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Bots Get Smart

spectrum.ieee.org

14 pointsjwilliams9 comments

It is a trade-off of computing resources. For FPS game, it is easier to employ good AI as there are fewer NPC. But for RTS type, it is harder. In the ideal situation, each unit in RTS game should have its own AI. But actually that is nearly impossible. So now, for RTS game, each unit was operated by FSM and there are some AI strategies to control the overall flow. A good AI always means more computing. And unlike graphics, AI algorithms cannot easily be paralleled. These are the challenges I saw so far.

There are a lot of ways AI algorithms can be parallel. Chess being an easy example, but there are parallel approaches to most AI problems. I could go on but feel free to suggest a specific example that can't be run in parallel.

PS: It's normal to consider several options, weight them, and pick the best one. All of these processes can be run in parallel.

In my text, I said "cannot easily". When you consider the general search problem, it seems so easy to parallel. But to adapt the search process to thousands of threads, the cost to avoid repeat search is high because you have to maintain a list of taboo area. By carefully design, you may avoid that problem. But here, I am talking about extra-time cost and not intend to say that it is impossible.

Modern game programmers still only need to split the AI over 8 or so cores to take advantage of "Multi processor" systems. Unless you are running the AI off the GPU. Getting that to work well can be as simple as separating a complex evaluation of each node across a different CPU. It's not going to be 4x as fast on 4 CPU's but there would still be a significant boost. Or with multiple AI's just give each of them a core and move on.

Now if your talking about 10,000 node clusters it becomes a much harder problem but efficiently doing most things on a huge cluster is hard.

Yes, you get my point. The graphics can take advantage of GPU, but the AI merely can.

In the ideal situation, each unit in RTS game should have its own AI.

That should be straightforward to parallelize, no?

This dichotomy in AI competance between games with few vs. many bots is even more apparent in MMO-type games where the AI is usually abysmally poor & basically unchanged since the beginnign. Here the challenge stems from other factors - be it encounter scripting, number of opponents, or the enemy's strength - rather than intelligence.

I'm surprised he didn't mention ninja gaiden. I'm not sure what that game does AI wise, but it certainly seems to know what it's doing.

i misread it as 'boss get smart'

luckily i was wrong

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