What is AI in Gaming- Does AI Make Games Like GTA 5 and Fortnite More Immersive?

What Exactly is AI?

AI refers to recreation of human intelligence processes with the help of machines. John McCarthy offers the following definition in this 2004 paper ” It is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence, but AI does not have to confine itself to methods that are biologically observable.” So, in short, we can say that AI makes use of machines and computers to imitate the problem-solving and decision-making skills of the human mind. AI in gaming has gained enough importance in the recent times because it helps in making the gameplay mechanism of the games more realistic and immersive for the players.

What is AI in Gaming?

Have you ever wondered what controls the reaction and actions of an NPC in a game like GTA 5? The answer is ‘AI in gaming’, which refers to creation of responsive and adaptive video game experiences. Game creators usually use NPC’s or Non-Playable Characters in the game that act intelligently or creatively to give you a feeling as if they are being controlled by a human player in the game. So, AI in gaming is all about controlling the behavior of an NPC in the world of games like GTA 5. Hollywood also holds some excellent examples from the world of AI in Gaming, and one of the examples is the latest movie ‘Free Guy’ featuring Ryan Renolds who being a bank teller in the movie discovers that he is an NPC in a massively multiplayer online game. That though was just wild imagination, but coming back to reality, AI in gaming is gaining a lot of importance in the way new games are being developed. For e.g. GTA 6 is being promoted as a game with enhanced AI enabled features than its predecessors from the popular GTA series.

What are the types of AI in Gaming?

Gaming has become very complicated and realistic with time, and AI in gaming helps in providing the required immersive gaming experience to the players. AI for a game is divided into three parts: hacking (ad hock solutions and neat effects), heuristics (rules of thumb that work in most cases but not all), and algorithms (proper stuff). Algorithms are the most commonly used form of AI in gaming, as it is based on information that can be analysed logically. Though, this does not decrease the importance of the other two factors in any way.

Hacking

All of you would have played Pacman, and the AI for the ghosts in the Pacman Game are nothing but a simple random number generator applied judiciously. You don’t need any detailed algorithm for it, instead in-most languages you have an in-built function to get that random number. Other good examples of such Creative AI are ‘The Sims’ and Quake II.

Play Pacman on Google Play.

Heuristics

Heuristics refers to a rule of thumb, or an approximate solution that might work in all situations. This technique has been used in games like Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment, 1994) where there is a heuristic that moves a character forward slightly into a ranged weapon range if an enemy is a fraction beyond the character’s reach. As a rule of thumb, this worked in most cases, but it was not the best option for all of them.

Algorithms

Algorithms is something we see today in most of the popular AI enabled games like GTA 5 and Fortnite. The movements, decision making and tactical thinking of the NPCs in these games is based on the tried and tested methods that can be used for a long time.

Games with AI– The Journey of AI in Gaming

The journey for AI in games started with the game Pacman in the year 1979. Pacman worked on a simple AI technique called a ‘state machine’, where each of the four monsters or the ghosts either chased you or ran away. What they chose was a semi-random route at every junction. The AI for games did not change much till the mid-1990’s, and games like Golden Axe by Sega Entertainment, Inc, 1987 followed the same league, but with a little more sophisticated AI. In the mid-1990’s AI began to be used as the selling point for games. Games like Goldeneye 007(1997) and Metal Gear Solid (1998) were created with a more sophisticated AI to make the gameplay more immersive for the players. RTS (Real Time Strategy) games like Warcraft started using AI for creating robust formation motion in action. In recent times the most popular games that use AI for NPC’s are GTA 5 and Fortnite. AI in these games is the driving force behind the behaviour of NPCs in respective situations. AI in recent games like Fortnite or GTA 5 is based on algorithms, which are actually the time and tested methods that can be used over a long period of time. AI in Fortnite can be seen in three different forms: Bots, which take up the form of regular human-controlled opponents, AI opponents who are either neutral or hostile towards the player or AI allies who are ready to help the player. An excellent use of AI technology in game makes the gameplay more realistic and immersive, and they also bring an element of surprise to the game.

Upcoming Games with AI

GTA 6 is another upcoming game that is expected to come enabled with enhanced AI techniques. GTA 6 will come with features like realistic NPC behavior, interactive gameplay mechanics and realistic police response times.

AI in gaming will change the way games are created and played. AI in gaming will definitely make the gameplay unique and immersive for the players and these techniques will keep evolving continuously as and when new AI technology enters the gaming world.

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