Xbox Solution Interviews OC3 Entertainment: ExclusiveWe
recently had the oppurtunity to speak to Doug Perkowski, CEO of OC3 Entertainment,
a company which hopes to literally change the face of Xbox video game titles
through the use of their ‘Impersonator‘ software. We discovered
quite a few details about this new technology and the possibilities it brings
to online gaming and increased realism in the games of the future. How would
you like to play a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG)
over Xbox Live and be able to ’see’ your counterparts speaking to you in real
time? Or have a visual representation of yourself while in game lobbies (or
a representation of your ‘ideal’ self) over Live?

The possibilities are endless and although we’ll have to wait and see what
this new technology will ultimately mean for your gaming experience, you can
get a sneak peak into the future of gaming realism by reading the full interview.
Can you handle the truth? Read it.

[XBS - Jason] Hello Doug, thanks for taking the time to speak to us.
Could you please give us a brief background of yourself and your work?

[OC3 - Doug] I am the CEO of OC3 Entertainment. Prior to working at OC3
Entertainment, I was Product Manager for Impersonator while working at LIPSinc.

[XBS - Jason] What is OC3 Entertainment?

[OC3 - Doug] OC3 Entertainment (www.oc3ent.com)
is a private company dedicated to powering the gaming industry with realistic
talking characters. The company develops the Impersonator product line, a
middleware solution for game engines. Our technology originated at LIPSinc
which ceased operations in August 2002.

[XBS - Jason] What exactly is this new Impersonator technology and
how will it enhance gamers’ video game experiences in the future?

[OC3 - Doug] The Impersonator product includes tools for developers that help with
all aspects of character dialog: character setup, generating animations, synching
up the voice and animation files, and coordinating facial animations with
whole body animations and other in-game events. The solution is very memory
efficient; thereby allowing games to include more character dialog.

[XBS - Jason] Just how realistic will this make dialogue within vido
game titles during gameplay and cut scenes?

[OC3 - Doug] Our software produces the most realistic animation data on the market.
In addition to moving the lips it generates animation data for eye-blinks,
head nods, and eyebrow raises. These movements are generated based on the
audio so the character looks like it is actually talking to you. The animations
are never “looped.” The technology is also language independent.

[XBS - Jason] Understandably the use of any added feature to a game
will place a higher strain on the processing power of a console, will there
be a noticable increase on processing requirements?

[OC3 - Doug] Our Runtime software actually helps developers decrease their use of
system resources. Our realtime software however would use the XBox processor
for a lot of calculations.

Based upon the LiveTalk SDK licensed from LIPSinc, our real-time software
creates animation data using only the audio information received from the
Xbox Live headset. Our software takes about 200 ms (1/5 of a second) to analyze
the audio and provide animation data. We will queue up the audio while our
processing occurs, then send over animation data with the audio so that they
are played together in synch.

[XBS - Jason] In perspective, 1/5 of a second is minimal, on games
over the Xbox Live service, will there be an increase in lag?

[OC3 - Doug] Like you say, 1/5 of a second is minimal, so users will not be able
to detect much of an increase in liag.

[XBS - Jason] Will/is this new software easily incorporated into an
already exhistent gaming engine?

[OC3 - Doug] We have fully-integrated Impersonator with the Unreal Engine and are
currently working with a number of Unreal Developers to power the next generation
of cut-scenes and in-game animations. Our tools allow developers to trigger
a facial animation event just like they would any other in-game event with
animation notifies, scripted sequence commands, or Unreal Script function
calls.

[XBS - Jason] What publishers or developers are currectly working on
projects that will utilize your technology? What games specifically?

[OC3 - Doug] We are working with 2015 on their upcomming title: Men of Valor: Vietnam.
Our other customers have not announced their games yet, so you can look forward
to some more press releases from us in the near future.

[XBS - Jason] MMORPG titles over Xbox Live can obviously have the greatest
amount of impact/value from this technology, could you explain in detail what
the use of the Impersonator software will add?

[OC3 - Doug] MMORPGs will be able to use our technology very effectively, but the
technology can also be used to add talking characters to the chat room-type
functionality that is already available with Xbox Live. Many games have already
spent time creating character content that is realistic, so this chat room
application would be able to be added to games with very little impact on
the game development schedule.

[XBS - Jason] Has the thought of incorporating downloadable content
for game lobbies, such as speaking character animations been considered or in
development for games that already support Xbox Live in addition to upcoming
titles?

[OC3 - Doug] Because the Xbox has a hard drive and a broadband internet connection,
there is really no limit to what you can do with it. You could download avatars
that look like yourself and even download clothes or accessories to wear for
your avatar. That way when you communicate with your friends, everyone will
recognize you. On the other hand, if you want to look like someone completely
diferent, that is possible too.

[XBS - Jason] Can you give us your short term and long term goals of
your technology as it is incorporated into Xbox titles?

[OC3 - Doug] We want our technology to become the standard for lip-synchronization.
Five years ago, no one would have thought that all games would be using physics
engines, but as gaming technology gets more and more realistic, the industry
will standardize on technologies that make it easier for game developers to
accomplish their goals. We want to be one of those technologies they standardize
on.

[XBS - Jason] Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

[OC3 - Doug] Just that I’m looking forward to playing some of the games that use
our technology myself!

[XBS - Jason] Thank you for your time and insight, we’ll see you on
Live.

Have a comment or question about this interview? Post a comment or discuss
it in our Forums.

Related Links:
OC3 Entertainment
Xbox Live
2015’s upcoming
title: Men of Valor: Vietnam to use Impersonator technology

Filed under: Interviews

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