Author Topic: How do the "type in chat to control the game" livestreams work?  (Read 3102 times)

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Offline Petzbreeder

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I occasionally watch Pokemon livestreams on Youtube and Twitch, where the viewers can affect the game by typing the controls in the chat window.

How does that work?

Offline Del

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So typically the person running the stream will have created a bot that runs locally, connected to the game/emulator being run that reads chat and looks for specific inputs words or letter (for example "a" or "start" or "up"), and every time it reads "a", it will send the input that activates the "A" button on the game/emulator being used.

The same applies for other inputs. "start" = start button, "up" = up arrow, etc.
My mom bought me this new laptop and it gets really hot when the chat is being spammed. Now my leg is starting to hurt because it is getting so hot. Please, if you don't want me to get burned, then don't spam the chat.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Offline Petzbreeder

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That is pretty cool.

I wonder if it is possible to make a program/bot that plays and completes the Pokemon games by itself!
Now, that would be pretty cool!

Offline Del

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I think theoretically it's possible, but I'm not sure.

There's a pretty interesting video about machine learning teaching a program to beat a level of Super Mario, but there are much simpler win and lose conditions in a game like Mario than in Pokemon.

It could probably be done in a few years though.
My mom bought me this new laptop and it gets really hot when the chat is being spammed. Now my leg is starting to hurt because it is getting so hot. Please, if you don't want me to get burned, then don't spam the chat.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