Game Development:
Artificial Intelligence

Class Schedule

Homework #1: (Due April 7th) Fill out HW1.doc.

Email to steve.rabin@gmail.com

Subject of email should be: "[HW1] Firstname Lastname"

Don't forget to attach HW1.doc

Project #1: State Machines (due week 4, April 21st). sample base code - reference only.

(80%) Have at least 4 NPCs doing something interesting. At least 3 state machines, with at least 15 states among them. Use at least 10 of the following (-5% for each missing, list in readme.txt the file and line number of each that you use to get credit!): Substates, a Global Message Response other than MSG_Reset or MSG_MouseClick, SendMsgDelayedToState, ChangeStateDelayed, PopState, ReplaceStateMachine, PushStateMachine, PopStateMachine, RequeueStateMachine, data passed in msg, MarkForDeletion, OnCCMsg, SendMsgBroadcastToList, SetTimer or OnPeriodicTimeInState, OnTimeInState, or a persistent state variable such as DeclareStateInt.

(20%) Draw a UML diagram of the state machines you create. (-5% for each missing: Proper starting state indicator, labeled transitions, labeled states) (-5% for each missing state, -10% for each missing state machine). Turn in hardcopy on paper.

(Extra Credit 10%, max 20%) Implement one of the following steering behaviors: Formations (not just leader following/queueing), Flocking, or Patrolling using queued state machines.

(Extra Credit 5%, no more than 15% per student) First to find a particular significant bug in the State Machine Language engine (not the entire project). E-mail me at steve.rabin@gmail.com.

(Extra Credit 10%) Answer the questions about persistent state variables (see PowerPoint lecture for details on questions).
Reading
Chapters 5 and 9

(Optional) Extra Credit Assignment #1: (Due last day of class) Implement flocking

(30%) Have 10 or more objects moving as a group or as multiple groups (for example, birds flying over the landscape or fish swimming in a big open area).

(20%) Flocking demonstrates separation rule.

(20%) Flocking demonstrates alignment rule.

(20%) Flocking demonstrates cohesion rule.

(10%) Make your camera capable of viewing the flocking.

Flocking objects can be quads, spheres, boxes, etc.
Reading
Chapter 4

Project Assignment #2a: (Due week 6 - May 5th) Implement A* in the PathfindingProject_20110420 code base (worth 20% of your final grade)

Absolute requirement: Draw the open list of quads as one color, the closed list of quads as another color, draw the final path, and have Tiny follow the path.

(20%) Draw one step of A* each frame (use toggle)

(20%) A path is always found if it exists (completeness)

(15%) The path is optimal with a heuristic weight of 1.0

(15%) The path is optimal with a heuristic weight of 0.0, and the search grows in a circular pattern

(5%) The path uses diagonals and doesn't run into corners

(5%) Calculate heuristic using both Euclidean and Octile methods (use toggle)

(10%) Rubberband final path where possible (use toggle)

(10%) Smooth using a Catmull-Rom spline (use toggle)

(-10%) If it crashes at any time

(extra 20%) Implement Floyd-Warshall algorithm (in addition to A*). Offer a toggle switch to turn it on/off. You can calculate the table each time the map is switched.

Project Assignment #2b: (Due week 7 - May 12th) Port A* to your codebase (worth 5% of your final grade)

(100%) Have each agent show its final A* path

Reading Assignment: no reading this week

(Optional) Extra Credit Assignment #2: (Due last day of class) Implement agent awareness and coordinated behavior

Open ended assignment - Brainstorm ideas

Give your agents human sensing abilities

- Vision: Sight distance, sight angle, and walls block vision. (Use lines to show range and viewing angle. Point to targets your agent can see.)

- Simulate reaction times for the vision (1/4 to 1/2 a second using SendMsgDelayedToMe)

Make multiple agents cooperate toward a common goal (using any cooperation mechanism you want).

- Agents/managers run state machines and communicate to each other. (Via SendMsg or SendMsgBroadcastList.)

- Possibility: Use an invisible manager to coordinate agents (manager is a game object with a state machine that has no rendered body).

- Hint: Manager might add agents to broadcast list, then use SendMsgBroadcastList to communicate to everyone at once.

- Possibly use other coordination mechanisms (individual arbitration or simple blackboard).

Reading Assignment: 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4

Project Assignment #3: (Due May 19th) Implement terrain analysis

(100%) Create at least 3 layers of grids and 1 combined layer that can be toggled through (with the "L" key).

Possible layers: Openness Layer, Visibility Layer, Occupancy Layer, Line-of-Fire Layer, Cover Area Layer, Area Search Layer, and Combat Desirability Layer.

Extra Credit: (10%) Have the agents use the information to do something intelligent.

Reading Assignment: No reading this week

Project Assignment #4: Game Play Integration (Due Wed May 1st (day before class), 6PM <-Did you see this time of 6PM?)

Make actual gameplay where the player can win or lose

Improve the experience (feel of controls, fun factor, look of game, polish older project assignments)

Write up what you did.

Prepare for presentation (5-10 minutes long based on previous projects)

- Discuss code architecture, project implementations, surprises, failures
Reading Assignment: No reading this week

Extra credit: (20%) Fill out the FINAL EXAM and turn it in on Week 10 for up to 20% based on correctness.