Unreal Engine 4 AI Programming Essentials

Description

Unreal Engine is a powerful game development engine that provides rich functionalities to create 2D and 3D games. Developers have the opportunity to build cross-platform mobile and desktop games from scratch. This book will show you how to apply artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to your Unreal project using blueprints as your scripting language. You will start with an introduction to AI, and learn how it is applied to gaming. Then you'll jump right in and create a simple AI bot and apply basic behaviors to allow it to move randomly. As you progress, you'll find out how to implement randomness and probability traits. Using NavMesh, you will impart navigation components such as character movement, MoveTo nodes, settings, and world objects, and implement Behavior Trees. At the end of the book, you will troubleshoot any issues that might crop up while building the game. 1: Introduction to Game AI Game Artificial Intelligence How AI affects the gaming experience Techniques and practices of game AI Unreal Engine 4 tools Summary 2: Creating Basic AI Goal Setting up the project Using our new AIController class Reviewing the current progress Adding the challenge Traces The Enemy logic Adding the Enemy AI Summary 3: Adding Randomness and Probability Introducing probability RandomStream in Unreal Engine 4 The plan Adding Wander Fleeing and attacking Summary 4: Introducing Movement Overview Path Finding The A* algorithm Navigation Mesh The movement component Let's start! Waypoints Navigation Summary 5: Giving AI Choices Behavior Tree in AIController Creating Behavior Tree Blackboard Designing Behavior Tree Summary 6: How Does Our AI Sense? Overview AI Sense AI Perception components State machines Pawn detection State transition Resetting the state Simulating and playing Summary 7: More Advanced Movement Setting up the agents Viewing the agent Following the agent Steering behavior: Flocking Controlling behavior through UMG Summary 8: Creating Patrol, Chase, and Attack AI Creating a Blackboard Mid-range attack Controllers Waypoints BT Composites, Task, Decorator, and Service Creating the logic Summary 9: What Have We Learned? Creating basic AI Adding randomness and probability Introducing movement Giving our AI choice How does our AI sense? More advanced movement Creating patrol, chase, and attack AI Summary