Book Description
Learn how AI experts create intelligent game objects and characters with this first volume in the AI Game Programming Wisdom series. This unique collection of articles gives programmers and developers access to the insights and wisdom of over thirty AI pros. Each article delves deep into key AI game programming issues and provides insightful new ideas and techniques that can be easily integrated into your own games. Everything from general AI architectures, rule based systems, level-of-detail AI, scripting language issues, to expert systems, fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms are thoroughly covered. If you're a game programmer (AI/logic, front-end, user interface, tools, graphics, etc.) this comprehensive resource will help you take your skills and knowledge to the next level.
Customer Reviews:
A plethora of information.......2004-06-06
Confused about AI? Get this book! This is a nicely bound reference library with a large variety of techniques and algorithms.
You'll get to read articles written by some of the industries' brightest talent. I keep it next to my desk at all times.
Lots of useful tips.......2003-07-05
It's hard to find good information about game programming and design. The trouble is that people working in the industry have an incentive to keep their techniques secret -- they don't want their competitors to learn them. The people who aren't in the industry can write about games but don't have the experience to back it up.
Game AI Programming Wisdom gives us wisdom from people who have worked on real games. Each section is a short explanation of a particular problem (like pathfinding, tactical reasoning, or pattern recognition). Since they're short and independent, you can pick the section that applies to the problem you're trying to solve and read that without having to read everything in order. However, each section is written by a different person, so if you try to read the book straight through you will be distracted by the change in writing styles and level of detail.
I'm quite glad to see this book. It's actually the first game programming/design book that I purchased. (I'm quite picky when it comes to books. I'm sure Amazon doesn't like that.) Most of the game books I see go into low level programming details. This book teaches you the principles and techniques that will be useful for more than the specific problems they cover.
The most complete, the most usefull resource..........2003-04-29
This is the best book in my library.
Write by professionals, with usefull techniques and well explained details of almost every cool aspects of AI in the game programming world.
A fantastic "a la carte" tool kit.......2003-03-11
Being in the game development business, I am always on the lookout for new and different tricks, techniques and strategies. When most programmers go to the lectures, panels and roundtables at the Game Developers Conference, we are looking to pick up this same sort of material... we share ideas and approaches - but rarely get the chance to get down to the code details to make it easy for us to implement those ideas into our own work. This book makes that possible.
Along the lines of the other "Gems" series of books, this collection is filled with ACTUAL techniques and code chunks that are used by some of the top professionals in the industry. Just flipping through the list of the contributors to the book is like going around the room at one of the AI roundtables at the GDC... in fact, Steve Woodcock and Neil Kirby are 2 of the "3 AI guys" that RUN those roundtables! (The 3rd being Eric Dybsand who has contributed to the "Gems" series but not this title.)
Many books on game development are informative. This one is actually USEFULL. I have personally adopted Steve Rabin's source code from the section "Implementing a State Machine Language" into my own game and it has saved me many hours of development and improved the readability and understandability of my code for the rest of the team. Just that section alone has netted at least a 1000:1 return on the cost of this book. Other sections have given me a different approach on how to handle the economic strategy layer that I could have come upon myself... but was able to implement a lot quicker than if I had done it myself. It was definately worth the price.
Are any of these sections worth the purchase price for YOU? I suppose that depends on how much you value you your time. Once you equate the cost of the book to the man hours you save, it's a no brainer!
By professionals, for professionals.......2003-01-05
Published by the same folks who brought you Game Programming Gems (and edited by one of the more prolific AI authors in that series), AI Game Programming Wisdom provides a wealth of real knowledge by actual game programming professionals, not professional authors. As a game programming professional, the number of game programming books that sit on my shelf is fairly small. Most have nothing interesting or meaningful to offer beyond rudimentary descriptions and concepts.
AI Wisdom is definitely a cut above the rest. The topic selection is intelligent and relevant, and the articles are all of a consistent quality and polish. I've already referenced articles several times when writing production code, and several co-workers have borrowed it when they had a particularly tricky problem to solve. This is simply a must-have resource for any professional AI programmer, period. Or, if you're an amateur or hobbyist looking to see the tricks and techniques professionals use, then this is a book you absolutely can't afford to miss.
Amazon.com
A game has to be able to think, or at least imitate thought sufficiently to render a convincing representation of some character or phenomenon. This sort of logic requires planning on the part of the programmer: A swordfighter not only has to find his enemy and engage him in combat, but know how to react if the opponent runs away, dies, or summons his buddies. The better the game designer is at endowing characters with behaviors, capabilities, and reactions, the more realistic and exciting his or her games will be. A soldier that can shoot at targets in the distance is okay, but a soldier that can also lay an ambush, shoot around corners, and fight with a knife is a lot more exciting. AI Game Programming Wisdom 2 comprises a series of article from accomplished game programmers about designing games that feature complex and lifelike behavior.
