Current AI in games : a review

As the graphics race subsides and gamers grow weary of predictable and deterministic game characters, game developers must put aside their “old faithful” finite state machines and look to more advanced techniques that give the users the gaming experience they crave. The next industry breakthrough will be with characters that behave realistically and that can learn and adapt, rather than more polygons, higher resolution textures and more frames-per-second. This paper explores the various artificial intelligence techniques that are currently being used by game developers, as well as techniques that are new to the industry. The techniques covered in this paper are finite state machines, scripting, agents, flocking, fuzzy logic and fuzzy state machines decision trees, neural networks, genetic algorithms and extensible AI. This paper introduces each of these technique, explains how they can be applied to games and how commercial games are currently making use of them. Finally, the effectiveness of these techniques and their future role in the industry are evaluated.

A survey: Particle Swarm Optimization based algorithms to solve premature convergence problem

Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is a biologically inspired computational search and optimization method based on the social behaviors of birds flocking or fish schooling. Although, PSO is represented in solving many well-known numerical test problems, but it suffers from the premature convergence. A number of basic variations have been developed due to solve the premature convergence problem and improve quality of solution founded by the PSO. This study presents a comprehensive survey of the various PSO-based algorithms. As part of this survey, the authors have included a classification of the approaches and they have identify the main features of each proposal. In the last part of the study, some of the topics within this field that are considered as promising areas of future research are listed.

Budgie Smuggler: Selected work for 2015 Swell Sculpture Festival

Budgie Smuggler is the first work of a series entitled slang, reflecting upon other, often unintended meanings behind popular Australian expressions. Synonymous with Australian beach humour, the term budgie smuggler unintentionally masks the desperately tragic plight of wildlife trafficked every year within and beyond our borders. Bird wildlife are fiercely protectively of their kin, often flocking to a site of distress of those trapped or injured - a commotion ensues, helping to scare predators away. The work contemplates our own position and action in response to our captive feathered friends. Budgie Smuggler is a soft resin/silicon, cotton material, fibreglass and recycled object based artwork.