18 Embarrassing Game AI Bugs Caught On Tape... and Fixed!

Here's a list of the eighteen best, quirkiest, and most informative artificial intelligence bugs available on YouTube we've collected over the past 12 months. In the spirit of AiGameDev.com, you'll find a bunch of tips & tricks to help fix these problems when/if you see them in your own game.

First, a disclaimer. While certainly fun, this is also a difficult feature for me to write; the draft has been waiting to be finished up and published for over 6 months. There are already many video collections of AI bugs on also-ran Game News sites, but the difference here is that I've personally met or worked online with most of the developers behind these games — and many of them read this blog (RSS). I'm hoping the controversial aspect of this article is overshadowed by the useful analysis and the importance of the topic.

The fact is, if you look beyond the sensationalist headline, social media websites are dramatically changing the way games are received by gamers and the community at large. And AI in games is no exception here... In fact, there seems to be increasingly more pressure and scrutiny on the behavior of game characters. Luckily, this new area of social media means there's also lots to learn from!

Using Potential Fields in a Real-time Strategy Game Scenario (Tutorial)

Editor’s note: This in-depth article was submitted by Johan Hagelbäck, lecturer and Ph.D. researcher in adaptive game AI. If you’d like to join Johan and myself (Alex J. Champandard) for a live online masterclass (public) on Wednesday, February 4th at 21:00 CET Europe, 15:00 East Coast, then go to live.aigamedev.com for more details. You’ll learn about the key concepts in this tutorial, but also learn how potential fields fit in with high-level AI strategy, dynamic navigation in crowds, and optimizing traditional pathfinding. (These sessions are normally for members only, so don’t miss it!)

Top 10 Most Influential AI Games

Welcome to the AiGameDev.com list of the most influential AI games of all time! You’ll find video and computer games that have used artificial intelligence in innovative ways to critical acclaim, and some of them that have managed to integrate cutting-edge AI technology too…

Strategies for Implementing Cover Behaviors

Whilst catching up with recent discussions about game AI on the web, I stumbled on this thread about cover. Implementing good combat behaviors using cover isn’t always straightforward, but game developers often use the same tricks to solve this problem…

Teaming Up with Halo's AI: 42 Tricks to Assist Your Game

Halo caused a bit of a controversy here on AiGameDev.com when it ranked so highly in the Top 10 Most Influential AI Games. But after reading through the record 42 tips in this technical review, you’ll quickly realize how much influence Bungie has over the industry by sharing insights into its development process.

Taking a cue from the presentations at the Game Developer’s Conference from Jaime Griesemer and Chris Butcher in 2002 (Halo’s designers), then Damian Isla talk in 2005 (Halo’s lead AI programmer), this article looks into the artificial intelligence technology behind the best-selling franchise — what to reuse for your game as well as what to avoid.