ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a high-level and simple overview of an artificial intelligence (AI) system that could be used for a networked first-person shooters game. It looks into modifications to well-known AI algorithms such as behavior trees and animation state machines (ASMs), which were made to suit specific needs of the game. The chapter discusses ways to keep the behavior tree (BT) simple but reactive to high-priority events by introducing a concept called interrupts. It focuses upon animation layers that are designed to handle aiming and shooting animations independent of the BT. The chapter also discusses modifications to traditional ASMs to help network animations, allowing cooperative or competitive gameplay across the internet and presents a basic AI system which supports a variety of behaviors, animations, and networked gameplay. Players connect to the game as clients, and all of the systems we have created so far work only on the server side.
