Microsoft Agent Character Data

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Microsoft Corporation

October 1998

Notice: Microsoft Agent 2.0 introduces a new character file format. Microsoft Agent 2.0 can read version 1.5 character files, but Microsoft Agent 1.5 cannot read version 2.0 character files. Version 1.5 character files will remain on the Microsoft servers for 60 days after the release of Microsoft Agent 2.0. After this time they will be removed, and any attempts to load a version 1.5 character will fail. The new path to version 2.0 characters on the Microsoft servers is given below.

Microsoft Agent provides four standard characters: Genie, Merlin, Robby, and Peedy. Each of the characters now includes sound effects. For each character, three types of character data are available:

HTTP Access to Animations
File Access to Animations
Character Images

HTTP Access to Animations

A complete set of animations for each character is maintained on a World Wide Web server at http://agent.microsoft.com/characters/. Each set of animations is in a separate directory that has the same name as the character. The Microsoft Agent documentation set includes a complete list of the animations for each character.

To access character animations via HTTP from a Web page, specify the correct URL for the character you want to use in the Load request. For example, the Genie character is loaded from:

http://agent.microsoft.com/agent2/chars/genie/genie.acf

Once the Load has succeeded, all subsequent Get requests for that character's animations will automatically go to the specified URL and download the animation into the user's cache of temporary Internet files.

If you want the character data files in ACF/ACA format (suitable for posting on your own Web site), you need to sign and submit a Microsoft Agent Distribution License Agreement and request these files.

File Access to Animations

Your intranet or standalone application for Microsoft Agent can load its animation data from ACS format character files. These files package all the animations for a character into a single file. Under the terms of the End-User License Agreement you can install these files on your own machine, or direct your users to this Web page and have them install the files on their machines.

If you have a valid Microsoft Agent Distribution License Agreement, you will have two more options. You can publish the character data files on a network share and load the character data into your application using a UNC path. Alternatively, you can install the character data files on a user's machine along with your application, and load the character data into your application from the standard location using a local path. Note that you cannot access these files using HTTP.

Clicking one of the links below installs a character data file into the standard file system location for Microsoft Agent character data.

Install character animation data for Genie (.exe file, 1.55  MB).
Install character animation data for Merlin (.exe file, 1.78  MB).
Install character animation data for Robby (.exe file, 2.12  MB).
Install character animation data for Peedy (.exe file, 3.24  MB).

Character Images

Static and animated images for the four standard Microsoft Agent characters are available in GIF format. As an example, the static image of Robby is shown here. Character images can be hosted directly on HTML pages or within the WebBrowser control in Visual Basic® or C++ applications. They can be used in any situation where a visual representation of one or more standard characters is needed, under the terms of the End-User License Agreement.

To download images of the four standard characters in a single .zip file, click the link below.

Download GIF images for Genie, Merlin, Robby, & Peedy (zipped file, 205K).