Here''s something interesting for all of you dealing with AI out there.I''m working on a Role Playing Game called Runemaster, and until a few weeks ago I was working on AI.I wanted my monsters and NPCs to behave smartly and be able to learn... (Note that the game will be very detailed, so even monsters and NPCs have to eat.) OK, the whole thing was based on a database with the names of the monsters, theirs stats, the areas in the game etc etc. In the beginning it was easy.I started with a simple if-code, and there were five areas in the game.Three "forest" areas, one "town" and a tower.There were three types of food : apples, grass and berries, with different nutririon values etc etc. The monsters walked around the forest, eating when they were hungry (there were no graphics, just text - e.g. "blob eats apple at forest1").But they could learn.If they were in the same area as another monster that ate something else, they could learn to eat that also (very simple).BUT I messed up, using some functions the wrong way.One villager (man3) could go into the forest and cut down trees, with which he made food (not too realistic). Here comes the funny part...when a monster was in the same area with the man who cut down trees, IT SUDDENLY LEARNED TO EAT TREES.This is the most stupid thing I''ve ever seen. The story goes on... Later I put a sorcerer in the tower.Sorcerers can cast what you might call "custom spells".The sorcerer also identified the monsters in the forest as his enemies.When I had gotten this far, I thought I might soon be able to implement this into the game.But there was one problem.The sorcerer did nothing.I could not understand my mistake (although, of course, it was one).Then, one day, I just let the progam run and waited.After about 15 minutes I get the message "sorcerer cast custom fireball // blob 999 damage // blob2 999 damage // tree1 destoyed // ... and so on, I even got ...//man1 800 damage // house1 destroyed // ... and so on.AND THEN I ACCIDENTALLY CLICKED ON SAVE AND MY WHOLE DATABASE WAS RUINED. I won''t be doing AI for the next two months and concentrate on something else. Watch the movie THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR.It''s great.

Sounds like you were actually doing something interesting there runemaster.
How did the creatures learn to eat various foods, was it a specific if-then rule or a more generic piece of AI?

Mike

PS...ever heards of...*cough*...BACKUPS?

I agree with MikeD.
Very interesting...
I wouldn't mind watching your app at work if you can fix the DB.

Edited by - Gorky on July 11, 2000 2:09:24 PM

Playing with AI in this fashion sounds much more entertaining to me than most games.

Waiting to hear more of your blobs exploits...

- gollumgollum

Yep !
Agree with all !
Will be happy to hear from you a little longer on the subject.


-* So many things to do, so little time to spend. *-

Actually, you didn''t fuckup your database. It was your AI
committing suicide. Must have been that last powerful fireball
destroying the whole world...

hehe, I am going to see what I can do about making some intelligent beings


-Chris Bennett ("Insanity" of Dwarfsoft)

Check our site:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~dwarfsoft/
and our eGroup:
http://www.egroups.com/group/dwarfsoft

Sounds something like the ai being put into Black and White. They ran into some of the same problems, with interesting results Like creatures will throw things at each other, and they also go to the bathroom. I''ll let you figure out what happened.
Emergent behaviour is great, but only when it does what we want

Emergent behaviour... And I as such(with limited knowledge of such) would call it a "suicide" and figure out why it comitted "suicide". And actually there is nothing wrong with eating trees... It just should be restricted behaviour to certain NPC like uhm... Treedeamons feeds on innocent souls and trees!

But when do they all start killing the Goblins?