The contributors--there are dozens--share their professional experience in the field of simulating life in software. Some of their examples are crystal-clear--Nick Porcino's block diagrams that explain the behavior of artificial insects are one example. What's more, the compilation is remarkably comprehensive, addressing such issues as how collectives (such as platoons of soldiers) exhibit behavior that takes into account the perceptions of their members (as well as the lack of information--the fog of war). This book is carefully designed to help game architects plan more exciting and realistic environments for their players. --David Wall
Topics covered: How to design a computer game in which computer-managed characters need to behave intelligently. There's coverage of how to encode a character's motivations, how to make a character relate to a group, how to make characters move through and perceive space, and how to make a character learn over time.
Book Description
AI Game Programming Wisdom 2, the second volume in this cutting-edge series, is packed with all new tricks, techniques, algorithms, architectures, and philosophies all written by industry experts! The wealth of knowledge and expertise in this volume is sure to surpass your expectations. As with the first volume, this book is designed to provide practical advice for building state-of-the-art game AI for commercial games; however, it also strives to help you look forward to leading-edge techniques that will be critical in future explorations. AI Game Programming Wisdom 2 provides advances, discoveries, and triumphs that will influence and drive game AI for the next decade. The breadth of experience and diverse backgrounds of the authors make this a truly global, cross-sectional resource for game AI. The book is divided into twelve comprehensive sections, including an all new speech recognition and dialogue section. There is also coverage of a wider variety of game genres and a cumulative index is included for easy cross referencing between volumes. This new volume alone is an indispensable tool, but together with volume 1, these books form a remarkable collection that no game AI programmer should be without!
Customer Reviews:
"Ok, let us not try to get bogged down into semantics?".......2004-08-10
Honestly, I just had to submit a review to comment on this line from a reviewer of this book. "Ok, let us not try to get bogged down into semantics." What the heck does this mean? I think he/she meant, "Okay, let us not get bogged down in semantics."
What else is wrong with this reviewer's reading/writing skills that contributed to their negative review of this book? If you can't write clearly...
Another useful addition to the game developers shelf.......2004-01-24
All of the books in the Game Programming Gems and AI Wisdom series have been quite useful to me as a game programmer. AI Game Programming Wisdom 2 is a continuation of the Charles River Media series devoted to gaming issues. As with the rest of the series the articles are of varying lengths and detail. Many of the articles simply reference other articles in the series rather than basic or classic works in AI. So, this series is less useful as a bibliographic source. The topics covered in the articles are usually short and written at a high-level, but nonetheless very interesting and worth further research. And therein lies some of the frustration. It is often difficult to find more information about a particular subject since most of the references simply refer to articles in other books in the series, which are themselves are rather vague.
AI Game Programming Wisdom 2 is structured very much the same as the first book in the series. The articles are broken into similar sections, with the addition of a new section on finite-state-machines and splitting the section on learning into two. Having already covered the A* algorithm, its various optimizations, and navigation meshes in the previous books those topics are virtually absent here (though they may be buried as a secondary topic in some of the path-finding articles). I thought that the series had exhausted discussion of finite-state machines, but the editors managed to include a couple of interesting articles. The demand for more realistic AI behavior in character-based games in growing. And while a full simulation of emotions and human characteristics is unteneable, at the moment, there are some interesting ideas in the Learning section of the book e.g. "Motivational Graphs: A New Architecture for Complex Behavior Simulation.".
I can't say that this book is indispensible from an implementation perspective. Most of the articles are simply too vague - though there are notable exceptions throughout the entire series of books. What I found most useful in these articles was that they stimulated thought and helped to generate discussion among the programmers and designers at work.
Downplay AI and just extract what you need.......2004-01-04
Has Artificial Intelligence just become a catchall phrase for any advanced algorithmic programming? Because if you peruse this book, you may consider some methods it describes as just being sophisticated algorithms, and not necessarily anything to do with AI per se.
Ok, let us not try to get bogged down into semantics. The book does have many nice, state of the art (2004) methods for handling diverse problems arising in game coding. For example, the section on speech recognition is quite well done. The main thing to take away from that section is that you need to restrict the problem so that the range of possible user responses is limited. Which may not necessarily be what that author intended. But from your point of view of easier and more robust coding, this is the pragmatic way to use speech recognition.
Of course, an AI purist might argue that what I have just suggested is not really AI. I agree. I use the speech recognition as just one example. You may derive the greatest benefit from this book if you deprecate the AI aspect and just see what methods you can usefully cull. Always remember that true AI is really hard. You are writing games. NOT research. Leave that to others.
