Hi, Can any one suggest a good introductory book about Game AI, preferably in c/c++ and one that is OPEN-GL oriented(if the whole book isn't about AI in particular). I'm a just beginning game programming and am really interested in AI for games. I have visited various resources mentioned on this website but i feel a good book will be worth it and would come in handy. I could have just googled it, but i am asking this question to give out suggestions based on your experience (i don't want to make a costly mistake and books are rather expensive). Thanks harishb2

I recommend any book from the AI Programming Wisdom series although I only own the first edition myself.

The books boil down to a collection of articles on varying subjects. This means that no topic will be covered in great depth but you will be given enough information to begin to look elsewhere if you have more questions. This is not to say that there is not great information within the books, far from it.

I found the AI Game Programming Wisdom series interesting but more useful to build on AI knowledge rather than to start off.
Either of the following, in my view, are excellent for beginners...
Artificial Intelligence for Games
Programming Game AI by Example

Also, if you want to have a little experimental fun while waiting for your book to arrive (if you're ordering it), may I suggest trying to implement minimax in a game like TicTacToe? It's not too difficult once you understand the theory a bit and coding it is a fun challenge.

Quote:Original post by tonyg
Programming Game AI by Example

This book really does deserve a second recommendation. It is excellent for somebody who doesn't have any AI background, and presents things in a way that is clear and free from a lot of the other clutter that tends to be involved with game projects [like graphics or sound, which it doesn't even touch on except for to say that there are graphics and sound], while still remaining game-centric. The AI wisdom books are interesting, but they most certainly are not 'for beginners' in that they discuss neat little twists on already established knowledge, which is utterly useless if there is no already established knowledge. Once you have the basics down, perhaps you might find some interesting stuff in the Gems books, but the articles in those books don't make any effort whatsoever to introduce the groundwork of the topic they are discussing [nor should they, since they are targeted at people who are already quite familiar with a lot of the stuff].

Thanks a lot for the reply guys. :-)