AI For Dummies

After taking a long break from TGB development since the 1.5 behavior release (I was still using beta 3 on my computer here at home. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I could download 1.5.1!) I jumped back into the fray working on my own platform/shooter game. Rather than re-invent the wheel for all of my characters, I decided to create a simple AI "Swiss Army Knife" behavior that would handle a lot of the functionality of I would need to be able to click together a game. I love it. Saying it like that it sounds like I decided to work for the last day or so in order to avoid work. Effort enables laziness.

After a weekend working on this, (before you go much further, I need to admit that this is my first big scripting undertaking that I've been doing with Torque aside from tiny effects and behaviors) I've got AI that can see ledges, turn around in dead ends, and will essentially patrol throughout a level. This was the first big milestone for the project as it essentially wraps up behaviors for "dumb" characters.

The next step is adding the ability to react to the player character, which will include some simple tactics and persuit...probably next weekend.

Sorry, but no screenshots tonight of my swarm of little AI controlled Samurai from the mini-tut. (That's secret code for, the game crashes once I build it, even though it works when I run it from the editor and I can't get decent screenshots; I'm too grumpy to do it tonight.) Suffice it to say, their little samurai swarm makes me very happy. (I made a flock of about 20, and even my old computer could keep up with them without so much as a frame stutter.)