AI Game Programming Wisdom

Steve Rabin9781584500773, 1584500778

Learn how AI experts create intelligent game objects and characters with this first volume in the AI Game Programming Wisdom series. This unique collection of articles gives programmers and developers access to the insights and wisdom of over thirty AI pros. Each article delves deep into key AI game programming issues and provides insightful new ideas and techniques that can be easily integrated into your own games. Everything from general AI architectures, rule based systems, level-of-detail AI, scripting language issues, to expert systems, fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms are thoroughly covered. If you?re a game programmer (AI/logic, front-end, user interface, tools, graphics, etc.) this comprehensive resource will help you take your skills and knowledge to the next level.

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Table of contents :
Cover……Page 1
1. GENERAL WISDOM……Page 2
The Evolution of Game Al……Page 3
The Illusion of Intelligence……Page 16
Solving the Right Problem……Page 21
12 Tips from the lkenches……Page 29
2. Useful Techniques and Specialized Systems……Page 36
Building an Al Diagnostic Toolset……Page 37
A General- Purpose Trigger System……Page 44
A Data- Driven Architecture for Animation Selection……Page 53
Realistic Character with Prioritized, Categorized Animation……Page 62
Designing a GUI Tool to Aid in the Development of Finite- State Machines……Page 69
The Beauty of Response Curves……Page 76
Simple and Efficient Line- of- Sight for 3D Landscapes……Page 81
An Open- Source Fuzzy Logic Library……Page 88
3. PATHFINDING WITH A*……Page 100
Basic A* Pathfinding Made Simple……Page 101
Generic A* Pathfinding……Page 110
Pathfinding Design Architecture……Page 118
How to Achieve Lightning- Fast A*……Page 129
Practical Optimizations for A* Path Generation……Page 142
4. PATHFINDING AND MOVEMENT……Page 149
Simple, Cheap Pathfinding……Page 150
Preprocessed Solution for Open Terrain Navigation……Page 156
Building a Near-Optimal Navigation Mesh……Page 166
Realistic Turning between Waypoints……Page 181
Navigating Doors, Elevators, Ledges, and Other Obstacles……Page 188
Simple Swarms as an Alternative to Flocking……Page 197
5. TACTICAL ISSUES AND INTELLIGENT GROUP MOVEMENT……Page 204
Strategic and Tactical Reasoning with Waypoints……Page 205
Recognizing Strategic Dispositions: Engaging the Enemy……Page 215
Squad Tactics: Team Al and Emergent Maneuvers……Page 227
Squad Tactics: Planned Maneuvers……Page 241
Tactical Team Al Using a Command Hierarchy……Page 254
Formations……Page 266
6. GENERAL PURPOSE ARCHITECTURES……Page 276
Architecting a Game Al……Page 277
An Efficient Al Architecture Using Prioritized Task Categories……Page 282
An Architecture Based on Load Balancing……Page 290
A Simple Inference Engine for a Rule- Based Architecture……Page 297
Implementing a State Machine Language……Page 306
Enhancing a State Machine Language through Messaging……Page 313
7. DECISION-MAKING ARCHITECTURES……Page 322
Blackboard Architectures……Page 323
Introduction to Bayesian Networks and Reasoning Under Uncertainty……Page 339
A Rule- Based Architecture – Using the Dempster- Shafer Theory……Page 352
An Optimized Fuzzy Logic Architecture for Decision- Making……Page 361
A Flexible Goal- Based Planning Architecture……Page 369
8. FPS, RTS, AND RPG AI……Page 378
First-Person Shooter Al Architecture……Page 379
Architecting an RTS Al……Page 389
An Economic Approach to Goal- Directed Reasoning in an RTS……Page 394
The Basics of Ranged Weapon Combat……Page 403
Level- Of- Detail Al for a large Role- Playing Game……Page 411
A Dynamic Reputation System Based on Event Knowledge……Page 418
9. RACING AND SPORTS AI……Page 428
Representing a Racetrack for the Al……Page 429
Racing Al Logic……Page 434
Training an Al to Race……Page 445
Competitive Al Racing under Open Street Conditions……Page 450
Camera Al for Replays……Page 462
Simulating Real Animal Behavior……Page 469
Agent Cooperation in FSMs for Baseball……Page 476
Intercepting a Ball……Page 485
10. SCRIPTING……Page 493
Scripting: Overview and Code Generation……Page 494
Scripting: The Interpreter Engine……Page 500
Scripting: System Integration……Page 505
Creating Scripting Languages for Nonprogrammers……Page 509
Scripting for Undefined Circumstances……Page 519
The Perils of Al Scripting……Page 530
How Not to Implement a Basic Scripting Language……Page 537
11. LEARNING……Page 544
Learning and Adaptation……Page 545
Varieties of Learning……Page 555
GoCap: Game Observation Capture……Page 567
Pattern Recognition with Sequential Prediction……Page 574
Using N- Gram Statistical Models to Predict Player Behavior……Page 584
Practical Natural Language Learning……Page 590
Testing Undefined Behavior as a Result of Learning……Page 603
Imitating Random Variations in Behavior Using a Neural Network……Page 612
Genetic Algorithms: Evolving the Perfect 7koll……Page 617
The Dark Art of Neural Networks……Page 628
Index……Page 640
Backcover……Page 658