The Basics of AI in Games

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rich and complex topic. At first glance, it can seem intimidating. The uses for it are perse, ranging from robotics to statistics and to (more relevantly for us) entertainment, more specifically, video games. Our goal in this book will be to demystify the subject by breaking down the usage of AI into relatable, applicable solutions, and to provide accessible examples that illustrate the concepts in ways that cut through the noise and go straight for the core ideas. This book will lead you head first into the world of AI, and will introduce you to the most important concepts to start you on your AI journey.

This chapter will give you a little background on AI in academics, traditional domains, and game-specific applications. Here are the topics we'll cover:

• Exploring how the application and implementation of AI in games is different from other domains
• Looking at the special requirements for AI in games
• Looking at the basic AI patterns used in games

This chapter will serve as a reference for later chapters, where we'll implement AI patterns in Unity.