Book Description
AI Game Engine Programming provides game developers with the tools and wisdom necessary to create modern game AI engines. It takes programmers from theory to actual game development, with usable code frameworks designed to go beyond merely detailing how a technique might be used. In addition, it surveys the capabilities of the different techniques used. In addition, it surveys the capabilities of the different techniques used in some current AI engines, and covers common pitfalls, design considerations, and optimizations. If you're having difficulty determining which techniques to use, or looking for working code best suited to a particular game, you'll find the answers here. You'll also find a clean, usable interface for a variety of game AI techniques with an emphasis on primary decision-making paradigms. The book provides insightful coverage of a variety of subjects important to AI engine development, and ties them together masterfully to form an indispensable reference. Part I provides an overall look at game AI, covers the basic terminology used in the book, reviews underlying concepts of game AI, and dissects the parts of a game AI engine. Part II covers specific game genres (RPG, TRS, FTPS, Shooter, Sports, Racing, Strategy, Adventure, Fighting, Platform, and miscellaneous) and explains how they use different AU paradigms. It also covers the move common solutions to the problems posed by each genre. Some of the problems include, dealing with direct AI and human interactions, using scripting languages appropriately, and general intelligence/entertainment balancing. Part III provides the actual code implementations for the basic AI techniques such as finite state machines, fuzzy state machines, message board systems, scripted systems, and location-based information systems. And, Part IV covers the move advanced techniques, including genetic algorithms, neural networks, artificial life, planning algorithms, and decision trees. The book concludes wit
Customer Reviews:
All around great book on the subject.......2005-09-07
This book was quite revealing to me. It is basically split into two halves: the first part talks about specific game types and how developers have traditionally used AI systems for each, and the second part which covers the actual code implementations for these systems.
I loved the in depth game section. It was really interesting to find out exactly which techniques are used the the various games. He even includes many examples from real life games. It made thinking about creating these systems for myself seem much more doable.
As far as code goes, there's a ton of it. Both working game code for each type of AI system he's trying to explain, as well as code from real games or internet demos. I found his code clean and professionally written. I have already used code from three different chapters as a launching point for my own projects.
I saw a reference in another review for Programming AI by Example. I also own that book and I must say I liked this one better. Matt's book is good, don't get me wrong. But there's a whole chapter on math basics (which I didn't need), another chapter on steering behaviors (all of the information and code for which I can get directly from Craig Reynold's OpenSteer project online) and then specific chapters detailing Matt's own AI engine, which is called Raven (nothing really mind blowing, and I'd rather code my own to get the concepts solid).
Brian's book, on the other hand, was more of a toolbox of code that I can assemble into whatever shapes I need. Not too much code, and definately not too little. One of the reviewers noted that there's "not enough code to illustrate the concepts"? Sounds to me like somebody just wants the entire thing done for him. I looked at the other books that guy has reviewed, and he absolutely loved Andre LaMothe's "Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus". Ha. That book is for total beginners, and was just a collection and republishing of some of his earlier, outdated books. He even says "I want to write like him".
I'm really looking forward to anything else Brian might write in the future. I have found so many useful nuggets of information from this book. Great job.
No real meat and potatoes, but many appetizers........2005-08-23
First, I would like to address the comment a reviewer made about the book being no good because it utilizes OpenGL.
This is a book on AI, the AI concepts and code can be implemented using any rendering API (or none at all) to visualize their activity. OpenGL and DirectX have as much to do with AI as car engine maintenance has to do with cooking a good lobster neuberg. The fact that the reviewer cannot make this distinction is sadly telling. Some people want all the work done for them. If you are that type, don't bother with programming.
Second, the reviewer who said that this book is too scattered is right. It tries to do too many things and ends up doing none of them extremely well. It does, however, have a few good code samples and can be used as an introductory book on the subject.
Scattered, superficial treatment.......2005-08-20
The book is trying to do too much but end up delivering little. There is also not enough code to illustrate the concepts. I would recommend Matt Buckland's AI books if you are actually looking for a practical guide to help you develop your own AI system. If you must buy, check it in the bookstore before you do.
Great Book in Game AI.......2005-04-28
This is a good book that talks about game AI. The author describe most of the game AI topics in this book. If you interest in game AI. I highly suggest you to have this book on your bookself.
Best game book I've read yet.......2005-04-16
I have worked in the game industry for over 10 years, and have also taught classes in game design and programming. This is the first book that I would recommend as intro/intermediate textbook for game AI. It covers all the popular game types (shooters, fighters, sports, and more) and covers all the popular AI methods (state machines, scripting, messaging, many others).
The book uses a very clean, not-too formal, not-too conversational writing style, which is easy to get into and yet remains professional sounding. The included code is clean, usable, and is very representative of real working game code. There's also tons of code snippets from actual released games to show the reader how the concepts have been done out in the wild.
The book also goes into the actual process of creating an AI system for a game project. Only by knowing the type of game you're going to make, the platform, the audience, and a slurry of other factors can you intelligently design a system that will provide your project with everything it needs to succeed.
All in all, a great piece of work from an industry vet.
