AI Game Development: Synthetic Creatures with Learning and Reactive Behaviors

Alex J. Champandard9781592730049, 1592730043

With game players expecting greater intelligence, efficiency, and realism with non-player characters, AI plays an ever-increasing important role in game development. This is a tremendous challenge for game developers in methodology, software design, and programming. Creating autonomous synthetic creatures that can adapt in games requires a different kind of understanding of AI than the classical approach used by current game programmers. The Nouvelle Game AI approach presented in this book focuses on creating embodied “animats” that behave in an intelligent and realistic manner. In particular, learning AI is generating much interest among the game development community, as these modern techniques can be used to optimize the development process.