AI isn't so much a language as it is an idea. Whatever language you are proficient in will most likely be the easiest language for you.

Unless you need something specific from another language, I recommend that you stick with what you already know.

If you do decide to switch, I would recommend that you write down your AI algorithm and logic so that when you move to the new language, you are simply entering the algorithm, not trying to learn the whole language itself.

But really, you should be able to do AI in any language. This year I wrote a pretty advanced AI path-finding program in Java for my IB project. Just stick with what you already know.

Even QBASIC can handle AI routines. AI isn't language specific, it's dependant on the skill of the programmer. Stick with the language you know, and figure out how to do it in that language. Don't assume any one language is better than another.

Quote: Original post by samoz
AI isn't so much a language as it is an idea. Whatever language you are proficient in will most likely be the easiest language for you.

Unless you need something specific from another language, I recommend that you stick with what you already know.

If you do decide to switch, I would recommend that you write down your AI algorithm and logic so that when you move to the new language, you are simply entering the algorithm, not trying to learn the whole language itself.

But really, you should be able to do AI in any language. This year I wrote a pretty advanced AI path-finding program in Java for my IB project. Just stick with what you already know.

While I agree with much of what you said... game play AI and a pathfinding solver are two different things. The game play AI often requires modifications and having a "data driven" approach to it is often useful as you don't have to compile / link it. A quick update loop can be useful in a production environment.

Thanks a ton for the responses. I think getting a book or some resource on where to start with AI would be most beneficial. I'd be writing it in C++ and optimizing it with either the same language or using a script language to help out. Is there any additional notes I should take on this? Like which pathfinder routine would be better or how to create a sound algorithm that works? I know this is a vague question but as I know nothing about this, I'm unable to post a more specific questions.


Thanks for the replies!

While I could code it myself, it would be interesting to see some open source initiative in this. After all, a lot of games have similar needs.
I was wondering why people suggested other languages for doing AI instead of C/C++. Some people think that some languages are better suited to some taks than others and it's true to some extent, but it's not a big deal I think. VB may be great for accessing a database, but it's not difficult to make a C++ version if you know the concepts.

I had professors who said Fortran is for math and scientific calculations, Cobol for business, ...
I don't think so.

Thanks for the person who said use the language you are already using.

V-man, any language can do it, but sometimes you're looking for productivity, which can be gained by using simpler language that will still allow you to do the job, faster.

Quote: Original post by V-man
While I could code it myself, it would be interesting to see some open source initiative in this. After all, a lot of games have similar needs.
I was wondering why people suggested other languages for doing AI instead of C/C++. Some people think that some languages are better suited to some taks than others and it's true to some extent, but it's not a big deal I think. VB may be great for accessing a database, but it's not difficult to make a C++ version if you know the concepts.

I had professors who said Fortran is for math and scientific calculations, Cobol for business, ...
I don't think so.

Thanks for the person who said use the language you are already using.

Please.

Try Prolog, look at what it can do, then try and even imagine doing the same thing in C++. C++ is a brain dead language for AI outside games.

Quote: Original post by kidd175
Thanks a ton for the responses. I think getting a book or some resource on where to start with AI would be most beneficial. I'd be writing it in C++ and optimizing it with either the same language or using a script language to help out. Is there any additional notes I should take on this?

The main reason people advise a scripting language is because AI code usually requires a lot of tweaking especially as new features are added to the game. You really don't want to have to recompile every time just to see if a one-line modification works. Scripting and data-driven techniques save a lot of headaches. The ideal situation would be to have a script editor embedded right in the game so you can make changes on the fly and see the results instantly.