Unity 2017 Game AI Programming, Third Edition - ebook

Use Unity 2017 to create fun and unbelievable AI entities in your games with A*, Fuzzy logic and NavMesh

Key Features

• Explore the brand-new Unity 2017 features that makes implementing Artificial Intelligence in your game easier than ever
• Use fuzzy logic concepts in your AI decision-making to make your characters more engaging
• Build exciting and richer games by mastering advanced Artificial Intelligence concepts such as Neural Networks

Book Description

Unity 2017 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.

This third edition with Unity will help you break down Artificial Intelligence into simple concepts to give you 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. Further on you will learn to distinguish the state machine pattern and implement one of your own. This is 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'll learn how to use Unity's built-in NavMesh feature and implement your own A* pathfinding system. You will then learn how to implement simple flocks and crowd's dynamics, key AI concepts. Moving on, you will learn how to implement a behavior tree through a game-focused example. Lastly, you'll combine fuzzy logic concepts with state machines and apply all the concepts in the book to build a simple tank game.

What you will learn

• Understand the basic terminology and concepts in game AI
• Explore advanced AI Concepts such as Neural Networks
• Implement a basic finite state machine using state machine behaviors in Unity 2017
• Create sensory systems for your AI and couple it with a Finite State Machine
• Wok with Unity 2017's built-in NavMesh features in your game
• Build believable and highly-efficient artificial flocks and crowds
• Create a basic behavior tree to drive a character's actions

Who this book is for

This book is intended for Unity developers with a basic understanding of C# and the Unity editor. Whether you're looking to build your first game or are looking to expand your knowledge as a game programmer, you will find plenty of exciting information and examples of game AI in terms of concepts and implementation.

Ray Barrera is a software engineer, who has spent the better part of the decade working on various serious, entertainment and educational projects in Unity. He has spoken at college campuses, and presented a talk at Unite 2017 in Austin, on app development in Unity. He is currently working in education tech as director of mobile engineering at a well-known education company. Free time outside of work is spent on a number of hobbies, including hiking, music, and cooking (primarily Mexican food). Aung Sithu Kyaw is passionate about graphics programming, creating video games, writing, and sharing knowledge with others. He holds an MSc in digital media technology from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. Lastly, he worked as a research associate, which involved implementing a sensor-based real-time movie system using Unreal Development Kit. In 2011, he founded a tech start-up focusing on interactive media productions and backend server-side technologies. Thet Naing Swe has been working in the software and game industry for more than 10 years and has a passion for creating all types of games including serious, casual, casino and AAA games. He received the 1st class Honor Degree in Computer Games Development from University of Central Lancashire, UK in 2008 and started working as a game programmer at CodeMonkey studio for a year before joining NTU Singapore as a graphic programmer using UDK. He founded JoyDash Pte Ltd Singapore in 2014 where it produces casino, casual and multiplayer mobile games mainly for Myanmar market.