Games and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Games and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) is creating or simulating intelligence within characters, robots, etc.  There are mainly 2 different types of AI, Traditional, and Game AI.  Traditional AI is when everything is solved through logic.  If given a statement or choice, AI will come to the conclusion via steps to solve the task at hand.  Game AI is when actions and reactions are based on proximity, states, and action-based programming.  This are things like, when an NPC hears a noise, they will walk towards where they last heard the noise, or hitting an alarm to alert the enemy guards.  This produces realistic actions and decisions.

    

    AI determines how a player moves, their abilities and when to use them and what decisions are to be made based on the circumstances.  Good AI allows the player to feel immersed in the game, and makes them think that the characters are actually making decisions.

    There are a few different forms of game AI techniques.  Seek is when the NPC seeks the player.  This is done through taking the position of the player and calculating the distance and direction of where the NPC needs to go.  This creates a realistic look of a character trying to find the player.  Flee is when the NPC runs away or moves away from the player.  This is done by finding the position and direction of the player, and calculating a direction opposite of the player.  Flock is when multiple NPCs seek to swarm together and either patrol or search for the player.  This is done by defining radii around the NPCs, and when they enter eachother's outer radius, they know to join and face the same direction of the group.  There is then an inner radius that describes the cushion of space to be maintained between each NPC.  You can add a repulsive force to move the NPC out of this circle if the inner circles of the two NPCs intersect.

  We are always looking to improve AI, in both games and traditionally.  We as a species are fascinated by our own intellectual power, and are trying to reproduce it within a non-organic form.  Where this goes from here, no one knows, but AI is a fascinating field to study.