Overview on games and history of the development of different techniques used in video games.

1. Overview on Computer-Games ........................................................................................................ 2
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 2
1. Artificial Intelligence in Computer-Games ........................................................................................... 2
History of Artificial Intelligence ............................................................................................................... 2
Background and AI Definition.................................................................................................................. 3
Hardware development effects on AI ....................................................................................................... 3
Market trend for Computer Games ........................................................................................................... 4
Usage of AI in Computer Games .............................................................................................................. 4
1. Rule-Based Techniques................................................................................................................. 4
2. Learning Techniques in AI ........................................................................................................... 5
2. Multimedia in Computer Games ........................................................................................................... 5
Sound effects............................................................................................................................................. 6
3. Future Development in Game industry ................................................................................................. 6
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................... 7
1

2. Overview on Computer-Games
Introduction
Humans are apt to have enjoyment and entertainment from time to time. Over time, they have
developed endless methods to have change in their routine life, and break the silence of boring
times. Computer-games are one of these methods that have been developing over time. Many
years of research and devoted times and methods were invented and one of these methods are the
artificial intelligence that helped a lot to have realistic adventure in computer games. In the
following sections of this document an overview of games, their techniques used in AI, the
multimedia background, its development and usage in computer-games, and the expected
development of computer-games in the future.
1. Artificial Intelligence in Computer-Games
Artificial Intelligence is key factor nowadays in the success or failure of any computer games.
AI becomes an essential component in programming computer games and the techniques used by
game developers are proven to be useful.
The hardware development with more raw-processing power helped a lot in the usage of AI in
computer games. It is now a key factor to declare the success or failure of computer games, [1]
and [2] .What is the collaboration between AI and game developers and what difficulties faced
using AI in computer games?
History of Artificial Intelligence
The beginning of the artificial intelligence in computer games started in 1950 by Claude
Shannon who published paper on computer chess [11]. The chess game was the first application
that used the AI and brings an area of research to AI. The research based on chess computer
games the brute-force approach in the seventies and eighties of the past century. The research
showed that there is a strong relation between the search speed and the performance of the chess
program [12]. Thus the research focused on building faster search engines instead of mainstream
research.
Since late 1980s till today, there was a significant development in the search algorithm.
Computer chess games has developed and in the early nineties the computer chess has defeated
the human world Chess Champions Garry Kasparov and Takeshi Murakami and that was a
milestone in AI development in the 1997 [12].Using the AI in the computer games has been a
key factor to the success of these games with high performance programs.
Series of developments has been made for decades to improve the chess games using the AI,
and the researches continued to reach better machine games that could defeat the human
capabilities.
Building the computer chess games was relatively easy as the program has full access to the
entire system. On the other hand, where the information is hidden, the program has to look for all
2

3. probabilities which one only is correct. So the new computer games depended on new elements
such as the probabilities and that changed the search space [12].
Some programs that are built on the AI changed the way of the programs course in playing the
game. The game itself should have learning capabilities especially if there are many different
players, i.e. poker game, where the information is hidden, there is a risk management, deception,
exploit the sub-optimal opponent play, competing agents as more players are in place, and so on
[12].
Background and AI Definition
There are different views in defining the AI since they come into exist. Some define it as the
techniques that reflect human cognitive process. Others define it as it is the solving tool that
require intelligence if solved by humans irrespective of whether the technique reflect human
cognition,[3] and [4]. It is also suggested that the system should adapt to or learn from its
environment in order that the AI becomes applicable,[4].
AI has developed to a degree that is considered to be a full adaptive system that can solve
highly complex problems using techniques that reflect the nature of human intelligence, [1].
It is worth mentioning that artificial neural network controllers are used in computer games to
control the characters of the game. For example, if there are two teams playing against each
other. Evaluation is used on the two teams and the result is used to help adjusting the characters
to achieve team balance [14].
There are also in some computer-games the computational intelligence techniques to provide a
human-like capabilities and improving reality of the game design. It is based on Fuzzy
controllers and is hybridized with emotional representation methodologies that enable the
competitors of the game to use the emotional engine [14].
The main criterion in AI is that the entities that are not controlled by the user display life-like
attributes and presents reality in the game, [5]. AI used to include all techniques that make the
games appear more intelligent, more reality appearance, and more aware.
The great advancement in technology has made many improvements in sound and graphics
that seem to be almost real, thus there should be an appropriate intelligence for the characters
controlled by the user.
Hardware development effects on AI
The fast and rapid advancement in processor technology led to fair use of that processing
power devoted for AI unlike the resources reserved for it in the past which was insufficient [6,7]
. More advanced techniques of the AI are now possible in the shadow of high processor speeds in
home computers. We have to take into account that in the past the processor has to take care of
the instructions and the graphics as well. Now with the introduction of the graphics controllers in
the home PC, the burden on processor for the work associated with the graphics became none.
Therefore, this allowed for reserving more power for the implementation of AI techniques [7]. In
my opinion, there are more techniques that the future will bring for the computer-game. The
advent of new computer cards, with their own processors on board, to deliver the high
3