Also, another review states that "the book fails because it's OpenGL based," which is hilarious in its ignorance and outright falsehood. The reviewer states that "all major gaming houses use DirectX" which is strange, cosidering that the vast majority of all video games are actually not PC based (which is the platform that mostly uses DirectX; Sony and Nintendo obviously are not using Microsoft's libraries, even the XBox uses a very specialized version of DirectX). Plus the fact that the author actually WORKS at Sony, and you can see that the reviewer doesn't really have any clue. The book is about Game AI, and the small bit of OpenGL code in the book is just allowing a quick, cross platform "renderer" for the AI demos. This is not a book on game graphics, and never says that it is.
Average customer rating:
- Good for implementing AI in games, not so good for theory
- Intelligent agents should steer clear from this book
- Conceptually OK, terrible code & implementation
- Great book to start into AI
- Excellent algorithm text even for non-game developers
|
AI for Game Developers
David M. Bourg , and
Glenn Seemann
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Fuzzy Logic
| Algorithms
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Graphics & Multimedia
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
| DirectX
| Flash
| GIS
| General
| OpenGL
| Solid Works
Software Development
| Software Design, Testing & Engineering
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Game Programming
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Artificial Intelligence
| Computer Science
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Neural Networks
| Artificial Intelligence
| Computer Science
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Design
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Programming
| O'Reilly
| By Publisher
| Books
Look Inside Computer Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Reference Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Physics for Game Developers
-
Programming Game AI by Example
-
AI Game Engine Programming (Game Development Series) (Game Development Series)
-
AI Techniques for Game Programming (The Premier Press Game Development Series)
-
AI Game Programming Wisdom (with CD-ROM) (Game Development Series)
ASIN: 0596005555 |
Book Description
Advances in 3D visualization and physics-based simulation technology make it possible for game developers to create compelling, visually immersive gaming environments that were only dreamed of years ago. But today's game players have grown in sophistication along with the games they play. It's no longer enough to wow your players with dazzling graphics; the next step in creating even more immersive games is improved artificial intelligence, or AI. Fortunately, advanced AI game techniques are within the grasp of every game developer--not just those who dedicate their careers to AI. If you're new to game programming or if you're an experienced game programmer who needs to get up to speed quickly on AI techniques, you'll find AI for Game Developers to be the perfect starting point for understanding and applying AI techniques to your games. Written for the novice AI programmer, AI for Game Developers introduces you to techniques such as finite state machines, fuzzy logic, neural networks, and many others, in straightforward, easy-to-understand language, supported with code samples throughout the entire book (written in C/C++). From basic techniques such as chasing and evading, pattern movement, and flocking to genetic algorithms, the book presents a mix of deterministic (traditional) and non-deterministic (newer) AI techniques aimed squarely at beginners AI developers. Other topics covered in the book include:
- Potential function based movements: a technique that handles chasing, evading swarming, and collision avoidance simultaneously
- Basic pathfinding and waypoints, including an entire chapter devoted to the A* pathfinding algorithm
- AI scripting
- Rule-based AI: learn about variants other than fuzzy logic and finite state machines
- Basic probability
- Bayesian techniques
Unlike other books on the subject, AI for Game Developers doesn't attempt to cover every aspect of game AI, but to provide you with usable, advanced techniques you can apply to your games right now. If you've wanted to use AI to extend the play-life of your games, make them more challenging, and most importantly, make them more fun, then this book is for you.
Customer Reviews:
Good for implementing AI in games, not so good for theory.......2007-01-05
This book gives people that are new to AI in game programming a quick start in that area. If you are interested in looking at the broad fields of AI with direct application to game programming, this will show you a bit of everything. The text is clear and doesn't require any higher understanding of mathematics than some basic trigonometry. I think that the problem most people have with this book is that none of the chapters covers its subject in depth. Thus, people looking to learn AI from this book that ignor the "Game" part of the title will be disappointed. Full C++ sample programs are available on the books web site-the book is all in C++, and you should have no problems understanding the code with moderate C skills. Bresenham's line algorithm, line-of-sight-chasing and intercepting are all explained in a pretty simple way. My biggest complaint is that, even within the construct of game programming, the presentation of Bayesian systems and probability was too short for my taste. The following is a description of the book from the context of the table of contents:
Chapter 1, Introduction to Game AI - Defines game AI and discusses the current state of the art as well as the future of this technology.
Chapter 2, Chasing and Evading - Covers basic techniques for chasing and evading as well as more advanced techniques for intercepting. It also cover techniques applicable to both tile-based and continuous game environments.
Chapter 3, Pattern Movement - Pattern movement techniques are common to many video games and developers have been using them since the early days of gaming. You can use these techniques to preprogram certain behaviors such as the patrolling of a guard or the swooping in of a spacecraft.
Chapter 4, Flocking - The flocking method examined in this chapter is an example of an A-life algorithm. In addition to creating genuine looking flocking behavior, A-life algorithms form the basis of more advanced group movement.
