AI game programming wisdom / edited by Steve Rabin.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Rabin, Steve.

Sabin W. Colton, Jr., Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Video games--Design.

Video games.

Video games--Programming.

Computer graphics.

Physical Description:

xxxii, 672 pages, 4 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm + 1 CD-ROM (4 3/4 in.)

Place of Publication:

Hingham, Mass. : Charles River Media, [2002]

System Details:

System requirements for accompanying CD-ROM: Windows 95 or Windows NT4 or later.

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Section 1 General Wisdom 1

1.1 The Evolution of Game AI / Paul Tozour 3

1.2 The Illusion of Intelligence / Bob Scott 16

1.3 Solving the Right Problem / Neil Kirby 21

1.4 12 Tips from the Trenches / Jeff Orkin 29

Section 2 Useful Techniques and Specialized Systems 37

2.1 Building an AI Diagnostic Toolset / Paul Tozour 39

2.2 A General-Purpose Trigger System / Jeff Orkin 46

2.3 A Data-Driven Architecture for Animation Selection / Jeff Orkin 55

2.4 Realistic Character Behavior with Prioritized, Categorized Animation / Jeff Orkin 64

2.5 Designing a GUI Tool to Aid in the Development of Finite-State Machines / Phil Carlisle 71

2.6 The Beauty of Response Curves / Bob Alexander 78

2.7 Simple and Efficient Line-of-Sight for 3D Landscapes / Tom Vykruta 83

2.8 An Open-Source Fuzzy Logic Library / Michael Zarozinski 90

Section 3 Pathfinding with A* 103

3.1 Basic A* Pathfinding Made Simple / James Matthews 105

3.2 Generic A* Pathfinding / Dan Higgins 114

3.3 Pathfinding Design Architecture / Dan Higgins 122

3.4 How to Achieve Lightning-Fast A* / Dan Higgins 133

3.5 Practical Optimizations for A* Path Generation / Timothy Cain 146

Section 4 Pathfinding and Movement 153

4.1 Simple, Cheap Pathfinding / Mike Mika, Chris Charla 155

4.2 Preprocessed Solution for Open Terrain Navigation / Smith Surasmith 161

4.3 Building a Near-Optimal Navigation Mesh / Paul Tozour 171

4.4 Realistic Turning between Waypoints / Marco Pinter 186

4.5 Navigating Doors, Elevators, Ledges, and Other Obstacles / John Hancock 193

4.6 Simple Swarms as an Alternative to Flocking / Tom Scutt 202

Section 5 Tactical Issues and Intelligent Group Movement 209

5.1 Strategic and Tactical Reasoning with Waypoints / Lars Liden 211

5.2 Recognizing Strategic Dispositions: Engaging the Enemy / Steven Woodcock 221

5.3 Squad Tactics: Team AI and Emergent Maneuvers / William van der Sterren 233

5.4 Squad Tactics: Planned Maneuvers / William van der Sterren 247

5.5 Tactical Team AI Using a Command Hierarchy / John Reynolds 260

5.6 Formations / Chad Dawson 272

Section 6 General Purpose Architectures 283

6.1 Architecting a Game AI / Bob Scott 285

6.2 An Efficient AI Architecture Using Prioritized Task Categories / Alex W. McLean 290

6.3 An Architecture Based on Load Balancing / Bob Alexander 298

6.4 A Simple Inference Engine for a Rule-Based Architecture / Mike Christian 305

6.5 Implementing a State Machine Language / Steve Rabin 314

6.6 Enhancing a State Machine Language through Messaging / Steve Rabin 321

Section 7 Decision-Making Architectures 331

7.1 Blackboard Architectures / Damian Isla, Bruce Blumberg 333

7.2 Introduction to Bayesian Networks and Reasoning Under Uncertainty / Paul Tozour 345

7.3 A Rule-Based Architecture Using the Dempster-Shafer Theory / Francois Dominic Laramee 358

7.4 An Optimized Fuzzy Logic Architecture for Decision-Making / Thor Alexander 367

7.5 A Flexible Goal-Based Planning Architecture / John O'Brien 375

Section 8 FPS, RTS, and RPG AI 385

8.1 First-Person Shooter Al Architecture / Paul Tozour 387

8.2 Architecting an RTS AI / Bob Scott 397

8.3 An Economic Approach to Goal-Directed Reasoning in an RTS / Vernon Harmon 402

8.4 The Basics of Ranged Weapon Combat / Paul Tozour 411

8.5 Level-Of-Detail AI for a Large Role-Playing Game / Mark Brockington 419

8.6 A Dynamic Reputation System Based on Event Knowledge / Greg Alt, Kristin King 426

Section 9 Racing and Sports AI 437

9.1 Representing a Racetrack for the AI / Gari Biasillo 439

9.2 Racing AI Logic / Gari Biasillo 444

9.3 Training an AI to Race / Gari Biasillo 455

9.4 Competitive AI Racing under Open Street Conditions / Joseph C. Adzima 460

9.5 Camera AI for Replays / Sandeep V. Kharkar 472

9.6 Simulating Real Animal Behavior / Sandeep V. Kharkar 479

9.7 Agent Cooperation in FSMs for Baseball / P.J. Snavely 486

9.8 Intercepting a Ball / Noah Stein 495

Section 10 Scripting 503

10.1 Scripting: Overview and Code Generation / Lee Berger 505

10.2 Scripting: The Interpreter Engine / Lee Berger 511

10.3 Scripting: System Integration / Lee Berger 516

10.4 Creating Scripting Languages for Nonprogrammers / Falko Poiker 520

10.5 Scripting for Undefined Circumstances / Jonty Barnes, Jason Hutchens 530

10.6 The Perils of Al Scripting / Paul Tozour 541

10.7 How Not to Implement a Basic Scripting Language / Mark Brockington, Mark Darrah 548

Section 11 Learning 555

11.1 Learning and Adaptation / John Manslow 557

11.2 Varieties of Learning / Richard Evans 567

11.3 GoCap: Game Observation Capture / Thor Alexander 579

11.4 Pattern Recognition with Sequential Prediction / Fri Mommersteeg 586

11.5 Using N-Gram Statistical Models to Predict Player Behavior / Francois Dominic Laramee 596

11.6 Practical Natural Language Learning / Jason Hutchens, Jonty Barnes 602

11.7 Testing Undefined Behavior as a Result of Learning / Jonty Barnes, Jason Hutchens 615

11.8 Imitating Random Variations in Behavior Using a Neural Network / John Manslow 624

11.9 Genetic Algorithms: Evolving the Perfect Troll / Francois Dominic Laramee 629

11.10 The Dark Art of Neural Networks / Alex J. Champandard 640.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Sabin W. Colton, Jr., Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

1584500778

OCLC:

48691373