Level Up.pdf

294 LEVEL 11 They All Want You Dead
Most AI characters use a waypoint navigation
system to move around. A grid or path is laid
out by the designer that determines where the
AI moves. As the AI moves, the programmer
can determine what movement and animations
are played to create specific AI behavior. Areas
can be designated as “ go ” or “ no - go ” areas
based on world geometry or to achieve a
specific AI behavior.
All this means is that your bad guys either
travel along a preplanned network of paths or
wander around within the confines of an
invisible box (or sphere).
This allows the designer to choreograph a world event with an enemy — like
crashing through a wall or reaching a specific spot at a particular time.
However, placing waypoints can be time-consuming and they don’t always
meet all of the AI needs.
Because most waypoint- guided enemies are programmed to determine the
shortest and quickest path to the player, be careful of enemies clipping
corners and objects. You can fix this by tweaking your waypoint paths. Pull
the waypoints in a bit at corners or near objects to compensate for this
movement.
Bring on the Bad Guys
You are walking through a graveyard winding your way through the
tombstones when you see a skeleton blocking your path, ready to fight.
Wait a second. Rewind. There ’ s a much more dramatic way to introduce this
bad guy into your world.