Chapter 5, Potential Function Based Movement - Potential-based movement is relatively new in game AI applications. It can handle chasing, evading, swarming, and collision avoidance simultaneously.
Chapter 6, Basic Pathfinding and Waypoints - Game developers use many techniques to find paths in and around game environments. This chapter covers several of these methods, including waypoints.
Chapter 7, A* Pathfinding - No treatment of pathfinding is complete without addressing the workhorse algorithm of pathfinding; therefore, this whole chapter is devoted to the A* algorithm.
Chapter 8, Scripted AI and Scripting Engines - Programmers today often write scripting engines and hand off the tools to level designers who are responsible for creating the content and defining the AI. In this chapter, you'll explore some of the techniques developers use to apply a scripting system in their games.
Chapter 9, Finite State Machines - Finite state machines are the nuts and bolts of game AI. This chapter discusses the fundamentals of finite state machines and how to implement them.
Chapter 10, Fuzzy Logic - Developers use fuzzy logic in conjunction with or as a replacement for finite state machines. In this chapter, you'll learn the advantages fuzzy techniques offer over traditional logic techniques.
Chapter 11, Rule-Based AI - Technically, fuzzy logic and finite state machines fall under the general heading of rules-based methods. This chapter covers these methods as well as other variants.
Chapter 12, Basic Probability - Game developers commonly use basic probability to make their games less predictable. Such cheap unpredictability enables developers to maintain substantial control over their games. Here, basic probability is covered for this purpose as well as lay the groundwork for more advanced methods.
Chapter 13, Decisions Under Uncertainty--Bayesian Techniques - Bayesian techniques are probabilistic techniques, and in this chapter you learn how you can use them for decision making and for adaptation in games.
Chapter 14, Neural Networks - Game developers use neural networks for learning and adaptation in games for anything from making decisions to predicting the behavior of players.The most widely used neural network architecture is covered here.
Chapter 15, Genetic Algorithms - Genetic algorithms offer opportunities for evolving game AI. Although developers don't often use genetic algorithms in games, their potential for specific applications is promising, particularly if they are combined with other methods.
Appendix, Vector Operations - How to implement a C++ class that captures all of the vector operations that you'll need when writing 2D or 3D simulations.
All the chapters in this book are fairly independent of each other. Therefore, you generally can read the chapters in any order you want, without worrying about missing material in earlier chapters. The only exception to this rule is Chapter 12, on basic probability. If you don't have a background in probability, you should read this chapter before reading Chapter 13, on Bayesian methods. I would recommend this book if you are looking to implement AI into a game without wanting a complete explanation of the theory. If a complete explanation of the concepts is what you require, you will be disappointed.
Intelligent agents should steer clear from this book.......2005-07-17
Terrible and useless even for a book on AI for budding game developers. The theory and explanations in this book are sometimes decent but more often than not quite lacking. (es: in one of the first chapter the author uses Bresenham algorithm without taking the time to explain it). The use of tile based examples introduce unnecessary overhead, and the continuos attempts to introduce physics related code and references to the author's other book on game physics are just plain annoying. The range of subjects covered is very broad (chasing and evading, pathfinding, emergent behaviours, rule based reasoning, bayesian networks, neural networks, fuzzy logic, finite state machines, genetic algorithms), definitely too broad to treat each of these subject in decent depth and with clarity. Example code is of low quality and just superficially object-oriented. If you are looking for a decent introduction to game AI I recommend Matt Buckland "Programming Game AI by Example" and "AI Techniques for Game Programming".
Conceptually OK, terrible code & implementation.......2005-06-20
AI for Game Developers is a book aimed at beginner game programmers that want to apply AI techniques in their games. The range of topics covered is vast, chasing, flocking, pathfinding, state machines, bayesian networks, neutal networks, genetic algorithms, fuzzy logic and more.
The authors spend time to explain these AI concepts from the ground up, with numerous code samples and accompanied by full programs including GUIs & simulations, downloadable form the book's website.
So far all good, but not really so if you look a little closer. For a programmer with more experience than the complete novice, many problems become apparent quickly:
The code listings ("examples", as the authors uncommonly call them) are lacking in many aspects. The code is of low quality. C++-- some call it, and it's an appropriate name for the code of this book (take a big program with a bunch of globals and void foo(void) operating on them, wrap it all (public) in a class, and call it Object Oriented). The principal author is a scientific programmer, which shows well since the code looks sometimes like a port from Fortran. The code is also poorly typeset, in a font almost identical to the text, which makes samples hard to spot and follow. The authors also paste huge amounts of code in the book that sometimes fill whole pages, without any apparent reason. Another little deficiency is the typesetting / overall formatting quality of the book - some diagrams are simply missing, fonts are uncomfortable (especially the mix of code & text)...
It seems that most of this book's problems are about the code, though. On the conceptual level, the book is not bad. As far as I can judge, the explanations are clear and even novices should have no trouble understanding how the algorithms work. Just look away from the code, please !!
