Abstract mode AI can save a great deal of CPU (coarse grain pathfinding/waypoint patrols and no figure animation state etc...)
Such AI doesnt have to run every frame, so a round robin mechanism can spread its CPU requirements and it can be triggered by significant events (noisy explosions or the player entering a map zone ) as well as the routine patrol paths...

Groups of objects can be shrunk to one 'abstact' object and be reconstituted just before the player sees it -- its not really a 'spawn' but a reconstitution....
This could also save on memory assets (main and video mem) as games become larger and have many more unique objects (and texture/shape data gets more complex and take up more memory)

Abstract mode AI has to have matching logic to react to the game situation (more complicated if the world is more than a typical choreographed run-thru style), to coordinate the players computer enemies in a realistic fashion.


If the game is more that the usual 'trigger - spawn' and actually has some tactics/strategy AI then this higher level 'abstract' is probably already there.

How many games as yet are actually like this????






A "not quite infinite world" game system Ive been working on for a while will use such an abstract system, with 'significant' objects moving about the large map and interact 'abstractly' to change the world situation, but then be reconstituted when near the players. There is also a system for 'encounter' type spawning for incidental interactions with npcs.

My system has heavyweight AI so the goal/task/planner mechanism can call abstract solutions just as well as 'realized' (player interaction detail level) solutions. This kind of generalized behavior simulation eats up alot of CPU even while most objects run in abstract mode.

Unfortunately most games cant run the AI on a cluster of computers.
It will be a while until commercial games reach this next level of AI.

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Original post by Anonymous Poster Abstract mode AI can save a great deal of CPU (coarse grain athfinding/waypoint patrols and no figure animation state etc...) Such AI doesnt have to run every frame, so a round robin mechanism can spread its CPU requirements and it can be triggered by significant events (noisy explosions or the player entering a map zone ) as well as the routine patrol paths...

Good points, AP. I think this and things like multithreaded processing are pretty standard by now, especially combined with the use of triggers.

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Groups of objects can be shrunk to one 'abstact' object and be reconstituted just before the player sees it -- its not really a 'spawn' but a reconstitution....

This idea I'm most interested in because I haven't read much about this technique being employed. Many games path the individual AI, but I'm not sure how much attention is paid to different levels of detail. (Probably not much because most games don't have multiple levels of gameplay, such as what's going on in a city and also what's going on in the surrounding country-side).

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If the game is more that the usual 'trigger - spawn' and actually has some tactics/strategy AI then this higher level 'abstract' is probably already there. How many games as yet are actually like this????

It's unfortunate, but I think such a game is rare. Games like Morrowind with a big, beautiful world to explore are trigger driven. (Interestingly enough, there are some practical gameplay realities to this, but I think many people would be psyched to see a world that changes with or without them).

I still look at this first as a rules challenge before an engineering challenge. Wrong rules and you'll upset the player's expectations. Anytime things are happening in a more freeform fashion outside of the player's sphere of awareness the game takes on a strategic tone. The more strategic things are, the more fairness the player expects.

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A "not quite infinite world" game system Ive been working on for a while will use such an abstract system, with 'significant' objects moving about the large map and interact 'abstractly' to change the world situation, but then be reconstituted when near the players. There is also a system for 'encounter' type spawning for incidental interactions with npcs.

One important aspect that calls out to me about such a system: It's vital to contextualize events for the player, to let them know why things are going on, not just that they happened. Building anticipation and creating logical links between cause and effect I believe are ground-level requirements for immersion. Otherwise, you may get a sort of anomic response where the player feels adrift and purposeless, even in a dynamic world. The meaning element I think is tough because it requires AI design where the player is critical to the processes of the world.

If stuff just happens, I think it'll be worse than an MMO because not only will you be insignificant, you'll have no human element to react to you.

One thing to watch out for when economizing on unit movement is observable "glitching". In Ghost Recon, when you view distant units through binocuars or a rifle scope, they "hop" across terrain. It looks like a multiplayer game with bad lag--a series of short teleports rather than smooth running.

Make sure your shortcuts and tricks are carefully hidden from the player.

8) Don't allow creatures to spawn within the players view, unless they have cloaking shields, etc. If you have to spawn the creature, maybe use path finding to find a better point close by.

9) Don't allow the 50 clowns in a car effect. I.e. 50 large monsters stream out of the phone booth because that is their spawn point.

10) Have "pick up points" that follow the same rule as above. I.e. the player is hiding a building while the heat dies down. Make the cops go to specific points for pick up. Taking point 9 as an example, if you do have 50 cops spawn out of a phone booth, make at least some of them return to the phone booth.

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Original post by Iron Chef Carnage Make sure your shortcuts and tricks are carefully hidden from the player.

Aye. Players don't mind if you cheat so long as they can't really figure out that that's what you're doing!

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Original post by Kars 8) Don't allow creatures to spawn within the players view, unless they have cloaking shields, etc. If you have to spawn the creature, maybe use path finding to find a better point close by.

Yes, taht's the idea.

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9) Don't allow the 50 clowns in a car effect. I.e. 50 large monsters stream out of the phone booth because that is their spawn point. 10) Have "pick up points" that follow the same rule as above. I.e. the player is hiding a building while the heat dies down. Make the cops go to specific points for pick up. Taking point 9 as an example, if you do have 50 cops spawn out of a phone booth, make at least some of them return to the phone booth.

Hah, funny! But good point. You'd think it goes without saying but it's one of those silly little rules you could conceivably forget, especially in dealing with something like just having soldiers disappear (out of sight) when near an APC.