Game AI: Where to start?

Artificial Intelligence Programming

Started by Aviv Cohn February 03, 2014 04:43 PM

1 comment, last by ApochPiQ 10 years, 2 months ago

Aviv Cohn

107

Author

February 03, 2014 04:43 PM

Hello all :)

I'm new to programming game AIs. The most 'advanced' (and only) AI I created yet was composed of several if-else statements.

I don't know any techniques or anything. Complete beginner to AI in games.

(However my ability in general 2D game development, apart from AI, is intermediate).

I would like to know: Where would be a good place to start studying game AI?

I'm looking for a good source to start for absoulte beginners, one that teaches all the necessary beginner knowledge in the right order.

In the long run I hope to become a good game AI developer, so it's important to me to get off on the right foot, with a good starting point.

Could you please direct me to some site? Or a book? Please explain why you recommend it.

Thank you

Totologic

225

February 03, 2014 05:35 PM

Take your favorite board game or puzzle game (chess, queens, chinese checkers... tetris, puyo puyo...).

Implement it in your favorite language for 2 human players. Be sure you separated properly the data structure and the display code. Be sure you separated the player controls into an independant class.

Then try to rewrite your player control class by an efficient AI class. Your AI must play the game by only looking to the game datas. Your experience in playing the game is important (heuristics).

Ideally, you must be able to switch easily between a player control class and an AI control class (run games like human VS human, human VS AI and AI VS AI).

Doing that, you will learn a lot of things.

My blog about games, AI...

http://totologic.blogspot.com/