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Believable Stupidity In Game AI

Gamasutra is running a feature written by Mick West, co-founder of Neversoft, about creating game AI that is dumb enough to defeat, yet intelligent enough that its "mistakes" are similar to those a real player would make, thus preserving the illusion that the AI is not just throwing the game. "The simplest way to introduce stupidity into AI is to reduce the amount of computation that it's allowed to perform. Chess AI generally performs billions of calculations when deciding what move to make. ... The problem with this approach is that it decreases the realism of the AI player. When you reduce the amount of computation, the AI will begin to make incredibly stupid mistakes — mistakes that are so stupid, no human would ever make them. The artificial nature of the game will then become apparent, which destroys the illusion of playing against a real opponent. ... By reducing the amount of computation, we create an AI opponent that is trying to win, but has been crippled in a way that leads to unrealistic gameplay."

21 of 378 comments (clear)

  1. Easy solution by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Have a PRNG have the outcome of 313373 cause the bot to either:
    - Fall on own grenade.
    - Rocket-jump at 25 health.
    - Hump the face of the nearest corpse.

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  2. This must be stopping Duke Nukem Forever by ndavis · · Score: 5, Funny

    This must be the problem facing the team creating Duke Nukem Forever.

    They needed the AI to be dumb enough so you could hear the comments all the time during the game.

    1. Re:This must be stopping Duke Nukem Forever by Em+Emalb · · Score: 4, Funny

      From what I understand, they're trying to model their AI after Forrest Gump but it keeps causing the AI to sit on a park bench and strike up conversations with random people.

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  3. Re:So stupid no human would do that? by hey! · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hmmm. Possibly this is a sign that TFA was written by an AI agent. Asserting that there are mistakes that are too stupid for for any human to make is a mistake that is too stupid for any human to make.

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  4. This should be almost impossible. by Genrou · · Score: 4, Funny

    If it is so difficult to raise the computers to the level of human intelligence, it is probably impossible to reach the level of human stupidity.

  5. No Human? by chrispycreeme · · Score: 5, Funny

    The problem with this approach is that it decreases the realism of the AI player. When you reduce the amount of computation, the AI will begin to make incredibly stupid mistakes -- mistakes that are so stupid, no human would ever make them.

    The author has obviously never played chess with me.

    1. Re:No Human? by theaceoffire · · Score: 2, Funny

      The author has obviously never played chess with me.

      You sunk my battleship! Now how am I supposed to connect four?!?

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  6. So would there be levels of stupidity? by Samschnooks · · Score: 2, Funny
    In the game settings you'd have the "Stupidity" setting ('1' being the least and '3' being the most):
    1. "Fox has such interesting programming!"
    2. "Football in groin! How funny!"
    3. "Extended warranties! How can I lose?!"

    *Much borrowed from "The Simpsons".

  7. Re:So stupid no human would do that? by cparker15 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Asserting that there are mistakes that are too stupid for for any human to make is a mistake that is too stupid for any human to make.

    HA! I see through your ruse!

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  8. Re:Its called Aspergers Syndrome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Its called Aspergers Syndrome

    No, it's called affluent metropolitan mommy and daddy's special little boy who is allowed to ignore his parents' weak discipline, enabling him to do whatever the hell he wants.

    He'll wear clothing and do the bare minimum to keep himself out of jail or the psych ward, but he'll be able to behave like a shithead for the rest of his life because of the medicalization of his idiocy(more money for drug companies that way) and the weak discipline of his parents, who never were able to tell him "no" more than once.

    Like every other professional victim, he'll fully exploit his "syndrome" to gain "cool" points among other rebellious emo kids while skating out of schoolastic discipline and ensuring that the world adjusts to him and not vice-versa. His affluent parents will fight tooth-and-nail for his special treatment and lax discipline because of his "medical problems" and to cover up the fact that they were weak parents.

    Because of this, they are fully enabled to learn C64 assembler and write their own OS kernels at age 12 because they didn't have to go to school and live in the real world as most other children do. That carries over into their adult life as they continue to live in their parents' basements while refusing to bathe or behave in a civillized manner.

    The ones who managed to land jobs because of their skills and/or their "disabilities" are tolerated at best and hated at worst because of their "I'm the only person in the world" attitudes and their overwhelming stenches and their offensive, haphazard fashion sense.

  9. Re:No human would ever make them... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I never thought that I'd have to make the following proclamation... I don't follow your technical jargon.

  10. NP-tard? by illegalcortex · · Score: 5, Funny

    Do we have programmers that are smart enough to program stupidity algorithms to be smart enough to be as stupid as humans?

  11. Re:Cheating AI by patro · · Score: 3, Funny

    So how about that fixing your self-confidence issues? ;)

    And how about you getting a sense of humor? ;)

  12. Re:No human would ever make them... by rickb928 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Oh, the humanity! Football games drive me nuts when the AI does stupid things no real person would ever do. Why the hell did my fullback just brush by the linebacker that's right in my RB's way?! Why can't I get my linebacker to stay in his lane on running plays?!"

    Gee, you sound like a real life coach. Certainly like my High School coach.

    I'm thinking the AI is working like it should here. You got your disgruntled, not getting paid enough FB who isn't taking the hit, and your linebacker who thinks he's smarter then your Defensive Coordinator and is freelancing with visions of stardom in his head.

    Realistic this is, I think. Patience, padiwan. Trade you must. Draft you will. Beware of anger.

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  13. Re:Deep Blue by stranger_to_himself · · Score: 4, Funny

    Kasparov had immortality to gain. In fact I'm fairly certain most people today remember him only as The First Person To Lose Against A Computer In Chess and have no idea who deep blue is.

    What! I was losing against my Sinclair Spectrum +2 as long ago as 1987.

  14. Re:Cheating AI by john83 · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's so humiliating, isn't it? We can only win if the machines let us. I for one welcome...

    Absolutely. I find it humiliating that a Howitzer can fling a shell further and faster than me, that my car is faster than I am (and can carry more weight) and that my calculator is faster and more accurate at arithmethic than I am.

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  15. Re:Cheating AI by Guysmiley777 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Farcry 2 had a LOT of problems with it. But I'd suggest that *I* know when someone is outside my door without being able to see them. And back in my college years I REALLY knew when the upstairs neighbors were home without ever seeing them.

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  16. Re:Cheating AI by MiniMike · · Score: 2, Funny

    There is only a machine blindly and incredibly stupidly processing a giant set of rules

    Great, now I'm losing to a list.

    I liked it better when I was losing to a machine.

  17. Re:Cheating AI by Walkingshark · · Score: 3, Funny

    Farcry 2 had a LOT of problems with it. But I'd suggest that *I* know when someone is outside my door without being able to see them. And back in my college years I REALLY knew when the upstairs neighbors were home without ever seeing them.

    Did you also shoot at them through the walls and ceiling with perfect accuracy?

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  18. The beautiful never never statements by 7-Vodka · · Score: 2, Funny

    mistakes that are so stupid, no human would ever make them.

    Really? That's a bet I would like to be on the other side of.
    Someone needs to get out and mix in the general population.

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    Liberty.

  19. Re:Cheating AI by SharpFang · · Score: 3, Funny

    if you can't see them they can't see you,

    AFAIK they used this approach in Half-Life 2.
    Pick up jar.
    Obstruct the line of sight to the turret.
    Approach turret, carrying the jar in front of you.
    Crowbar the turret.

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