While the use of AI in game development is not a new idea, the game industry is certainly benefiting a lot from the technology today. The primitive forms of AI models were used by developers back in the day to design games and even integrated them into gameplay functions. Now that AI technology has evolved, its impact on industry has increased as well. Here’s how AI is making a difference in game development.
Procedural Content Generation
In some games, AI is used to generate content randomly or procedurally to enhance the gaming experience and to retain its freshness. Even older models of AI were capable of generating in-game environments, enemies, levels, worlds, and dynamic weather. In Bloodborne, Root Chalice Dungeons are procedurally generated, where loot placements and dungeon layouts change every time it is created. The procedurally generated” dungeon concept provides new challenges, rewards, and uniqueness to the gameplay and keeps it from getting repetitive.
The processing power of modern GPUs combined with the advancements in AI and machine learning now allows for more complex content generation. Since new hardware is capable of handling powerful AI models, game developers are integrating these technologies to create richer and far more immersive worlds. There are new chips on the market called NPUs, which are tailor-made for running AI functions. It’s only a matter of time until we see these being utilized by newer video game titles.
Enhanced Mechanics
AI is employed to control various game mechanics from dynamic weather conditions to loot drops. Besides just content generation, AI models are used to manage in-game economies, organize player data, script events, and control physics.
This approach not only improves player experience but provides for more fair and balanced game environments. We see this in modern web-based games as well. Software developers have created digital variants of real-life blackjack games where the dealer is controlled by an AI which can perfectly imitate a human dealer’s behavior.
The creation of hyper-realistic settings further boosts immersion and keeps players engaged for longer periods. When you dive into online blackjack, you interact with an array of mechanics either enhanced or created with the help of artificial intelligence. Moreover, the technology also helps online blackjack games to adapt to various devices seamlessly such as mobile, tablets,AI and desktop computers without compromising functionality or aesthetics.
Efficient Game Testing
Games have to go through several tests for bugs and glitches before they are released, and this process is time-consuming as it is done by humans. Not only that, developers have to make sure the game works without any issues with different hardware and software configurations. Contemporary AI models allow developers to emulate various devices and operating systems on one powerful device to make the game testing process much easier and faster. Plus, AI can also help in automating repetitive tasks, testing different game paths, and deeply analyzing a game’s code.
Developers can leverage AI tools to secure their creations from cheats. The technology is employed in games to identify unusual patterns, vulnerabilities in codes, and any other exploits that ruin experience for the playerbase. This level of anti-cheat systems powered by AI ensures true fair and balanced gameplay, which fosters not only a healthy gaming community but also trust between developers and fans.
Optimizing a game for performance and visuals across different configurations has always been a challenging task. AI can help overcome shortcomings faced in traditional game testing processes. New AI tools can analyze a large amount of CPU and GPU data and monitor them in real time. This capability allows developers to identify issues incredibly fast and optimize the game accordingly.
AI For Video Game Entities: Opponents, Allies & More
NPCs, also known as non-playable characters, fill a video game world to create an immersive environment for the player. They make the video game world interactive and can play various roles such as enemies, allies, or neutral characters. In older releases, developers have used some form of AI to govern NPC movements and their decision-making. But for the most part, these events and reactions have always been scripted. Things are different now; we are seeing older AI algorithms being upgraded and innovative models being employed to create more intelligent video game entities.
AI-controlled enemies react to player movements and the game environment and are capable of making decisions that significantly improve the challenge. We see this in FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, where bosses change their attack patterns and tactics based on the player’s position, movement, and actions. In other games, we have seen the inclusion of smart bots, which use multiple layers of AI models to react to the variations in the game environment.
That said, AI technology is still developing, and software engineers and hardware manufacturers are still figuring out how to make this technology widely accessible. While it’s true that AI is transforming the game industry, its applications in game design need more research. In the future, we will see AI in video games being used to create more powerful entities and an entirely different gaming experience.
