AI Game Programming Wisdom (Hardcover)

Book Description

From Book News, Inc. Approximately 70 articles by Artificial Intelligence (AI) programmers discuss the skills and concepts needed to apply AI to game programming. They cover basic concepts, techniques and specialized systems, pathfinding with A*, pathfinding and movement, tactical issues and intelligent group movement, game AI architecture, decision- making architecture, FPS, RTS, RPG AI, racing and sports AI, scripting, and learning. Sample code is provided. A companion CD- ROM contains demos, source code, high-resolution color images, and links for game development sites.Book News, Inc.R, Portland, OR Book Description AI is one of the most challenging tasks a programmer can undertake, and this unique collection of articles provides programmers with a much-needed resource for conquering the challenge. AI Game Programming Wisdom takes an inclusive view of AI that assumes game AI involves anything an AI programmer might have to program to make intelligent characters. So, everything from basic AI architectures and learning to pathfinding, scripting, and animation selection is covered. In addition, genre specific articles cover highly focused subjects within the FPS, RTS, RPG, Racing, and Sports genres. Written by AI experts, the articles serve as a road map to what has worked successfully for others and what might be possible in the future. They delve deep into AI game programming issues and provide insightful new ideas and techniques that can be easily integrated into your own games. This virtual toolbox includes a wide variety of tools for solving many common AI problems as well as solutions to genre specific issues you might encounter. The book is divided into eleven comprehensive sections covering: General Wisdom; Useful Techniques and Specialized Systems; Pathfinding with A*; Pathfinding and Movement; Tactical Issues and Intelligent Group Movement; Architecting a Game AI; Decision-Making Architecture, FPS, RTS, and RPG AI; Racing and Sport AI; Scripting; and Learning. Whether you are just getting into the industry or are a seasoned pro, this is a must-have resource for you and your team! KEY FEATURES * Contains the generous knowledge and insights of over 45 industry experts * Provides comprehensive coverage of all aspects of AI game programming * Includes insightful articles on "Learning" in AI - the next big thing * Includes ready-to-use ideas and code * Provides skill enhancement for beginning/ intermediate programmers, and insightful new ideas for the pros On The CD-ROM: (Windows/Windows NT) Material that augments many of the articles, including demos of techniques, source code from the articles in C++ primarily, with a few in C and Java. There are also high-resolution versions of the color images, and links to useful and interesting game development sites. System Requirements: Intel Pentium-series, AMD Athlon or newer processor recommended. Windows 95 (32MB RAM), or Windows NT4 (64MB RAM) or later required, 3D graphics card recommended for optimal performance, and DirectX 8 or higher. Contributors Joseph C. Adzima Bob Alexander Thor Alexander Greg Alt Jonty Barnes Lee Berger Gari Biasillo Bruce Blumberg Mark Brockington Timothy Cain Phil Carlisle Alex J. Champandard Chris Charla Mike Christian Mark Darrah Chad Dawson Richard Evans John Hancock Vernon Harmon Dan Higgins Jason Hutchens Damian Isla Sandeep V. Kharkar Kristin King Neil Kirby Francois Dominic Laramee Lars Liden John Manslow James Matthews Alex W. McLean Mike Mika Fri Mommersteeg John O'Brien Jeff Orkin Marco Pinter Falko Poiker Steve Rabin John Reynolds Bob Scott Tom Scutt P.J. Snavely Noah Stein Smith Surasmith Paul Tozour William van der Sterren Tom Vykruta Steven Woodcock Michael Zarozinski About the Author Steve Rabin is a 10-year video game industry veteran working at Nintendo of America. He’s written AI for three published games and was a contributor to both Game Programming Gems 1 and 2. He also served as the AI section editor for Game Programming Gems 2, and has spoken on AI at the Game Developers Conference. He holds a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Washington where he specialized in robotics, and resides in Redmond, Washington.

Table of Contents

Topics Covered: General AI Architectures, Micro Threads for Agents, State Machines, Fuzzy State Machines, Rule Based Systems, Level-of-Detail AI, Data-Driving AI, Scripting Language Issues, Designing Agent Personalities, Managing Goals/ Planning, Extensible AI-Bots, Trigger Systems, Influence Mapping, Tactical Assessment, A* Pathfinding, Formations, Flocking, Agent Cooperation, Squad Based Tactics, Expert Systems, Machine Learning, Fuzzy Logic, Genetic Algorithms, Neural Networks, Bayesian Networks industry.