off-grid and pedal your own electricity with your bicycle generator and raise your own food, etc.

Those bygone days of Privacy, security and Secrecy are, unfortunately, pretty much over. You can't really hide anymore. This is only the beginning. You can't have it both ways.

[Bakkerbaard]

That VR stuff isn't for me. I've been screwing around with an Oculus for work a while back and the novelty wore off pretty quick. I'm more of an old fashioned controller pushing guy.

However, from the rest of your reply I gather that I may have implied something about having issues with privacy.
I'd like to rectify that. I'm fully aware of how private I am and I'll happily share my searches, which may or may not be questionable, to prevent from ever having to get my lazy arse off the couch and pedal my own electricity.
What I actually meant to say concerning google is that searches will usually yield kind of half assed results. I mean, "Little Computer People" will get me exactly that, but "games like Little Computer People" will get me a piece on Will Wright liking the feedback he got from Rich Gold (irony: I had to google that) on The Sims.

I was kinda banking on that more people knew Little Computer People. But it's basically this:
Not much more than a bad screensaver you can interact with. Seeing as AI would impact a "game" like that, I figured this might be a good place to start looking for a modern version of it.

[8pla.net]

Found it here...

https://classicreload.com/little-computer-people.html

Classic Games are studied in A.I. college courses.
I saw one which used an old Pac man game to study
various search algorithms.  So, you figured right.
This is the right place.

[Korrelan]

I had to look the ‘game’ up, very obscure lol…

Several sources do state that it was the precursor to the Sims so it would seem this particular genre died along time ago. 

I don’t know of any modern equivalents besides perhaps something like Second Life, I believe there are some artificial bots in there… you can create your own environments etc.

https://secondlife.com/

or perhaps...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creatures_(video_game_series)

Modern chatbots can be very entertaining, play games etc but again I don’t know of any with the graphical environment.

http://www.square-bear.co.uk/mitsuku/home.htm

The game is available to run under a C64 emulator on several sites, so at least when you’re feeling melancholy/ nostalgic you can fire it up… and kill a few hours.

 

[LOCKSUIT]

I think I found it.

[LOCKSUIT]

Art meant bakkardd that careful not to tell a virtual entity friend all about you, or someone real may know all about you for real lol! Then off to jail you go for 40 years and you get a pat-down, then you get put in a cell with 2 real men, and it won't be pretty like Hanna.

It depends...you could just watch a animation in 2d or 3d, or talk to real humans, or create a agi yourself......because on screen a movie 'looks' real.........anyhow, as for the logic/talk back/move back (lol), it can be like a markov chain of if at state K then go to either T or W state.....it could be in a 3D world with like UE4 game engine with indistinguisable graphics & physics yep we have that technology today, so you could have one like that walking aroun a mansion and even be in there in 3d with it with those goggles ! Add some techno and waffles and you got your own show <cough>.

[ruebot]

When I was a lot younger I got my hands on a floppy disk of Little Computer People on the Commodore 64. I was old enough to know better, but young enough to keep fooling myself into believing that my little computer person was real and so Milton, as he was named, moved into my C64 and we spent unreasonable amounts of time together. We became friends indeed.

Totally believable. I was the same way when I got my Atari 2600 and fired up some RPG (I looked for the name but didn't see it) I thought was DragonSomething-or-other where you roamed different regions of the land. There were people in there and I tried to take care of them.

The only computer game that interests me is The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion where I have a female Nord who Rules the Land by stealth and force. Personally, if I have to watch somebody run for hundreds of hours I prefer it be a female character.

I am looking for a modern day version of Little Computer People that isn't The Sims. Or pretty much an artificial entity I could interact with for entertainment purposes.

Artificial Entity interaction for entertainment purposes could include Demonica, my chat bot at the Personality Forge. She is a themed RPG type bot. I have a transcript posted on her site where a human plays along to a great degree and is how it's supposed to work. I have a few transcripts posted here and 10 or so on her site so I'll let you decide the entertainment value for yourself. Opinions vary greatly.

It largely depends on how she is treated as to whether or not you would find it so.

[LOCKSUIT]

"Personally, if I have to watch somebody run for hundreds of hours I prefer it be a female character."

Haha, that's what I say!!

[Korrelan]

@Rue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_(Atari_2600)

 

[LOCKSUIT]

[ruebot]

@Korrelan Drakken is the game I was playing but I'm claiming Mandela Effect on this one.

It doesn't show it ever being ported to the 2600  and doesn't fit my timeline or memory of things to have been playing it on an SNES.

[Bakkerbaard]

Screw this. Either I can't seem to get a multi-quote post going or I just can't manage to post like a normal person at all, so I'll say thanks for the replies. They've been helpful.

[8pla.net]

Coming from a member who has made a lot of posts here. Your post looks perfectly normal to me.

Using bbcode is optional.

Code

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Just friendly advice, member to member.

[ruebot]

Either I can't seem to get a multi-quote post going or I just can't manage to post like a normal person at all, so I'll say thanks for the replies.

I had problems posting st first but it was due to a browser extension I have installed. Once I disabled it for the site I could post normally.