Unreal Engine 4 AI Programming Essentials

Create responsive and intelligent game AI using Blueprints in Unreal Engine4About This BookUnderstand and apply your Game AI better through various projects such as adding randomness and probability, and introducing movementConfigure and debug Game AI logic using multiple methodologiesBridge the gap between your knowledge and Game AI in Unreal Engine 4Who This Book Is ForThis book is for programmers and artists who want to expand their knowledge of Game AI in relation to Unreal Engine 4. You are recommended to have some experience of exploring Unreal Engine 4 prior to this book because we jump straight into Game AI.What You Will LearnUnderstand the fundamental components of Game AI within Unreal Engine 4Skillfully introduce Game AI within Unreal Engine 4Configure, customize, and assign Navigation and AI components to your pawnCreate, debug, and analyze Game AI behaviorDesign responsive Game AI using the Behavior Tree methodologyCreate smart objects designed to interact with AIUtilize advanced AI features within your project to maximize the user experienceIn DetailUnreal Engine is a powerful game development engine that provides rich functionalities to create 2D and 3D games. It is one of the three big game engines used, alongside Unity and CryEngine. Developers have the opportunity to build cross-platform mobile and desktop games from scratch. With Blueprints in Unreal Engine 4, you're able to fully leverage the visual aid that Behavior Trees are built on. Rarely has there been an opportunity to prototype powerful Game AI and have immediate control over constructing, scripting, and viewing the response in a live gaming environment.This book will show you how to apply artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to your Unreal Script using C++ as your scripting language through multiple projects. With the knowledge gained through this book, you'll be able to leverage the benefits of Unreal Engine 4.We'll start with an introduction to AI, and you'll learn how it is applied to gaming. Then you'll jump right in and create a simple AI bot and apply basic behaviors to allow it to move randomly. Furthermore, you will get to know the difference between an AI Controller and a Player Controller. As you progress, you'll find out how to implement randomness and probability traits. Using Navmesh, we will impart navigation components such as Character Movement, MoveTo Nodes, Settings, and World Objects, and implement behavior trees. You will see different techniques to sense the environment and create your own sensory system, and will implement Steering Behaviors, Path Following, Avoidance, and Projectiles.At the end of the book, we will troubleshoot any issues that might crop up while building the entire game. Read more