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In a recent interview with Gamasutra, members of the F.E.A.R. 2 development team about the evolution of the game's A.I. and engine. The interview spans six pages of some very engaging conversation.
Challenges that face most every development team are discussed here. Challenges that include how to best utilize multi-threading in modern processors, where the limit should be for objects in a scene, and how to really push the envelope in approaching the "uncanny valley" of visuals and behavior for game environments.
The team also finds that a huge push will be made to utilize A.I. in a way that Left 4 Dead has pioneered. Here is the senior software engineer of F.E.A.R.'s A.I., Matthew Rice, sharing a brief bit on what he would like to see in the future of games.
Challenges that face most every development team are discussed here. Challenges that include how to best utilize multi-threading in modern processors, where the limit should be for objects in a scene, and how to really push the envelope in approaching the "uncanny valley" of visuals and behavior for game environments.
The team also finds that a huge push will be made to utilize A.I. in a way that Left 4 Dead has pioneered. Here is the senior software engineer of F.E.A.R.'s A.I., Matthew Rice, sharing a brief bit on what he would like to see in the future of games.
Globally, across the entire games industry, you've seen more AI in games. Games like Assassin's Creed. We're getting to that level where you're moving through large throngs of crowds. You just didn't see that before; in previous generations, you'd step into a nightclub and it's be barren, devoid, but now you're actually seeing fully populated cityscapes.Even if you aren't looking forward to F.E.A.R. 2, the lengthy interview is certainly worth a read for the thoughts on where the games and technology of the near future are headed.
So there have been big improvements in AI, in general, this past generation. There's only so close that you can get before you get to the uncanny valley, in terms of games, and I think we're approaching that right now. So, there will be a big leap at some point soon, when things such as the great small-scale tactical AI that a lot of games currently have, gets integrated with the crowd AI that you're seeing.
And you're also seeing other things, like people are experimenting with AI spawning, and spawning dynamically based on the player's condition and health, to try and tempo the game differently every time you play it.
You're talking about stuff like what Left 4 Dead is attempting.
MR: Yeah, exactly. We've talked about that here at the office, and that's some place where we see an aspect of AI developing.
