CS 7632: Game AI

Overview

Welcome to CS 7632 Game AI.

As applied to video game development, Artificial Intelligence serves a different purpose than general AI research. This is due to the fact that general AI is often concerned with finding a correct and/or optimal answer. However, the goal of Game AI is to simply provide a fun gameplay experience. Because of this, Game AI solutions may involve cutting corners, tricking the game player, or otherwise cheating in regard to implementation. Game AI also faces the challenge of limited computational resources as video games involve a lot of subsystems that must work in coordination such as graphics, sound, physics simulation, etc. Game AI is often a lower priority in this list of game features and further motivates the corner cutting strategies.

While Game AI generally leverages concepts from classic AI research, you will see that there are many unique implementation strategies for achieving a fun game play experience. The Game AI course covers topics including agent movement, path planning, decision making, goal-oriented behavior, learning, and procedural content generation.

Sample Syllabus

Example syllabus from previous offering (PDF)

Note: Sample syllabi are provided for informational purposes only. For the most up-to-date information, consult the official course documentation.

Before Taking This Class...

Suggested Background Knowledge

It is strongly recommended that students take CS 6601: Artificial Intelligence prior to taking this course.

Students are expected to be familiar with basic computer science concepts such as algorithms and data structures. Students should also have a strong background in software development.

Students are not expected to be familiar with the Unity Engine. For those not already familiar with C#, familiarity with a strongly typed object-oriented programming language such as Java is helpful.

Technical Requirements and Software

The majority of software development is performed with the Unity Engine and the C# programming language. Students need a Windows PC or Mac capable of running Unity. Some assignments may use supplementary tools such as Python.

Academic Integrity

All Georgia Tech students are expected to uphold the Georgia Tech Academic Honor Code. This course may impose additional academic integrity stipulations; consult the official course documentation for more information.