Great book to start into AI.......2005-03-16
Is good book to initiate within world of AI, brings very good examples on fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms, in my opinion would have to bring CD-ROM with more examples but even so I recommend them for people that is initiating within development of video games, have a simple way to explains concepts that in other books can that are abstract and until moments very confused, explain it of direct and very simple way, are a book not very extensive you will be able to read it in a pair of days, and thus to begin to apply it within any application or game, the code comes very simple manageable and easy to use, it comes in c++, I hope enjoy so much as I.
Excellent algorithm text even for non-game developers.......2004-09-26
I'm not a game developer by trade but I still found an excellent introduction to some interesting algorithms in this book. For me these included an introduction to neural networks (at the end of the book), probability theory, and finite state machines. I've read (and looked over) a number of books on game development and they, in general, seem to prattle on about the games themselves, or spend an inordinate amount of time on the graphics or the presentation. That stuff is important, but at the heart of these systems are algorithms animate the game and bring it to life. This book concentrates on those algorithms by expressly playing down the graphics elements.
I can safely recommend browsing this book to almost any software engineer. You may find some stuff that interests you and you can use even if you aren't a game developer.
Book Description
AI Game Programming Wisdom 3 grants you an insider's look at cutting-edge AI techniques used by industry professionals in such games as Fable, Halo 2, and the Battlefield series. Successful commercial games like these require years of research and development in order to deliver exciting, new gameplay experiences. The wealth of knowledge gained through this hard work is invaluable and by sharing it, the 50+ authors in this book have generously given you the tools and techniques you need to build top tier games. In AI Game Programming Wisdom 3, you'll find an entirely new collection of exclusive tips, tricks, techniques, algorithms, and architectures that can't be found anywhere else. And as with previous volumes, the goal of this book is to offer useful, insightful, and clever ideas to help expand your own personal AI toolbox. New to this volume is the inclusion of longer and more detailed articles that allow for a more in-depth exploration of each topic. With this book, you'll be standing on the shoulders of game industry giants and taking advantage of their hard earned wisdom and insights. So take these techniques, build upon them, and lead the industry toward innovative gameplay and the next generation of games.
Customer Reviews:
The State of the Art as it Exists Today.......2006-03-31
Computer gaming continues to grow at a very rapid rate. In fact much of the development of the new higher speed chips and of course the high performance video cards are being driven by the needs of the gaming people.
Computer gaming software also continues to grow, perhaps even faster than gaming itself. Because of the rapid state of software development, no one author could possibly keep up with all of the changes that are taking place.
So in this book Steve Rabin, of Nintendo of America has gotten almost sixty of the most advanced gaming software developers to write articles explaining the state of the art as they are helping to develop it. The writers come from a mix of software companies, universities, independent consultants, and game hardware developers. This is the state of the art in the development of artificial intelligence for games.
Book Description
"AI Techniques for Game Programming" takes the difficult topics of genetic algorithms and neural networks and explains them in plain English. Gone are the tortuous mathematic equations and abstract examples to be found in other books. Each chapter takes you through the theory a step at a time, explaining clearly how you can incorporate each technique into your own games. After a whirlwind tour of Windows programming, you will learn how to use genetic algorithms for optimization, path-finding, and evolving control sequences for your game agents. Coverage of neural network basics quickly advances to evolving neural motion controllers for your game agents and applying neural networks to obstacle avoidance and map exploration. Backpropagation and pattern recognition is also explained. By the time you're done, you'll know how to train a network to recognize mouse gestures and how to use state-of-the-art techniques for creating neural networks with dynamic topologies.
Customer Reviews:
Must have!!!.......2005-04-03
As mentioned above, this is THE book for AI. It uses plain language and explains different topics using real life examples. If you need/want to learn AI programming, this should be the first book of your collection.
really good intro book for neural nets and GAs.......2004-12-19
Although other reviewers have already pointed out everything positive about this book, I felt I also had to praise it because it's so good. It's a great introduction to neural networks and genetic algorithms. By the way the author should be congratulated for his "never include any code that you don't throughly explain" philosophy. Although it's over 400 pages because of this philosophy, you can skim/skip around 150 of them if you know some win32 programming and basic high school math/physics. The book is so concise and easy to understand that I went through it in a night and came up having a firm idea about the subject. There are also a lot of good ideas to try out throughout the book(i.e. tinkering with the source included etc.)
To put it shortly, this is a great book, it's really worth the money you spend on it.
definitely easy.......2004-10-18
You know when a subject is finally becoming stable when simple books like this come out and explain in layman's terms.
