What are the features of smart AI in games? (Topic)

Intelligent artificial intelligence in games (AI). Not that he is rarely seen, on the contrary, many enemies and NPCs behave well, but we are talking about when the AI is amazing with its behavior, and we can even say that it "feels very smart". When we say “smart” AI, we mean that enemies and NPCs behave in such a sophisticated way that it seems that they are not just game dummies reacting to different triggers or executing scripts, but real people.

The author of the Game Maker's Toolkit blog, on whose video we got by accident, has detailed what an intelligent AI is. We chose the most interesting from his words and translated it to answer the question: "What is smart AI in games?"

Aggressive is not good

When we talk about good AI, everyone usually thinks of FEAR Hallo 2 and the first Half Life. The opponents in this game are united by the fact that they are all very aggressive towards the player, but this is not the main criterion of intelligence for AI today. As the creators of the first Halo recall, when creating the game, they tested two versions with the same AI, but with one "but". In the first version, the enemies dealt a lot of damage and had a lot of health, and in the second version, these indicators were reduced. In the first test, 8% of players said the AI was smart. When testing the second version of the game, 43% of players said that their opponents felt very smart.

The fact that aggressive enemies are not a good idea was also realized by idSoftware in its latest Doom. They noticed that when the monsters were aggressive, players had to constantly be on the defensive. They changed the level of aggression, and it turned out that most often the gamer himself started the attack.

AI should help convey the intended gaming experience, and that is why the aggressive behavior of the Alien in Alien Isolation looks appropriate, which would not look like in any Batman: Arkham Asylum. So what are the traits of smart AI?

AI must allow the player to trick him

When we say "lets be deceived," we mean when, for example, you put a bucket on the head of a shop or tavern owner in Skyrim to steal from him. Or opponents in Uncharted who can be caught off guard. Other examples are Far Cry, where only a few enemies shoot at you, and not all at once, and enemies in the Batman Arkham series that can turn their backs on you to make it easier for you to attack them.

You may not see these details, but if they were missing, then the gameplay would be much more difficult.

AI should tell you what it thinks

Most often this is expressed in conversations between opponents, when, for example, one says to the second “it seems that someone is there” or “it probably seemed”. He can also transmit his actions by sight or direction of movement. This makes opponents seem smarter. The player may not even suspect that the enemy has a complex system of search and reaction until he notices that some door is open here for a reason or does not say something that can show his intelligence. It also helps the player build his tactical plan of action.

It should be predictable

As one of the Halo developers Chris Bucher said: “We're not trying to create something unpredictable. On the contrary, we are trying to create a consistent AI so that the player understands how he will react to certain actions. ”

As you play, you begin to understand how things work. For example, a shot at a red barrel leads to an explosion. You collect this information for your benefit. This also applies to AI. If you turn off, for example, the generator and you know that the enemy will come to see what happened, then you can plan your actions. Predictability makes the game easier.

It must interact with the game system

This is exactly what the opponents do in The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. They do not just blindly attack Link, but raise clubs from the floor and then set them on fire, and sometimes throw other monsters at him. This all comes across as intelligent AI.

A similar thing happens in Bioshock where enemies buy themselves ammo from vending machines, and this gives the impression that they have the same options as the player. By introducing game mechanics into AI, we get more interesting gameplay, this allows you to force enemies to fight on your side or trick them in a special way.

AI must react to the player

Reactions can be as simple as the fear of a bandit in the Arkham Knight series when you get rid of his companions, or something more complex, like the Nemesis system in Shadow of Mordor. So, if you run away from the battlefield, the next time you meet this orc, he will laugh at you for that misdeed.

Adaptation of the AI to the player's actions can also become a reaction. In Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Paine, the AI monitors the actions of the gamer: it keeps track of what time the player most often completes missions, how often he kills with a headshot, how often he infiltrated the bases unnoticed. The AI analyzes the information received and adapts, after which the enemies begin to wear helmets, night vision devices and set traps in certain places.

Also occurs in Alien Isolation, when the xenomorph gains new abilities, adapting to the player's actions.

The most famous example of this is the "director system" in Left4Dead, where the better the player gets ahead, the more zombies the AI will send at him.

AI must have outside targets

Besides killing the player. So, in Rainworld, opponents fight for food and territory with each other, so sometimes it is better to bypass them. In Stalker, your opponents constantly fire with each other, as they are from different factions.

And in Walking Mars, you can create ecosystems and watch how one system interacts with another. And they develop even as you explore other parts of the planet.

Good AI is not just enemies

Often, developers make your allies invulnerable like Elizabeth in Bioshock Infinity. Although if you remember the escort missions in other games, the decision seems to be sound. However, a clever companion is not limited to the girl chasing you.

In The Last Guardian, you are accompanied by a huge beast Tricu, which can fight with the enemy. However, he gets nervous at the sight of stained glass windows that only the player can break. Thus, there is an equal interaction between the player and his companion.

In Event [0], the developers have given the AI the ability to chatbot, and the player can ask him questions to solve riddles. And in Final Fantasy XV, your friend Prompto can take memorable photos of your adventure. It does not affect the gameplay, but it does make the gaming experience more personal.

Notes for Game Designers

Defeating a stupid AI isn't much fun. Developers should pay more attention to various nuances when creating AI for the game. Indeed, in modern projects, artificial intelligence is not just a set of technical code, but a part of game design. Each game should approach this differently depending on what it wants to convey to the player.

The Topic of Article: What are the features of smart AI in games?.
Author: Jake Pinkman