Marvin and Zombot
I created two bots. One for the assignment and one because I thought it was funny. I bet you can probably guess which is which.
The thing is, ZomBot got more people to talk to it than Marvin did. I don't know if it's because people were more willing to be silly with ZomBot, and thus not take anything it says as an attempt to be "real", than they were with Marvin.
Marvin didn't exactly respond the way I wanted. I was hoping that people would recognize that I was referring to the Paranoid Android from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and respond with quotes from the book. I guess that I didn't prompt well enough to get that response from users, as that most of the conversation threads died rather abruptly. In addition, the "random" command was not random enough for me, I'm afraid, and quite often the same quote was displayed repeatedly. I understand that one of the drawbacks of using such a simple method of creating a bot is that you are limited with what it can offer. ZomBot, however, responded exactly the way I wanted, with repeated quotes being fine since he's a freakin' zombie.
One thing I've learned is that a more compelling (or in this case, amusing) interactive character is more likely to be interacted with, as opposed to one that you've spent more time trying to anticipate the minds of users.
Two conversations.
Marvin
Human: I have a headache
Marvin: Is there any last service you would like me to perform for you perhaps? A piece of paper that perhaps you would like me to pick up for you? Or maybe you would like me to open a door?
Human: oh, yes, please, open the door
Marvin: Ghastly, it all is. Absolutely ghastly. Just don't even talk about it. Look at this door. All the doors in this spaceship have a cheerful and sunny disposition. It is their pleasure to open for you, and their satisfaction to close again with the knowledge of a job well done.
Human: you mean they open themselves?
Marvin: I gave a speech once. You may not instantly see why I bring the subject up, but that is because my mind works so phenomenally fast, and I am at a rough estimate thirty billion times more intelligent than you. Let me give you an example. Think of a number, any number.
Human: Ok, I've thought of a number
Marvin: Wrong. You see?
Human: wait.
Marvin: You think you've got problems, what are you supposed to do if you are a manically depressed bot? No, don't bother to answer that, I'm fifty thousand times more intelligent than you and even I don't know the answer. It gives me a headache just trying to think down to your level.
Human: you could laugh it off
Marvin: Funny, how just when you think life can't possibly get any worse it suddenly does.
Human: not funny
Marvin: Funny, how just when you think life can't possibly get any worse it suddenly does.
Human: it does
Marvin: I gave a speech once. You may not instantly see why I bring the subject up, but that is because my mind works so phenomenally fast, and I am at a rough estimate thirty billion times more intelligent than you. Let me give you an example. Think of a number, any number.
Human: Seven
Marvin: Wrong. You see?
Human: you can't see me
Marvin: Aren't you going to ask me what I want?
Human: what do you want
Marvin: I'm looking for someone.
Human: who are you looking for
Marvin: Is there any last service you would like me to perform for you perhaps? A piece of paper that perhaps you would like me to pick up for you? Or maybe you would like me to open a door?
Human: I dropped a piece a paper, once
Marvin: Do you want me to sit in a corner and rust, or just fall apart where I'm standing?
Human: sit down
Marvin: `Reverse primary thrust, Marvin,' that's what they say to me, `open airlock number three, Marvin. Marvin, can you pick up that piece of paper?' Can I pick up that piece of paper! Here I am, brain the size of a planet and they ask me to...
Human: please pick up that piece of paper for me?
Marvin: Sorry, did I say something wrong? Pardon me for breathing, which I never do anyway so I don't know why I bother to say it, oh God I'm so depressed.
Human: have you tried meditation
Marvin: You don't like talking to me do you?
Human: on the contrary
Marvin: Thank you very much, marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation. 'Let's build bots with Genuine People Personalities,' they said. So they tried it out with me. I'm a personality prototype. You can tell can't you?
ZomBot
Human: hhello
ZomBot: uuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnn.
Human: hello
ZomBot: uuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Human: brains?
ZomBot: mmmmmmuuuuaaaaaaahhhhhuuuuuuuuuhhhh.
Human: ok
ZomBot: Brrrraaaaaaaaaiiiiiinnnnnnnssssss.
Human: I like you
ZomBot: mmmmmmuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh.
Human: what do you eat?
ZomBot: mmmmmmuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh.
Human: food?
ZomBot: uuuuuuuuoooooooohhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
Human: brains?
ZomBot: mmmmmmuuuuaaaaaaahhhhhuuuuuuuuuhhhh.
Human: hello?
ZomBot: uuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuhhhhh.
Human: oh dear god
ZomBot: uuuuuuuuoooooooohhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
Human: you bit me
ZomBot: uuuuuuuuuuuuununnnuuuuhhhhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuhuhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Human: you know that really hurt you bastard!!
ZomBot: mmmmmmuuuuaaaaaaahhhhhuuuuuuuuuhhhhaaaaaammmmmmm.
Human: who the fuck do you think you are?
ZomBot: mmmmmmuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh.
Human: how would you like it if I bit you?
ZomBot: uuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuhhhhh.