Artificial Intelligence In Video Games

If you are a tech enthusiast then you have probably heard of Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is the branch of computer science which deals with making computer systems behave like humans. If you take a look at modern-day tech, you will find a lot of the products with Artificial intelligence and Computer Games are no exception. In this guide, we will explain what exactly Artificial Intelligence is. And how Artificial Intelligence in video games is making a difference in modern computer games.

What is Artificial Intelligence and how it works?

In simple words, in Artificial intelligence (AI), we train the machine or game character to act like a human. AI has become the foundation of modern games and in the next section we will tell you how it is helping in the gaming industry but first let me tell you how AI is becoming more effective in the modern era. Technology has become a part of our daily routine, in fact, we spend hours with technology and we make a lot of data that can help AI to become more effective.

Similarly, AI is helping a lot in the gaming industry and Artificial Intelligence in video games has become part and parcel of modern-day gaming. Games are a major source of entertainment and when we play games we create a lot of data and patterns which can help the AI to learn about human patterns and behavior.

Playing games against an AI

As I mentioned earlier that AI has become the part and parcel of today’s gaming and it is very true to a great extent. If we take a look at games since 1990 we find the basic level AI in those games. The most common technique is used in retro games is known as “Finite State Machine or FSM”. In this technique, developers manually programmed the AI in a way that it only responds to certain situations.

For example, if you are playing against an FSM-based AI then the most common state will be the attack, wander, and defend. In Attack mode, when you will get near the AI it will attack you and in a wandering state, the AI will be out of sight for some time and then come back to attack. In Defend mode, if you take his 70% or higher health, he will go back to get sufficient health and come back.

This is the basic version of FSM-based AI and if you use your intelligence and use a creative way to counter the AI character, he will stand still until you kill him as he doesn’t have instructions to counter that particular situation. The most common problem with FSM-based AI is that it is predictable and if you play some games with the FSM-based AI you can easily predict its pattern and can counter it.

To solve this predictability Problem, experts introduced the more advanced method which is known as the “Monte Carlo Search Tree or MCST” algorithm. In this method, you trained the AI to thousands for thousands of scenarios and possibilities and AI picks the best possible scenario on the basis of its calculations. The same method was used to design the “Deep Blue” which was able to defeat the human chess champion, Garry Kasparov, in 1997.

In the Monte Carlo Search Tree method, AI behaves like a tree with thousands of branches, and AI then calculates the possible actions and their outcomes to pick the best possible result. Take the example of Dota 2, where AI has to defend the tower and also make sure to kill the creeps and enemy heroes. In this case, MCST will take the possible scenarios and with the priority to defend the tower but if he detects that the enemy hero has low health then AI will attack the opponent to kill him. However, the possible combinations in the Real-time strategy games there are millions of possibilities and Human intelligence is far more superior to AI these days but MCST based AI can challenge human abilities to some extent.

AI is getting smarter

Its 2021 and computer experts are developing more effective and smarter algorithms to make AI more efficient. Many well-known scientists even warn against artificial intelligence that is too advanced. At some point, AI could be so advanced where artificial intelligence becomes more powerful and takes control and since only logical aspects are considered to calculate the optimal and best result, there can be a danger for humanity

Anyway, if we take a look at Non-player Characters (NPCs) in modern games we notice that most games have programmed AIs with certain behavior patterns and they also can’t learn patterns from the users and personalize the gaming experience. The most suitable reason is that developers don’t want to take a risk with the AI that could learn the human patterns and could compromise the gaming experience of the human player.

In the future, we also see that this trend will continue to follow and developers will continue to focus on developing a better user experience than making the NPCs more powerful. If we take a look at the famous games of 2017, we find the majority of games with Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality which provides a more immersive gaming experience to their users. For example, Pokémon Go was the most famous AR-based game of last year and it allowed the players to almost connect with the virtual world of Pokémons.

Conclusion about Artificial Intelligence In Video Games

In a couple of years, we will see more effective NPCs but they will have limited functionalities. However, there is a scope of learning and developers can make the NPCs smarter and there is the possibility that they can outsmart the human players due to their more effective multi-tasking and fast reaction time. So we will have to sit back in our gaming chairs and wait and see what the future and role of AI in games will bring. Let us know, would you prefer to play with a more-effective NPC or a real human? Also, make sure to visit our website for more interesting content.