Hi all, I''d like to hear your opinion about this topic. What is the rule an AI programmer has to have in the game design process for you? I mean, do you think that an AI programmer is simply the game designer "arm" (simply realize Game Designer ideas) or that he has to contribute to the game design with his technical competence and ideas? How it works in your companies? A frustrated AI developer P.S. Sorry for English mistakes (as you can easily imagine I''m not American)

quote: Original post by paoloman
Hi all,

I''d like to hear your opinion about this topic. What is the rule an AI programmer has to have in the game design process for you? I mean, do you think that an AI programmer is simply the game designer "arm" (simply realize Game Designer ideas) or that he has to contribute to the game design with his technical competence and ideas? How it works in your companies?

A frustrated AI developer

P.S. Sorry for English mistakes (as you can easily imagine I''m not American)

Personally I think the AI programmer ought to be a co-equal to the graphics guy. There''s a case to be made that he ought to be the Producer''s backup, since there can be a lot of overlap between the two.




Ferretman

ferretman@gameai.com
www.gameai.com

From the High Mountains of Colorado

So, if I well understood you think that an AI programmer give his contribute exactly as the graphic guy. Maybe you are facing a situation in which there are not "specialized" Game Designers , but what about the situation in which we have some professional figures as "Game Designers" (peaple that are neither developers nor graphists but only work on the game design)?
Do you think that a AI programmer has to work on game contents or only on its technical realization?

Both I think? He is the one that has to implement the ideas, because he has the most knowledge about them...

Also, he can give input to the others, because he also knows the limits of AI. When a designer comes up with a brilliant idea for an AI in a RTS game, the AI-guy can inform him about if it can be done, and when not, how to simulate the bahaviour, or perhaps a different approach to the problem...

quote: Original post by Anonymous Poster
So, if I well understood you think that an AI programmer give his contribute exactly as the graphic guy. Maybe you are facing a situation in which there are not "specialized" Game Designers , but what about the situation in which we have some professional figures as "Game Designers" (peaple that are neither developers nor graphists but only work on the game design)?

Hmmm....I didn''t think I said exactly that. Let me try again--in most games the graphics guy is one of the Very Special Programmers. He gets a lot of responsibility in making the game "look great", and often has the ear of the team and the Producer in this effort.

The AI guy should be the same....he should have the ear of the Producer and his team. As Ronin pointed out he ought to know a lot about the limits of the game (which is why I think he could easily be the backup to the Producer for tough calls if Producer isn''t around).

quote:
Do you think that a AI programmer has to work on game contents or only on its technical realization?

Both really.

quote:
Hmmm....I didn''t think I said exactly that. Let me try again--in most games the graphics guy is one of the Very Special Programmers. He gets a lot of responsibility in making the game "look great", and often has the ear of the team and the Producer in this effort.

The AI guy should be the same....he should have the ear of the Producer and his team. As Ronin pointed out he ought to know a lot about the limits of the game (which is why I think he could easily be the backup to the Producer for tough calls if Producer isn''t around).

Ok, I think we had a little misunderstanding, in fact I thought that for "graphic guy" you were speaking about an artist!
It''s also interesting for me this professional figure you have in your company: the "Producer". Here we have not such a figure, generally I refer to a Game Designer (one or more) and a Project Manager (maybe the Producer is a mix of this two figures).

quote:
Both really.

I agree totally