Slashdot Mirror
Most Impressive Game AI?
togelius asks: "I have the feeling that when developers make the effort to put really sophisticated AI into a game, gamers frequently just don't notice (see e.g. Forza). Conversely, games that are lauded for their fantastic AI are sometimes based on very simple algorithms (e.g. Halo 1). For someone who wants to apply AI to games, it is very interesting to know what AI is really appreciated. What is the most impressive game AI you have come across? Have you ever encountered a situation where it really felt like the computer-controlled opponents were really thinking?"
And they aren't...at least not until Ms. Pacman. In the original Pac Man the Ghosts followed very predictable patterns which they never changed, and it is quite common to simply memorize these patterns and play the game with your eyes closed.
http://www.mameworld.net/pacman/patterns.html
- "Scientia non habet inimicum nisp ignorantem"
Here's a short article on the A.I. in the game F.E.A.R., "F.E.A.R.'s AI Demystified", (in more detail here). Having played through F.E.A.R., what impressed me so much was that a lot of what is called A.I. is actually audio and animation. You can make enemies seem way more intelligent than they really are by doing stuff like have detailed animations for stuff like hopping over barriers or diving through windows that's triggered when they are in certain spots. They would also have the enemies shout stuff, if you had your flashlight on they would scream "Flashlight" and dive for cover.
I don't know where you're getting that bullshit from, but it's completely untrue. You don't even have to enter the CD key unless you want to download updates.