4. performance of the logic of the game leaving the processor cycles free from this burden and
makes the game faster and more intelligent.
Market trend for Computer Games
By the existence of home computers, the games has gained popularity and numerous products
of action, adventure games, strategy games, and sports games have overwhelmed the industry.
These interactive games need computer character to react with the user in real fashion. So
these games are the best platform for using the AI to simulate the human-level of intelligence.
Players are fed up with the low level of profession compared with the human intelligence.
So many online games now are based on humans playing with each other over the web and
made these games successful. On these websites, the human actions and different responses are
studied carefully from different entities to better develop the techniques that the computers adopt
in the new generation of computer games.
In the present, the high quality of graphics is expected. On the contrary, in the past the games
gain success if they have excellent graphics that reflect the reality. The games will be receive
well if they use effective techniques of AI that meets the players desire, if not they would fail in
the market and will not gain the popularity [6]. The young generations who have professional
skills nowadays can easily defeat most difficult games and can reach the end of the games. At the
beginning they may be slow in controlling the game, but once they figure out the logic of the
game, they become more intelligent of the games themselves. It is quite clear that the human
intelligence is still more advanced than any computer games, though the human-like intelligence
is used by humans themselves.
Usage of AI in Computer Games
There are two techniques [1], namely those which are rule based, and the techniques that adopt
or learn from the behavior of the players. In the following section there is a brief description of
the two techniques and its usage in AI gaming programming.
1. Rule-Based Techniques
Checking the environment is one of the tasks of the Finite State Machine (FSM) that takes the
decision to attack the player if he is in a room and did not use and fire shooting. Also in the FSM
the current state is changed due to a specific event or condition. For example, the character of a
game runs away if it gets injured [15]. FSM is a simple and powerful tool that does not have a
specific interpreter, but only realized by scripts and simple if-then statements [15].
Another algorithm that is used in computer games is the A* which is basically based on
Dijkstra's shortest-path algorithm. It starts from the starting node to build a map to the
destination by calculating the shortest path from the starting node to the destination. It contains
two lists. The first one is the open list which contains the paths that could be discovered. The
second is the closed list which contains all the nodes discovered so far. This technique is used
specially in a game that has a difficult terrain so the character wants to calculate the shortest path
to the player character [15].
4

5. The Fuzzy logic is also used in programming computer-based games. It is worth mentioning
the definition of “Fuzzy Logic: which is a mathematical tool dealing with the concept of partial
truth and beyond the true or false notation. It is a system that is able to deal with vague concepts
such as almost or fairly [1].
Fuzzy Logic is used to recognize non-binary conditions in computer games. For example,
making enemies appear intelligent like hiding when getting injured, lead player into ambushes,
and run away when defeated. Fuzzy logic widely used in action games to determine tactical
responses of enemies based not only on the situation but also on the personality of the enemy [1].
AI selects the best appropriate action depending on the character's pre-determined traits, e.g.
aggression, intelligence, courage, and cooperation [8]. In real time strategy games the player
faces different cultural groups, so the developers made a cascading fuzzy logic built on core AI
engine an changed the decision threshold depending on the personality trait of the faced group
[6]. This reduces the code used instead of lengthy one for different group.
Some researches divide the computer-games into two types, one is the single player and the
other is the multi-player computer games. Here there are two randomization techniques used in
MCTS, Monte Carlo Tree Search, which is an algorithm used in game production. One is in-tree
phase of simulation, the second is during the play-out phase and both increase diversity while
keeping the sanity of the simulation games [14].
2. Learning Techniques in AI
Let us give a definition of the learning in AI. Systems are considered to be intelligent if they
are able to learn and change according to the interaction between the system and the outside
world [10].
Players have in general the option to have up to 6 buttons or a combination of them in fighting
games. It is also possible to have a database of these combinations and all possible responses to
these combinations. AI is using this database to take the appropriate responses to such button
combinations. In that way, the character in the game is responsible to adapt to the player.
In other strategic real time games, the raw input commands gives little information about the
behavior of the player and the strategies is using. It also uses a database which lists all possible
raw input commands to take the appropriate response. In these strategy games, the AI should
learn the preferred way of attack or the behavior of the player and this can only be learned by an
effective AI that uses a store of these behaviors to take the best way of response [9].
Moreover, the genetic FML, Fuzzy Markup Language, is used to analyze current situation of a
game and take the next more to an inferred good-move position. Also this learning way evolves
the adoption of GFML, Genetic FML, to enable the increase of winning rate of the game [14].
There is also the user verification approach which consists of a sequence of coordinated inputs.
The user of verifications aims to separate the original account owner from intruders.
2. Multimedia in Computer Games
Multimedia has an essential influence on the computer-games. They bring reality to them and makes the
player live with the natural effects that surround it. The multimedia includes many elements, e.g. the
graphics, the sound effects, and the different coloring schemes used. On our overview on games we
5

