Programming Game AI By Example

Rating:
Summary: Quite possibly the best book on AI programming for games
Review: If the glowing reviews from industry professionals arn't enough, here's another one from the perspective of a game programming student.

I've spent quite a bit of time examining the various available texts on game AI programming and I have concluded that this is best for several reasons. Most importantly it focuses on the "bread and butter" AI techniques most commonly used in game development today such as Finite State Machines, Fuzzy Logic, Heirarchical Goals, Path Planning and Navigation while avoiding the more complex, difficult, and less commonly used techniques of Genetic Algorithims and Neural Networks. (which he covers quite well in his other book on the subject AI Techniques for Game Programmers.) Secondly all the techniques are illustrated with lots of example code, all in C++, both in the book and with code and executables downloadable from the publisher's web page. Furthermore these examples are illustrated in the context of a provided 2d game coded entirely in C++ called Raven that is very much like a simplified First Person Shooter which you can use to practice and test the techniques that you learn without having to learn the specific interfaces for a commercial game such as Unreal Tournament. Finally there are several chapters that focus on additional topics that are related to AI programming that are very helpful. The first chapter reviews the math and physics necessary to understand the info in the book. Chapter 6 covers the LUA scripting language which is commonly used for programming in many current games. (examples include Farcry, Baldur's Gate, and Homeworld) Apendices at the back of the book cover two more important topics, C++ templates and UML Class Diagrams. All in all I think it's a very well written and easy to understand book that is simply the best on the topic for beginners.

Rating:
Summary: A must-have.
Review: This book is simply one of the best AI texts that I have ever seen. The author has the ability (as those others who have visited his website will attest - http://www.ai-junkie.com/ai-junkie.html ) to take complex topics and break them down into simple, logical steps that make sense even to novice programmers such as myself.

Throughout this book, he does that time and time again. He gives thorough examples and describes them very well. These are not "baby" examples that serve only to highlight this or that point - he delivers real, working examples that you could plug right into your own game or simulation. Take Chapter 4, for example. It is an elegant sports simulation of a Soccer match. This single chapter is worth the price of the entire book, in my opinion.

The examples are cool. The code is modern and efficient. The techniques are those in use today.

For years, I would buy a book on AI Programming, only to find that techniques were only hinted at and not fully explained. It was like, with those authors, they were keeping some mysterious trade-secrets all to themselves.

This author doesn't do that. He is confident enough to give you everything you need to know to program your own AI. Be it a Finite State Machine, an intricate sports simulation, or fuzzy logic - just to name a few of the topics you will find in this book. If you have his other book, you know that he is also adept at Neural Nets and GA.

So, my advice is biased because I have read this book and I love it. I think you will, too. Buy this book. You won't regret it.