Week Two- Production and AI

Week Two- Production and AI

A1 Social trends in computer gaming

Learning Outcome A1 

Explain social trends relevant to computer games, including: 

Game Production, e.g: mainstream publisher, indie, free-to-play 

Artificial Intelligence, e.g: search algorithms , mathematical optimisation and logic 

Learning Outcome A1 

The production of a game usually begins with an idea being pitched by a game development studio to a game publisher. 

This pitch will contain an overall concept of the game with details about the characters, game mechanics and who the game is being designed for, that is, the audience. 

Without an identified audience, there would be no financial incentive for making the game.

Sometimes the publisher will approach the studio with an identified audience or game genre and/or theme and ask them to create a game for that market.

Game Production

After the studio has been given the funding to start development, they will begin by creating concept art that illustrates the graphical style and theme of the game.

 

The concept art will be referenced throughout the game’s development so that everyone on the development team knows what the game should look like, and the kind of feelings that the game should be evoking in the player.

Name some mainstream game publishers

Mainstream Publishers

Some publishers are large international companies, known as mainstream publishers, such as Electronic Arts (EA™ Games) or Nintendo®. 

These mainstream publishers are responsible for funding the production of many different game titles at the same time.

Smaller publishers, such as Telltale Games®, will usually specialise in one particular genre and will often release only one game at a time.

Indie Games 

When development of a game is started before it has a publisher, it is known as an indie game. 

Studios fund the development themselves. This means that they do not have the same restraints placed on them by publishers during development so they can make their own decisions about the content and style of the game.

 This often leads to innovative and original game designs.

 The studios can struggle to pay the bills, as they do not make any money until the game has a publisher. 

Indie Games 

When a studio has proved that there is a market for their game, through research or testing, a publisher will fund their project. Good examples of successful indie games are Minecraft™, Super Meat Boy™ and No Man’s Sky™.

Indie games are able to start making a profit when they find a publisher. Often the profit is fed back into the development of their next game, before it gets a publisher.

Indie games usually get published as digital downloads

Mainstream publishers will now decide before development if a game is going to be printed on disk or released through a digital platform.

Indie Games 

Computer games created by independent developers

A single person of small team can build games from scratch 

They are often free or considerably less expensive than larger games 

With the creation of the steam platform this meant that the industry was no longer regulated by the larger companies

Steam provided the opportunity for Indie developers to publish their games 

With more affordable emerging technology, access to free game engines, online tutorials etc. people are now able to learn and develop their skills to produce games from their homes or within small studios.

Indie Games 

Indie developers are able to raise funds directly from players through crowdfunding websites such as Kickstarter™. 

Virtual reality hardware such as the Oculus Rift™ would not exist without crowdfunding.

 Equally, some very successful games have been funded through this model, for example Star Citizen™ which made over £25 million.

The crowdfunding model differs from traditional game development not only in how the money is raised but also in the inclusion of ‘stretch goals’.

Free to Play 

Another model of game production is the free-to-play model, which has become a mainstay of mobile apps games development.

Using this approach, smaller studios and publishers release games for free and then include a number of paid-for upgrades or features.

 The idea is that players will get hooked on the game when they can play it for free and will then be willing to spend money unlocking extras. 

These free-to-play games are also known as freemium titles. Some players find it frustrating to begin a game that they think is free only to find later that they have to pay to keep playing. 

Free to Play 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the name given to the programming that makes machines (or non-playable characters, NPCs) seem like they are thinking for themselves. 

Programmers have to think about how an NPC in a game should react to where they are or what they are supposed to be doing. A soldier guarding a gate should be looking in certain directions but should have moments where their attention lapses so that the player can sneak past. 

Free to Play 

All of this character behaviour has to be coded into the game. Modern game AI has developed to the point where enemies are able to have realistic reactions to players: such as an enemy blocking an attack in a fighting game, or more strategic behaviour such as enemies responding to patterns in the player’s choices by avoiding a ‘duck and cover’ attack.

 The more sophisticated the AI, the more complicated the programming required to create it.

What is mathematical optimisation in gaming?

1. Minimising player interaction
2. Enhancing game resource management
3. Reducing game graphics quality
4. Maximising player performance

Which algorithm is commonly used for optimisation?

1. A* algorithm
2. Genetic algorithm
3. Bubble sort
4. Linear regression

Why is optimisation important in game design?

1. Increases game file size
2. Decreases player engagement
3. Enhances player experience
4. Improves game balance

Mathematical Optimization

Mathematical optimisation is the selection of the best solution to a problem when given a selection to choose from. 

It forms a part of all AI and is often tied to a game’s difficulty setting. 

Most game NPCs would have the ability to get rid of a player quickly, if programmed correctly, but that would render the game impossible. 

Therefore, a game’s difficulty setting will change the possible solutions available to NPCs, from a simple approach such as lowering the enemy’s health value or making a less powerful adversary, to more sophisticated AI such as the enemy being able to change tactics.

Search Algorithms 

 A* Algorithm is a pathfinding algorithm commonly used in AI programming for Non-Player Characters (NPCs) in games.

In AI programming, search algorithms like A* help NPCs solve problems such as determining the best route to take.

Human vs. NPC Navigation. Humans can easily decide the best route using the least effort. NPCs, however, need algorithms to navigate as they have no concept of their surroundings.

Search Algorithms 

For example, if an enemy NPC sees a player at the end of a hallway with obstacles (crates, barrels, rubble), it needs the A* Algorithm to figure out how to reach the player.

How A Algorithm Works:

It breaks down the hallway and obstacles into a series of steps.

It calculates the best set of steps to move the NPC from its starting point to its goal (the player).

The algorithm evaluates different routes and uses mathematical optimization to choose the best one.

Algorithm – a set of instructions that are executed in

order to solve different computer problems.

Logic 

An important factor in creating realistic AI is considering the logic and patterns of behavior that a human would normally follow.

 

Does the enemy behave in a way that is logical and reasonable? If it emerges in the testing phase of a game’s development that the answer is no, then the AI programmers must go back to their code and improve it until a player is not puzzled by the behavior of an enemy.

Logic 

This is a difficult task as games are very complex, interactive software applications and it is hard to predict what players might do in a game.

 

In fact, players often cheat by finding an ‘exploit’ or vulnerability in a game’s AI. This often leads to developers having to find a fix that they then patch onto the game as a download after the game has been released.

Task One Questions 

Task Two Questions 

https://www.gamedesigning.org/gaming/video-game-genresLinks to an external site.

 

https://gamequitters.com/types-of-gamers/Links to an external site.

https://www.gamepro.com.au/tutorials/video-game-genresLinks to an external site.

https://explodingtopics.com/blog/gaming-trendsLinks to an external site.