Written by experts with years of gaming industry experience developing today's most popular games, Game Development Essentials: Game Artificial Intelligence provides an engaging introduction to "real world" game artificial intelligence techniques. With a clear, step-by-step approach, the book begins by covering artificial intelligence techniques that are relevant to the work of today's developers. This technical detail is then expanded through descriptions of how these techniques are actually used in games, as well as the specific issues that arise when using them. With a straightforward writing style, this book offers a guide to game artificial intelligence that is clear, relevant, and updated to reflect the most current technology and trends in the industry.

Part 1 : Creating Behaviors
Chapter 1 History and Concepts: how did we get here (and where is here, anyway?)
Chapter 2 Al Agents: creating behavior using a finite state machine
Chapter 3 Complexity & Broad Scope: multiple states and hierarchical state machines

Part 2 : Controlling Behaviors
Chapter 4 Customizing Al Systems: allowing others to modify and implement the Al
Chapter 5 Ecpert Systems: capturing high-level knowledge and improving behavioral control
Chapter 6 Pathfinding: allowing agents to properly find and follow paths

Part 3 : Advanced Topics & Applications
Chapter 7 Advanced Pathfinding Techniques: improving performance and quality
Chapter 8 Looking Smart: maximizing perception of intelligence
Chapter 9 Putting It All Together: designing and building quality game artificial intelligence