6. focused on the sound effects and the brief history of the development of sound effects that helped the
evolvement of computer-games and added reality to the games.
Sound effects
It is of great importance when designing sound-based interactive media to pay attention on
where and when these sounds will be played. There are static and dynamic events that will cause
the generation of sound. It is easier to visualize the dynamic with sound than in static overviews.
In other environments, there is an ambient sound that associates all the objects as the different
sounds effects in a jungle [17].
In the early days of computer-games, a chip that produces noise bursts or waveforms were
used to generate sound effects for the games. At that time sound cards were not yet available and
the output was through the computer loudspeakers onboard or encoded into video signal to be
used with TV [18].
The development of the computer made the sound chips to be replaced by the digital audio
handled by the central processor. The technology evolved and the new era of digital sound
technology emerged, starting with single poor channel of sound then developed to have up to 32
channels of sound. The burden upon the CPU created difficulties. In the early 1980s and
beginning of 1990s, the processor has to handle sound and graphics at the same time. Then the
music of computer games became as a file contains sample data and sequencing information and
controlled by the game logic [18].
In the late 1990s the audio engines started to appear, that is having the CD-Rom driver
connected directly to the sound cards and music is played from the CD. This technology based
on buffering and memory management systems.
Now the computers are able to load several minutes of music using the Direct Memory
Access, DMA, and can play hundreds of channels simultaneously due to the new format of audio
like FLACK, MP3 and many others using hardware compression. Although having these
advancement, the game sound system still behind the state of the art in DSP for years [18].
3. Future Development in Game industry
Some of the ideas say that the characters of the game have a finite number of goals and can
construct goals themselves. The attitude is to develop games that are not only proactive,
reactive, but also to create the ability to anticipate the reactions of the players themselves. Plan
ahead, and consider the consequences of the others' actions are also anticipated in future
computer-games. If this happens, the character in games would be more intelligent and brings
more reality for the game itself [1]. In other words, it will bring more entertainment and
challenges to the game that players love to have.
Alexander [15] believes that the future for games will be focused on the player’s fun and
experience rather than the behavior of the game built-in characters. Also, the advancement in the
CPU and its high performance and capabilities will enable the characters to be more
sophisticated. It was believed that the artificial intelligence has log algorithms that need powerful
processors to compile the instructions, so the rapid advancement in processors will contribute to
adopt more complicated and faster algorithms that will bring more reality to games.
6

