Sebastiano M. Cossu - Beginning Game AI with Unity: Programming Artificial Intelligence with C#

Any source code or other supplementary material referenced by the author in this book is available to readers on GitHub via the books product page, located at www.apress.com/978-1-4842-6354-9 . For more detailed information, please visit http://www.apress.com/source-code .

In this book, you will learn what Artificial Intelligence is and how to build an intelligent agent.

We will cover the fundamentals of game AI programming starting from creating the fundamentals of linear algebra, moving to pathfinding and search algorithms to create agents that can navigate into complex 3D worlds, and finally landing in the world of behavior programming to build fun and interesting NPCs.

Lets take a closer look to what each chapter is going to cover.

This chapter is an introduction to the topics we are about to explore, with some important definition and background information about AI and more importantly AI in video games.

In this chapter, we will explore the fundamentals of 3D math with a brief introduction to some important concepts of linear algebra.

This chapter is essential to understand how you can make objects move in a 3D space.

In this chapter, we will build a simple NPC that will move toward a point in a 3D plane with no obstacles by just applying linear algebra.

In this chapter, we will talk about pathfinding, one of the foundations of AI. We will start with a quick introduction to graph theory, and we will introduce some important algorithms and how to use them to solve game-related problems.

In this chapter, we will introduce the navigation problem by building an NPC capable of navigating in a maze using a waypoint system and pathfinding algorithms.

In this chapter, we will continue the talk about navigation. We will introduce the de facto standard to solve navigation problems: applying A* to a NavMesh.

In this chapter, we will create an NPC capable of reaching any walkable part of a 3D map (with obstacles) by finding the shortest path from its starting point to the users selected goal.

In this chapter, you will learn how to tackle the challenge of creating an intelligent (or apparently so) NPC able to behave differently according to the environment and the situation in which it is in by using Finite-State Machines.

In this chapter, we will build a mini stealth game featuring a labyrinth and a guard that will patrol the area looking for the player and chasing them. You will learn how to implement a cone view to make the agent perceive the environment and how to implement various behaviors and to trigger them according to the situation.

I wrote this book in a very strange time in history: a new unknown virus spread and changed our lives forever things that I only saw in video games until this moment.

It was a year full of chaos, fear, and uncertainties, and writing a book in this moment wasnt easy, and I would never have been able to do it without the priceless support of my family and friends to whom all my love and gratitude goes. Thank you for being always close even when you were far.

A special thanks to my sister Daniela who cycled many kilometers just to check on me and have wonderful social distanced chats in the park and also managed to organize the best virtual birthday during lockdown with all the big family from Italy, including my dear grandma Maria. Thank you so much! You are my rock.

Warmest thanks to Elena, Andrea, Nora and Federica for always being there and gifting me with their precious friendship.

I want to take the opportunity to thank the Red Cross volunteers, healthcare workers, and everyone who worked hard to help us all during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you all!

Thanks to the amazing Apress team and to the great people at Feral Interactive for their support, friendship and humanity in such a challenging moment.

Finally, thanks to you who bought this book and are about to start your journey into game AI. I hope that this little book will help you reach your goals.