Book Image

Unity AI Game Programming - Second Edition

By : Raymundo Barrera, Aung Sithu Kyaw, Clifford Peters, Thet Naing Swe
Book Image

Unity AI Game Programming - Second Edition

By: Raymundo Barrera, Aung Sithu Kyaw, Clifford Peters, Thet Naing Swe

Overview of this book

<p>Unity 5 provides game and app developers with a variety of tools to implement artificial intelligence. Leveraging these tools via Unity’s API or built-in features allows limitless possibilities when it comes to creating your game’s worlds and characters. Whether you are developing traditional, serious, educational, or any other kind of game, understanding how to apply artificial intelligence can take the fun-factor to the next level!</p> <p>This book helps you break down artificial intelligence into simple concepts to give the reader a fundamental understanding of the topic to build upon. Using a variety of examples, the book then takes those concepts and walks you through actual implementations designed to highlight key concepts, and features related to game AI in Unity 5. Along the way, several tips and tricks are included to make the development of your own AI easier and more efficient.</p> <p>Starting from covering the basic essential concepts to form a base for the later chapters in the book, you will learn to distinguish the state machine pattern along with implementing your own. This will be followed by learning how to implement a basic sensory system for your AI agent and coupling it with a finite state machine (FSM). Next you will be taught how to use Unity’s built-in NavMesh feature and implement your own A* pathfinding system. Then you will learn how to implement simple flocks and crowd’s dynamics, the key AI concepts. Then moving on you will learn how a behavior tree works and its implementation. Next you will learn adding layer of realism by combining fuzzy logic concepts with state machines. Lastly, you learn applying all the concepts in the book by combining them in a simple tank game.</p>

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Unity AI Game Programming - Second Edition
Raymundo Barrera | Aung Sithu Kyaw | Clifford Peters | Thet Naing Swe
Sep, 2015 | 232 pages
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Table of Contents (15 chapters)
Unity AI Game Programming Second Edition
Unity AI Game Programming Second Edition
Credits
Credits
About the Authors
About the Authors
About the Reviewers
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Preface
Free Chapter
1
The Basics of AI in Games
The Basics of AI in Games
Creating the illusion of life
Leveling up your game with AI
Using AI in Unity
Defining the agent
Finite State Machines
Seeing the world through our agent's eyes
Path following and steering
Flocking and crowd dynamics
Behavior trees
Thinking with fuzzy logic
Summary
2
Finite State Machines and You
Finite State Machines and You
Finding uses for FSMs
Creating state machine behaviors
Setting up our player tank
Creating the enemy tank
Summary
3
Implementing Sensors
Implementing Sensors
Basic sensory systems
Setting up the scene
Setting up the player tank and aspect
Creating an AI character
Using the Sense class
Giving a little perspective
Touching is believing
Testing the results
Summary
4
Finding Your Way
Finding Your Way
Following a path
A* Pathfinding
Navigation mesh
Summary
5
Flocks and Crowds
Flocks and Crowds
Learning the origins of flocks
Understanding the concepts behind flocks and crowds
Flocking using Unity's samples
Using an alternative implementation
Using crowds
Summary
6
Behavior Trees
Behavior Trees
Learning the basics of behavior trees
Evaluating the existing solutions
Implementing a basic behavior tree framework
Testing our framework
Summary
7
Using Fuzzy Logic to Make Your AI Seem Alive
Using Fuzzy Logic to Make Your AI Seem Alive
Defining fuzzy logic
Using fuzzy logic
Using the resulting crisp data
Finding other uses for fuzzy logic
Summary
8
How It All Comes Together
How It All Comes Together
Setting up the rules
Creating the towers
Setting up the tank
Setting up the environment
Testing the example
Summary
Index
Index

About the Reviewers

Mohammedun Bakir Bagasrawala is a Unity AI engineer at Beachhead Studio, an Activision Blizzard studio. He holds a master's degree in computer science with a specialization in game development from the University of Southern California. He worked at DreamWorks Animation, where he was part of the team that built innovative AI technologies. He then moved to Treyarch and had the utmost pleasure of working on Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, implementing several features of this game. Apart from his professional experience, he has also been an AI lead across a gamut of mobile, console, and board games at the USC GamePipe Laboratory.

I would like to thank my parents, Shabbir and Rita; my siblings, Esmail and Jacklyn; and my best friend, Afreen, for helping me become who I am today. I would also like to thank Giselle, Pratik, Rushabh, Neel, Soham, Kashyap, Sabarish, and Alberto as they have stood by me throughout. Lastly, I would like to thank my former managers, Mark, Vishwa, Ryan, and Trevor and my professors, Artem and Michael Zyda.

Adam Boyce is a software developer and an independent game developer who specializes in C# scripting, game design, and AI development. His experience includes application support, software development, and data architecture with various Canadian corporations. He was also the technical reviewer for Unity AI Programming Essentials, Packt Publishing. You can read his development blog at www.gameovertures.ca and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AdamBoyce4.

I'd like to thank my wife, Gail, for supporting me throughout the review process and also in my life and career.

Jack Donovan is a game developer and software engineer who has been working with the Unity3D engine since its third major release. He studied at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, where he received a BS in game programming.

He currently works at IrisVR, a virtual reality start-up in New York City, and develops software that allows architects to generate virtual reality experiences from their CAD models or blueprints. Prior to this company, he worked as part of a small independent game team with fellow students, and that was when he wrote OUYA Game Development by Example Beginner's Guide, Packt Publishing.

Chaima Jemmali holds an engineering degree in networks and telecommunication. Currently, she is a Fulbright scholar, pursuing a master's degree in interactive media and game development at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts.

She has always wanted to share her love for programming through her master's project, which is a serious game that teaches coding, her internship as an instructor with iD Tech Camps, and by contributing to the success of this book.

I would like to thank the writers and everyone who worked hard to help produce this book.

Akshay Sunil Masare is currently a student at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, working toward his BTech in computer science and engineering. He has developed various games on Android and also on the Web. He has also worked on an AI agent that uses deep learning and convolutional neural networks to learn and train itself to play any game on the Atari 2600 platform.

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