7. Using the AI is the critical part in developing new games and AI will be a key role for any
design of computer game [12].The advancement of computer games has given good effect on the
technology of programming. Many of the ideas have been adapted from game-tree search to
other applications that used these algorithms. Games have been used as a test bed for AI that
made to build high-performing computer systems [1].
In today's development, there are many techniques and methods used in sound processing. We
mention here some of them, i.e. sequence and randomization, blending, Grouping and buses,
attenuation and damping, ambience, Real-time controllers, localization and so many others.
The graphics controllers are an added value to games. Now the graphics’ processors are more
capable of handling complicated instructions of the graphics and the future will bring more
advanced processors that include more processing capabilities and more memory on these cards.
Thus the 3D computer-games world will be more attractive and arresting the minds of the
players. Famous companies like ATI and Nvidia are working hard on the graphics cards and they
have developed cards that range from bunch of dollars to thousands of dollars. These cards are
adopted in Supercomputers for weather modeling, medical imaging, and drug discovery as it is
mentioned in Nvidia website [19]. The ongoing research will evolve the industry of new
generations of computer-games that will thrill the minds and feelings.
The future will bring new ideas and new horizons for the computer-games which are a real test
bed for the multimedia and Artificial Intelligence. The wheels of technology never stop, and
many improvements are made for the existing technologies and emerging once are developing to
give us more feelings and effects of the games we play. All the senses will be occupied by the
high resolutions of graphics cards, the sound effects that make reality surroundings for us, and
the faster response of the games for any actions happens by the players.
Conclusion
A lot of academic research has been done on AI that lead to success and great improvements in
Game’s logic in the recent years, but there are still a lot to be done. Computer games are best
described to be a test bed for the academic research of AI, they are easy to simulate, realistic,
readymade environments, and powerful to be adopted by researchers to satisfy their needs. The
users of Computer games are looking for smarter, more intelligent games and better AI used.
This is a time consuming task for the developers to spend more time to develop more complex
and risky methods of AI. Many improvements in hardware such as the graphics cards, sound
techniques in addition to the new techniques that has been done to improve AI used in computer
games. The development and the continuous research will evolve and there maybe surprises arise
with new methods and new techniques.
To conclude this overview of computer-games I will use the words of Arthur Samuel’s (1960)
in his paper in which he predicted the following [13]:
“Programming computers to play games is but one stage in the development of an
understanding of the methods which must be employed for the machine simulation of intellectual
behavior. As we progress in this understanding it seems reasonable to assume that these newer
techniques will be applied to real-life situations with increasing frequency, and the effort devoted
to games ...will decrease. Perhaps we have not yet reached this turning point, and we may still
have much to learn from the study of games.”
7

8. Reference
[1] Johnson, D., & Wiles, J. (2001). Computer games with intelligence. In Fuzzy Systems, 2001. The
10th IEEE International Conference on (Vol. 3, pp. 1355-1358). IEEE.
[1]Gustavson, S. “Multi -player 3 -D graphics computer games: history, state of the art and
development trends. ”[Online]. Available:
http://www.itn.liu.se/~bjogu/TNM008-2001/games.pdf
[2]Howland, G . “Basics of Game AI.”[Online]. Available:
http://www.lupinegames.com/ar ticles/basicai.htm.
[3] Finlay, J.and Dix, A. “An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence.”London: UCL Press, 1996.
[4] Rich, E.and Knight, K. “Artificial Intelligence.”New York: McGraw -Hill, 1991.
[5] Howland, G . “Basics of Game AI.”[Online]. Available:
http://www.lupinegames.com/ar ticles/basicai.htm
[6] Woodcock, S . “Game AI: The State of the Industry.”
[Online]. Available:
http://www.gamas utra.com/features/19990820/game_ ai_01.htm August, 1999.
[7] Woodcock, S . “Game AI: The State of the Industry.” [Online]. Available:
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20001101/woodcock_pfv.htm November, 2000.
[8] Woodcock, S. “Games Making Interesting use of Artificial Intelligence Techniques.”[Online].
Available: http://www.gameai.com/games.html
[9] Howland, G . “Introduction to Learning in Games. ”[Online]. Available:
http://www.lupinegames.com/articles/introlearn.htm
[10] Rich, E.and Knight, K. “Artificial Intelligence.”New York: McGraw -Hill, 1991.
[11] C. Shannon, Programming a computer for playing chess, Philosophical Magazine 41 (1950) 256–
275.
[12] Schaeffer, J., & Van den Herik, H. J. (2002). Games, computers, and artificial intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence, 134(1-2), 1-8.
[13] A. Samuel, Programming computers to play games, in: F. Alt (Ed.), Advances in Computers, Vol.
1, Academic Press, New York, 1960, pp. 165–192
[14] Fujita, H., & Wu, I. (2012). A special issue on artificial intelligence in computer games: AICG.
Knowledge-Based Systems.
[15] Nareyek, A. (2004). AI in computer games. Queue, 1(10), 58.
[16] Hoogeveen, M. (1995). Towards a new multimedia paradigm: is multimedia assisted instruction
really effective. ED-MEDIA 95 Proceedings.
[17] Gärdenfors, D. (2003). Designing sound-based computer games. Digital Creativity, 14(2), 111-
114.
[18] Farnell, A. (2007, September). An introduction to procedural audio and its application in computer
games. In Audio Mostly Conference (pp. 1-31).
[19] NVIDIA Corporation. (n.d.). NVIDIA Corporation. Retrieved December 8, 2012, from NVIDIA
Corporation Web site: http://www.nvidia.com/page/corporate_timeline.html
8