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Overview
• Why is AI good for games?
• Why are games good for AI?
• AI techniques for games.
• AI in existing games.
• Halo
• The Sims
AI in Computer Games
Overview
• Why is AI good for games?
• Why are games good for AI?
• AI techniques for games.
• AI in existing games.
• Halo
• The Sims
AI in Computer Games
The Past...
• Originally AI was used to control very, very
simple characters.
AI in Computer Games
The Past...
• Originally AI was used to control very, very
simple characters.
AI in Computer Games
The Past...
• Or provide simple, pattern-based challenges.
AI in Computer Games
The Past...
• Or provide simple, pattern-based challenges.
AI in Computer Games
The Past...
• Does that really count?
• What's the difference between the AI in
Donkey Kong and that in Pac-Man?
• Decisions: In some sense the agents “choose”
what to do next.
• Is this AI if it's a random choice?
AI in Computer Games
The Present...
• AI is still used for opponents, although the
range of possibilities is now much bigger.
AI in Computer Games
The Present...
AI in Computer Games
The Present...
• ... well that's still pattern based. How about...
AI in Computer Games
The Present...
• ... well that's still pattern based. How about...
AI in Computer Games
The Present...
• Or even...
AI in Computer Games
The Present...
• Or even...
AI in Computer Games
The Present...
• AI is also used to provide non-opposition
characters such as team-mates or scene-
setting wildlife.
AI in Computer Games
The Future...
• If current trends in gaming continue, AI
techniques will be for the following things at
least...
AI in Computer Games
World Fillers
• Massively multi-player games need to
populated by non-player-character (NPC)
agents.
• Key problem: The world is persistent.
• NPCs are needed to;
•
Sell things and make things.
• Play key roles in story telling.
AI in Computer Games
World Fillers
• Who wants to be a reliable baker when they
can be a dashing hero? (well, some people
do, but not enough to build future in-game
economies)
• Who wants to abstain in order to build
dramatic tension when they are paying to
play?
AI in Computer Games
Team mates
• Not just characters you can order around,
but truly interactive entities (whatever that
may mean).
• Convincing AI is necessary in order to help
build relationships with characters (cf Catz,
and Dogz).
AI in Computer Games
Better Opposition
• Opponents that provide a real, dynamic,
challenge.
• Not just foot soldiers, but generals, political
manipulators etc.
AI in Computer Games
Overview
• Why is AI good for games?
• Why are games good for AI?
• AI techniques for games.
• AI in existing games.
• Halo
• The Sims
AI in Computer Games
Overview
• Why is AI good for games?
• Why are games good for AI?
• AI techniques for games.
• AI in existing games.
• Halo
• The Sims
AI in Computer Games
Nature-inspired Computation
• Everybody likes the idea of “evolving
something” for games.
• The problem comes when you try to define
evolutionary units and operators...
• What level should behaviours be represented at?
•
What is a good fitness metric for game AI?
• ... and also what comes out at the end.
• Do you have something the designers can use?
AI in Computer Games
Level of Detail AI
• Cut AI processing costs by prioritising AI
code (cf. LOD graphics).
• Some interesting questions for AI (thinkers)
• How can we abstract an action and what are the
crucial parts of an action?
• How can this be done automatically?
•
Can we actually define varying levels of detail at
all?
AI in Computer Games
Learning
• NPCs that learn are the holy grail of game AI.
• It has been tried...
•
Black & White (Decision-Tree learning)
•
Virtua Fighter 4 (?)
• Loads of problems though...
•
Huge state spaces.
•
Unpredictable play experiences.
AI in Computer Games
Cognitive Agents
• Can we develop game agents that are
indistinguishable from a living being.
• A sort of gaming Turing test.
• Although this is another very, very hard
problem, the limited scope of game
interactions may make it achievable.
• That said, it is a very, very hard problem (...
see Birmingham's CoSy project).
AI in Computer Games
Overview
• Why is AI good for games?
• Why are games good for AI?
• AI techniques for games.
• AI in existing games.
• Halo
• The Sims
AI in Computer Games
Overview
• Why is AI good for games?
• Why are games good for AI?
• AI techniques for games.
• AI in existing games.
• Halo
• The Sims
AI in Computer Games
Intelligible AI
• Obvious goals
• Personalities
• Roles
• Transparent thought processes.
• Backed up throughout the game with
language, posture, gesture and attention.
• Supported by the agent design.
AI in Computer Games
Interactive AI
• The player shouldn't just shoot at enemies.
• They should be able to:
•
Impress them.
•
Fool them.
•
Thwart them.
• And they should receive some feedback on
these things. (interesting question... how can
this be done without prior specification?)
AI in Computer Games
Unpredictable AI
• No randomness as this goes against
previous goals.
• Instead rely on the combination of:
• Reactive AI.
• Complex, simulated world.
•
Analog quantities (time, aiming, position)
• An unpredictable player.
• ... to generate emergent behaviour.
AI in Computer Games
Agent Architecture
• Simulated world.
• Restricted
perception (allows
stronger interaction).
• Decision logics
selects from
actions.
AI in Computer Games
Decision Logic
• Specific for each in-
game race.
•
Grunts flee easily.
•
Elites seek cover if
hurt.
AI in Computer Games
Overview
• Why is AI good for games?
• Why are games good for AI?
• AI techniques for games.
• AI in existing games.
• Halo
• The Sims
AI in Computer Games
The premise
• A game world populated by intelligent beings
with needs that must be satisfied.
• These needs can be satisfied by interacting
in a particular way with a a particular object.
AI in Computer Games
The problem
• The game should be extensible so we can
make loads of cash.
AI in Computer Games
The solution
• Put all the behaviours (and their related
animations etc.) into the objects!
AI in Computer Games
Some resources...
• For information on AI in Computer Games:
•
AAAI Spring Symposia on AI and
Games/Entertainment/Media
•
Articles on gamasutra.com
• Proceedings of the Game Developers
Conference (which you can attend as a
volunteer)
AI in Computer Games
Thanks!