Implementing Artificial Intelligence that does not feel like the game is cheating is one of the -many- challenges game designers and game developers face when idealizing/implementing a game.
At the moment Derelict is facing that challenge. While designing the AI for the first creature type most of the times it just feels like the game is always one step ahead of the player. After several iterations and tweaks it still does not feel “natural”, and most of the times it seems the game has aim-bot – and indeed it does – making the game play experience more frustrating than I expected when I started implementing the AI.
At this point I need to prevent the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) to trigger and prevent me from finishing the AI, and I may need to make it “less tuned” in order to finish a “vertical slice”[1] of the game.
Let’s hope that by the end of the week I can show you some of the progress that has been made regarding the AI and creature behavior.
[1] – A vertical slice, sometimes abbreviated to VS, is a type of milestone, benchmark, or deadline, with emphasis on demonstrating progress across all components of a project. It may have originated in the video game industry.
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