Perfect book for the AI newbie, don't miss it!.......2004-10-07
This book is a little jewel hidden in the usually trashy prima press
game development series.. it gives a great, clear, non-formal introduction to genetic algorithms and neural networks in the context of game programming.. and gives you example code in good C++ (brainy aliens storming towards you, a genetic algorithm controlled lunar lander.. tanks that move around avoiding obstacles....) that actually works and is simple enough to be understandable for a newbie. The writing style is lively but not annoying. I recommend this title to anyone who has an interest for the fun side of programming....
Buckland DE-jargonises the field of AI.......2004-10-01
This book IS my Masters thesis. I built a multi layered combative system driven wholly by neural networks evolved using genetic algorithms. The learning of agents was unsupervised and they existed collaboratively and adversarily. If all of this made no sense, dont worry! Read this book and it will.
The book covers these techniques (except for multi layered architectures) to a level understood by anyone with a basic knowledge of C++. It totally demystifies NNs and GAs. Other books on these subjects actually put you off the entire concepts of AI by feeding you fear and confusion.
I have completed the book and have read it numerous times. It is going to be invaluable for my development of PHd stuff - his writing introduces areas for potential research.
Im would definately buy other books from this author. I hope he covers other areas of AI soon and puts 'em into print.
Be jaysus, tis mighty I tell ya!!!
Book Description
Neural networks, decision trees, genetic classifiers: If these are AI concepts you'd like to employ in your own games-and you know your way around C++-this is the book for you! In these pages, leading game AI developer
Alex J. Champandard shows you how to create a slew of autonomous synthetic creatures-in the process exploring the techniques and theories central to AI game development. Complex concepts are made easily graspable, even fun, as you apply them to the step-by-step development of your own complete bot. The focus here is on designing individual creatures, each with unique abilities and skills. Each chapter tackles a specific problem, using demos and examples to drive the points home. Best of all,
Alex draws on his own real-life experiences to provide tips and tricks to speed the process and resolve thorny issues. On the companion Web site, you'll find code examples and the samples of some of the games covered in the book.
Customer Reviews:
Nice concept, not very practical.......2006-02-24
There are conceptual books and there are hands-on books. This is serves me as a reader more as a conceptual one, especially when compared to "Programming Game AI by Example " by Mat Buckland, which has quick and fun examples. It's difficult to read for the casual reader. BUT, this does not mean, that it is a bad book, by no means, when I need new ideas for AI, I come back to this one and get new ideas, as it covers all techniques that I could think of, which should make it a good reference for the serious reader. The whole library behind it shows, that the author has invested much effort in this. So my final recommendation is to buy it together with Mat's book as both together make a nice team, especially so as Mat's book is easier to understand.
Good if you already know AI and want to get into game development.......2006-01-03
This book is good in the sense that it sheds some light on how to apply many well-known algorithms (such as neural networks) in games, but it doesn't go very deep in any of those techniques, leaving the reader to understand many details only by reading the provided source code.
Some chapters, such as the ones on genetic algorithms, could have some improvement and more practical examples.
It is good as an introductory book for someone who already has notions of AI algorithms, though. For anyone looking for a deeper coverage of algorithms, I'd suggest the book "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach" by Stuart Russel.
One of a Kind.......2004-07-17
This is truly a unique book, there is no other text available at the moment which covers the material that Alex covers in this book. If you're looking for an introduction to a lot of the major concepts in AI, then this is the book for you. As for the people saying the code is useless, its more likely that your programming skills are lacking. I used Alex's FEAR SDK to write an agent for use in my own research, and the product was again unique. Alex is not only a talented writer and AI expert, but also an excellent programmer.
If you are interested in seeing something before you buy this book, check out ai-depot.net, also having read Alex's research paper for his masters I can confidently say that Alex is one of THE authority on these subjects!
So check out the book already!
Poorly Written Original Content.......2004-05-26
This book is the only book of it's kind with the Game AI content in the world at this point (late May 2004). So if youre interested in Game AI it's the only book you can get, however it is poorly written, has mistakes, typos, and insufficent description of the FEAR platform that is required for you to be familiar with if you want to understand the content of the book thoroughly. This view is maintained by my peers, tutors and lecturers in the University i go to which is currently using this book as a guide to our game devalopment unit (because its the only one of its kind).
I can't help but feel that the book was kinda rushed and was not properly/thoroughly proofed read by the editor. I am confident that a lower priced 2nd edition with all the mistakes taken out would be really appropriate and appreciated by game AI interested people. If not some one else should become the 2nd person in the world to write a book on this subject: Game AI.
The author should be a little self critical and make a 2nd edition and make us all happy instead of living in denial and giving him self 5 stars. Dont see how he can improve on him self without being self critical. We are all greatful here in my University for his initiative in inventing the first book on game ai but were also all very frustrated when strugling to asimilate it's content.
Also a great deal of the SOURCE CODE did NOT WORK. Some of them did, but a large fraction of them DID NOT work as expected from the book.
Granted some chapters that covered basic principles were easy to follow but some intermediate chapters really made me frustrated as i re-read them again and again to try and understand a concept but continue to fail unless i label certain sentences as mistakes that were worded wrongly or backward etc.
