AI Vs Multiplayer

[davidthefat]

What would be harder to do in you opinion? AI or a ip to ip multiplayer? Give examples and explain. I would think AI would be harder, IDK why, but just does... LOL can anyone have a better explaination than that? Obviously multiplayer would have a better gameplay than AI. I am talking about RTS games

 

[Glitchfinder]

It depends on what platform you're using. With platforms that have built in internet capability, AI will be far more difficult to build. On other platforms, like RMXP, it would be more difficult to build the IP-Based multiplayer, since the program will tend to lag, and you will have to build the online functionality from scratch, for the most part.

 

[KingCharizard]

AI for pc and consoles is easier because of the fact most of the AI in each game is reused over and over and over with slight modfications thats why game behavior always looks th same at some point.. on RMXP AI is also easier, but for game maker I think the IP would be easier

 

[Stuart444]

AI is much harder although it may depend on the complexity of the project.

Infact, AI tends to be one of the hardest and most complex piece of programming in games today, People EXPECT smart AI so games (specifically those that are not sequels and have to build the AI from scratch rather than look for stuff they can reuse) have to have smart AI these days.

It's not like the old days where in pacman, the ghosts would work on a node based system and just come for you when your in their range or where enemies in sonic would just do certain attacks/move in a certain way based on timing and stuff (although some of that could be considered more pathfinding than attacking AI, still AI anyway). Back then you could get away with not having teh smartest AI ever but these days, as systems get more powerful, people expect everything (from graphics to AI, to even lagless networking multiplayer games) to get better.

That said, I'm not as knowledgeable with multiplayer technology so my answer may be biased but I do recall hearing professional game devs cite that AI is one of the hardest parts of game programming today.

edit: Oh and I know you said your talking about RTS games but what I said could be applied to most games today, not just RTS', just thought I'd mention that

 

[KingCharizard]

I been doing AI for many games for about 4 years now since I was 18 and I find it easy, but I dnt program much else for games so maybe that is why. I hate networking programming it annoys me... But most AI logic is the same no matter what the game for instance in a shooter most of the enemies react the same in every shooter. Once the code s written it can be used again in anoter tile. lets say I programmed the AI for COD4(I didnt) then I got tasked with he AI for RSV2(Again I didn't) I wouldnt have to change much aside from things that the project lead wished to be different.