Building AI Opponents
Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a pivotal role in shaping the player’s experience in modern games. From enemies that react to player actions to NPCs with lifelike behaviors, AI is the cornerstone of making game worlds feel alive and dynamic. At its core, AI in games involves creating systems that simulate decision-making, movement, and problem-solving, enabling virtual agents to perform tasks intelligently and efficiently.
Unlike AI in other domains, such as autonomous vehicles or robotics, game AI emphasizes creating engaging and entertaining behavior rather than achieving perfect solutions. For example, an enemy in a stealth game might deliberately miss spotting the player to build suspense, whereas in real-world AI, avoiding mistakes would be the priority. This unique requirement calls for algorithms tailored to gaming scenarios.
This chapter will delve into some of the most widely used AI techniques in games, including:
- Understanding...