I was going to rate this book 2 stars because i felt that some chapters were well written and covered the content well, but since so many people already gave it an unrealistic score of 5 stars (perhaps a conspiracy by the author's friends) i have decided to compensate for this and lower my rating to 1 star.
Hopefully this will balance out the scoring to a fair and realistic level that it deserves.
David Ong, Australia
Bridging the Gap.......2004-03-18
Since even random Italians from Chivari can use their "freedom of speech" to post defamatory review about books they obviously don't own, it seems only right that I should use my right of response as the author.
The book does come with source code, part of an ongoing open source project in game AI. The SDK with the book has in fact hundreds of C++ files demonstrating each technique in practice. Links to the website are given almost every chapter, so a genuine reader would hardly miss them. You can even get the framework supporting the book freely over at http://AiGameDev.com/.
As for shallow reviews of AI techniques, I guess you'd have to ignore the fact that the book is recommended reading - if not required - in already 4 Universitiy courses on Games & AI in the UK and America.
One of my main focuses when writing the book was to bridge the gap between theory and practice, academia and industry. The book covers a lot of ground, but also leaves the reader room to experiment and try out the ideas in practice. You'll get as much out of the book as you put into it - so reading it might be a good start for Riccardo.
A tutorial series entitled 'Exercises in Game AI Programming' has just been launched based on the book. You can find it over at http://AiGameDev.com/ also. Decide for yourself!
Alex Champandard
Average customer rating:
|
Game Development Essentials: Game Artificial Intelligence
Jr., John B. Ahlquist , and
Jeannie Novak
Manufacturer: Cengage Delmar Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Graphic Arts
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Guides
| Job Hunting & Careers
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Web Graphics
| Web Design
| Web Development
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Artificial Intelligence
| Computer Science
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphics & Multimedia
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Game Programming
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Design
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Video Games
| Games & Strategy Guides
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Video & Electronic Games
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Business & Investing
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Computers & Internet
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Entertainment
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1418038571 |
Book Description
Written by experts with years of gaming industry experience developing today's most popular games, Game Development Essentials: Game Artificial Intelligence provides an engaging introduction to "real world" game artificial intelligence techniques. With a clear, step-by-step approach, the book begins by covering artificial intelligence techniques that are relevant to the work of today's developers. This technical detail is then expanded through descriptions of how these techniques are actually used in games, as well as the specific issues that arise when using them. With a straightforward writing style, this book offers a guide to game artificial intelligence that is clear, relevant, and updated to reflect the most current technology and trends in the industry.
Average customer rating:
|
Augmented Reality @ Home: The complete guide to understanding and using Augmented Reality technology
Stephen Cawood , and
Mark Fiala
Manufacturer: Pragmatic Bookshelf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Retirement Planning
| Personal Finance
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Software Development
| Software Design, Testing & Engineering
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
C#
| Languages & Tools
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Languages & Tools
| Programming
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Personal Finance
| Software
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Web Design
| Web Development
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1934356034 |
Book Description
Augmented Reality is a natural way to explore 3D objects and data, as it brings virtual objects into the real world, where we live, rather than forcing us to learn how to navigate inside the computer. With video-see-through technology, AR handheld devices such as tablet PC's, PDA's, or camera cell phones, (or in many cases just a webcam and our standard computer monitor), you hold the device up and "see through" the display to view both the real world and the superimposed virtual object. You can move around and see the virtual object, model, animation, or game from different views as the AR system performs alignment of the real and virtual cameras automatically.
This book will introduce you to Augmented Reality (AR), provide detailed explanations of how the technology works, and provide samples for you to try on your own. Code samples using the freely downloadable ARTag software SDK in C++ and C# are included; all you need is a computer, printer, and a webcam.
Create something new today!
Books:
- Animation Writing and Development, : From Script Development to Pitch (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation)
- Asset Allocation: Balancing Financial Risk
- Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 in C# 2005: From Novice to Professional
- Bringing Out the Best in People
- CINEMA 4D 10 Workshop
- Cisco Secure PIX Firewalls
- CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide
- Combinatorial Optimization
- Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools
- Corporate Computer and Network Security
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Care
- History: Fiction or Science
- Bionomics: Economy As Ecosystem
- Carving Blockheads: A New Approach to Carving Creativity
- Financial Management: Theory and Practice with Thomson ONE
- History: Fiction or Science
- Fitz Lee: A Military Biography of Major Fitzhugh Lee, C.S.A.
- Excel Applications for Cost Accounting
- Competition and Convergence in Financial Markets
- Death of a Red Heroine
AI Game Programming Wisdom 2 (Game Development Series)
AI Game Programming Wisdom 3 (Game Development Series)
Game Programming Gems (Game Programming Gems Series)
Game Programming Gems 6 (Book & CD-ROM) (Game Development Series)
