Transcript TGP2281: Game Programming III

TGP2281: Game Programming III
also better known as Game AI
In a nutshell
• GP I – Basics
• GP II – Game engine, Rendering, Particles
• GP III – Artificial Intelligence (AI), Learning
Course matters
• Me
• You
• Refer to GP3 course website for more details
http://pesona.mmu.edu.my/~johnsee/teaching/tgp2281
• Some materials will be in MMLS
• Classes: Tuesdays & Thursdays 1100-1300 (…but not always,
please check course timetable for changes)
• Consultation hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 1400-1600pm. All
other times by appointment.
Textbook and References
• AI for Game Developers, Bourg & Seeman
• Artificial Intelligence for Games, Millington
• Programming Game AI by Example, Buckland
• Learning XNA 4.0, Reed
Getting-to-know-you Survey
• NOT a quiz. 
• Link available from the course website (not
MMLS)
XNA’s Not Acronymed (XNA)
• XNA Game Studio – Primary tool for this
course, Language: C# (very similar to Java…)
• Why not Unity3D? UDK?
• All you need is
– Visual Studio (2010 version) preferably
MSDNAA license for students available
– XNA Game Studio (free download)
Coursework Overview
• A 100% Coursework course, of course
• 70% Game Project, showcasing your game AI
• 20% Midterm Test, testing your knowledge in
game AI
• 10% Class Homework, checking on your
attendance making sure you know what’s
going on
Project
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All students MUST hand in the project
Project to be done in pairs (3 in a group not allowed)
AI-oriented game
Details will be ready when the guidelines are out
(end of this week)
– 4 checkpoints: Project Proposal, Progress Milestones #1,
#2, Final Submission
– There will be a Game Project Day after submission
(maybe week 14?), Poster-style presentation & demo
Other Coursework
• Midterm Test
– Test on AI knowledge and concepts (no programming
involved!)
• Class Homework
– Short homework pieces (can be programming or
theory) that you are required to hand up after a few
days or….on the same day.
Do you need to come to class?
• I don’t care about your attendance, BUT the
problem is…
More course policies, sort of
1. Honour Code
– Acknowledge the people you ascertain help from (can be
coursemates, external parties)
– Acknowledge material taken from elsewhere
– Acknowledge source of code used
2. I’m wasting your time, you’re wasting my
time (IWYTYWMT) syndrome
More course policies, sort of
3. How much should you learn that will be
enough?
4. Late days and late penalties
– Each student given 3 late days to use at his/her discretion
– If project partners want to take a late day, each project
member must contribute a day from his allocation
– Once the late days run out, any late submission penalized
at 2% per day. No coursework may be handed in more
than 7 days late.
Toilet break…
• Any further questions about the course?
What you are expected to learn
– Game AI Fundamentals
– Game NPC Movements
– Flocking and Function-based Movements
– Basic Pathfinding
– A* Pathfinding and Extensions
– AI Scripting
– Finite State Machines
– Fuzzy Logic and Rule-based AI
What you are expected to learn
– Tactical and Strategic AI
– Advanced Topics (Neural Nets, Genetic
Algorithms, Machine Learning)
Early AI in Games
• Atari’s Pong – one of the first video games
ever created and released to the public
• Tracking AI: How does it work?
Board games  Video games
• Backgammon on Atari 2600
• Pathfinding AI
Space Invaders
• Pattern AI. Moving and reacting based on
patterns
Obsolete?
• Are these early ideas in Game AI still used in
today’s games?
• What do you think and WHY?
First-Person Shooters
• Quake 3
– How do AI bots find cover under fire? Way points?
– Line of sight computations
First-Person Shooters
• Halo 3
– Acting together: Team or group-based AI
– Coordination: Fixed / Adaptive
Real-Time Strategy (RTS)
• Warcraft 2
• What are “strategies” consider in an RTS game?
• Managing resources / economy
• Scripting
Simulation Games
• The Sims
– Artificial life
– Programmable / adaptive behaviours, emotions
– Open-ended concept
Play & Tell
• Pong
http://www.download-free-games.com/online/game/pong
• Pacman
http://www.freepacman.org
• Dune 2
http://games.brothersoft.com/dune-ii.html
• Galcon
http://www.galcon.com/flash/
In the coming classes
• This Thursday
– Introduction to XNA Game Studio and how to
create a simple game engine from ground up
• Next Week: XNA Walkthrough Week
– More tutorials on XNA to gain more experience
Any Questions?