Quote: Original post by WeirdoFu
I guess its kind of like every AI programmer's dream and nightmare for a perfect AI engine. It'd mean a easier time for us, but then it also means we might lose our job importance. But then, like we learn in EC, "there's no free lunch." Putting two good things together probably won't get you something better.

Forgive me, but doesn't that sound much like a mathematician saying:
"Damn these computer-thingies - they're stealing my job!"

You would still be an AI coder, making better AI, with better tools. The tool doesn't use itself, you know. It doesn't make the user obsolete. I don't mean to sound offensive, I just thought that was a weird thing to say.

Quote: Original post by WeirdoFu
I guess its kind of like every AI programmer's dream and nightmare for a perfect AI engine. It'd mean a easier time for us, but then it also means we might lose our job importance. But then, like we learn in EC, "there's no free lunch." Putting two good things together probably won't get you something better.

It will simply shift the focus of role for some AI programmers. Consider graphics engines. There are still plenty of engine programmers out there, but many people working in graphics systems for games aren't doing core engine programming. They might be adapting a current engine, adding to it, modifying it or just working to integrate it into their product. That doesn't mean a non-expert could easily do the job... but it does mean that the learning curve for being a graphics programmer is a little shallower, because someone else has laid the groundwork over which latter generations can follow. Better engines are always in development!

The same would be true of an AI engine; although I'm loathe to term it such, since more than likely it would be a set of smaller sub-systems that could be brought together to form an engine within the physics systems of the game. There will be those who work on fundamentals of design and implementation of such systems, those that adapt or modify them and those that integrate them into projects... I doubt very much that you'd one day see the design team taking over the AI programming just because we see them working hand in hand with AI programmers now.

Cheers,

Timkin

Please tell me more about that ai engine of yours Steadtler. I`m going to buy
the Torque engine sometimes soon, and i`m interested in things like that.

Isn't there already some solutions aviable? Open Steer and the Reailty engine ai sub system comes to mind but I haven't tried any of them so I can't really tell if they are good or not...

Quote: Original post by Anonymous Poster
Please tell me more about that ai engine of yours Steadtler. I`m going to buy
the Torque engine sometimes soon, and i`m interested in things like that.

Its basically a goal-based AI engine, with a few twists of mine. Right now Im having an agent catching balls and running around, that kind of thing, nothing great yet. Just pray I can finish my thesis soon and have more time to work on it ;) I'll keep the Gamedev people updated on this project for sure.

Until its ready, there is an official Torque AI pack thats should be released somewhere this summer, with all of the common stuff. The guy responsible for it is Phil Carlisle, formerly from Team17. Check out his .plan's. Of course, I expect it to be tailored to Torque.

edit: A friend of mine is an AI graduate. I asked him why AI is the poor child of computer science (it is, sadly). He says 15-20 years ago, a lot of private fund were put into AI, and the field just didnt deliver anything worth the investments. Since then, there is very few private money put into AI, so the field has lost some ground to the others. Hopefully, that can change soon, and we'll see a war between 'closeAI' and 'Direct-Y' :P

[Edited by - Steadtler on April 17, 2006 6:56:36 PM]