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AI for Computer Games and Animation: A Cognitive Modeling Approach Review by Charles Ashbacher
Good ideas, but not fleshed out enough
The idea of creating an autonomous virtual creature with behaviors that dynamically change in response to alterations in the virtual environment is intriguing. With a set of many different creatures available, one could add as many of each type as necessary and have a game or simulation with an enormous number of possible outcomes. This idea is consistent with the object-oriented approach to programming, where complex blocks of code are called components. In the ideal scenario, to build a program from components, you would select the ones that you need and then specify how many of each type and how they are to interact.
Funge puts forward the principles of a high-level language that can be used to abstractly define the behaviors of virtual characters. Unfortunately, he does not describe enough of the language to be completely convincing that his approach has been effectively implemented. Even insects demonstrate behavior that appears complex, and his examples are those of a Tyrannosaurus Rex trying to herd a small set of Velociraptors and a set of merpeople trying to avoid a predatory shark. Both examples include fixed obstacles and to be interesting, the creatures must exhibit behaviors that surprise human observers as well as their virtual opponents.
The treatment of artificial intelligence (AI) is also too light to completely prepare the way for the case studies. For example, the title of chapter 6 is "Learning", where the topic is ways in which a machine (virtual creature) can learn. However, it is only fourteen pages long, which is hardly enough paper and ink to even scratch the surface of this complex topic.
This is not to say that there is a lack of good ideas in the book, in fact there are many. My criticism is that they are not expanded out to the point where someone who reads only this book will be able to act on them. Intelligence is a complex topic, and making it artificially has proven to be very hard. Therefore, none of the ideas put forward in this book are adequately covered.