ABSTRACT
The unified theory of locomotion is a common language for movement that can provide a basis for improving AI movement systems to be more robust to design changes, debugging, and experimentation. The unified theory of locomotion breaks down movement solutions into the component values of motion that they influence and the type of influence they impart on each value. Conversely, path planning takes a goal location and directs the movement of a character though the environment toward that goal. Path planning determines a sequence of positional subgoals, defining the ideal movement direction and position of the character. It provides a specific position, or sequence of positions, it is considered a "positional director"'. An important aspect of the unified theory of locomotion is the relationship between restrictors and directors across physical values. The director combination process can be broken down into two steps: high-level arbitration between directors and low-level combination of the resulting values.
