Project Summary
App Icon
Title
Game AI Simulator
Genre
Simulation
Platform(s)
Android
Revenue model
Free
Development tools/Language
Unity
2017
Visual
Studio 2017
C#
GitHub
Microsoft
Office
Paint.NET
Audacity
Project Audience
Employers
within the video game industry
Team
Tyler
Fronczak
Copyright/Reference
Fronczak.
(2018). Game AI Simulator [Mobile
app]. Winter Park, FL: Fronczak.
Backstory
Sound Bite
Experiment
with the distilled concepts of modern game AI.
Executive Summary
Game AI
Simulator is a simulation application that offers an opportunity for first-hand
experimentation with AI in a dynamic real-time environment. It serves to
familiarize users with the fundamentals of modern game AI.
Inspiration
Initially,
this project was conceived as a means to an end. I knew that I wanted to gain employment
within the video game
industry on a technically demanding project, such as an RTS or RPG. The areas
of required knowledge for development varies considerably between these types
of games. However, one thing that is almost always relevant to such games, is
the need for AI. If I could demonstrate sufficient skill in this area, I
suspected my job opportunities would open up considerably.
As I
began my research in preparation for this project, I started to realize the
breadth of systems that are intertwined with any robust AI system. I became
inspired by the numerous individuals that have devoted their time to teaching
game AI concepts. This list of people includes Amit Patel, Steve Rabin, Alex
Champandard, Sebastian Lague, Craig Reynolds, Dave Mark,
and numerous others. Through this newfound inspiration, I tried to develop my
project with the same level of care and detail.
Capstone Project Scope
When
first envisioning this project, the scope was considerably unrealistic for the
allotted timeframe. This scope is best summarized through the following Gantt
chart that was used for the greenlight presentation.
Out of
the 28 primary tasks listed in the original Gantt chart, 8 of those tasks were
never started. Those non-started tasks included the in-game node editor,
encyclopedia, advanced AI architectures, and machine learning. These tasks were
postponed until after this capstone development period because a conscious
shift was made towards prioritizing a small polished project, rather than an
unfinished mess.
Ideal
I
still intend to implement many of the non-started tasks, especially regarding
the UI and advanced agent architectures. This would be in support of the ideal
version of this project, which is something that can be undeniably described as
comprehensive, interactive, and informative. The current version does have
varying degrees of each quality, depending on the particular mode, but there is
still significant room for improvement.
Demo Screencast
The
Critique: What went right
Design & Aesthetics
The
intent of this app’s aesthetic is not to create a cohesive experience or
express some inner artistic desire. Rather, it is intended to convey a sense of
purposeful design and utility. Therefore, when a UI element serves its purpose
and does not detract from the user’s understanding, it is considered as having
been successful. There are three major elements of the UI that satisfy these
criteria, which are the app icon, main menu screen, and mode select screen.
The
humanoid robot was chosen to be the app icon in part because of its use of
neutral and cool colors. By saving the use of warm colors for the terrain and
agent indicators, the visual attention of the user can be better managed.
Additionally, cool colors were favored for the icon because of its calming
psychological effect. Considering that the app icon is one of the first things
a user will encounter, it is important to reduce any apprehension the user may
initially have with an app about AI.
After pressing the app’s robot icon and
opening the app, there is an element of continuity because the app’s icon is
also displayed in the main menu’s bottom-right corner. Additionally, the color
composition of the menu is very similar to the robot, which gives visual
consistency.
Finally, in the mode select menu the user's attention is drawn to the vibrant images of the three modes, which stand in contrast the otherwise neutral UI. The player is enticed to press one of the modes because the rounded corners are indicative of an interactive element.
Project Management
The
use of tracking processes was instrumental in managing the complexity of this
project. Before any work, I would start a digital timer through an online time
tracking application, which allows for labeling of each time segment. At the
end of each week, after having logged numerous time segments, the application
would collate the data into charts that would allow for reflection on that
week’s progress. This helped to provide a sense of accomplishment and identify
problematic areas.
In
addition to the time tracking, after making any notable change to the project,
I would immediately record the change in a temporary document. When submitting
changes through version control, that text would then be directly pasted from
that document into the change list. If any problems arose in the future, this
very accurate changelist always proved invaluable towards identifying the root
causes.
Testing
One
benefit of testing is that it can identify issues that would otherwise go
unrecognized. However, I was generally aware of most issues long before they
were encountered through user testing. Due to the large number of these issues
and the rapid pace of development, I often needed to pick a small set of issues
to focus on. Without regular user testing, it can be difficult to know what
tasks should be prioritized. I would often find my myself focusing my efforts
on issues that were fundamental to the application’s systems. This kind of
focus is certainly valuable in order avoid excessive technical debt, but it can
lead to milestones that are entirely underwhelming from an outsider’s
perspective. This is where user testing proved invaluable, especially usability
testing. Through the completion of a usability report, I was able to identify
aspects of the project that were eliciting undesirable feedback, analyze the
potential causes, and prioritize tasks that would most improve the project’s
reception.
Communication
It may
initially seem strange that I list communication as a strength of this
project’s development, especially considering that I am the sole member of the
development team. However, to ignore this aspect would be to downplay the role
of the project adviser. If communication with my project adviser had failed,
the project would have certainly failed as well. This conclusion is drawn from
the fact that the development process was riddled with external impediments, to
include hospitalization, financial difficulty, and academic burnout.
Regular
communication allowed my adviser to stay informed of the current situation,
which made it easier to justify resultant changes to the project. Additionally,
due to the frequent communication with my adviser, he was able to regularly
provide insightful feedback. While I didn’t always incorporate that feedback
exactly how he may have intended, I never had an issue finding a compromise
that satisfied both his expectations and my vision for the project.
AI
Ultimately,
the success of this project is dependent on its ability to demonstrate a
fundamental understanding of game AI. While this project is still rough around
the edges and lacks a degree of clarity, it does demonstrate important AI concepts
such as knowledge representation (grid), pathfinding, steering behaviors, agent
perception, influence mapping, and a behavior tree architecture. With this
basic toolset, I am more than capable of mimicking the AI that exists in many
modern games. Therefore, I am confident that this project can be considered a
success. A sentiment that has been echoed by my project adviser and my peers.
The
Critique: What went wrong
Design & Aesthetics
It is
my belief that the simplistic design of the app is beneficial to focus the
user’s attention on the actual concepts that are being explored. However, there
are times when simplicity lends itself well to confusion. The best example is
the case of the ecosystem mode. Color is used to differentiate the current emotional
state of agents, such as red when agitated. The problem with this simple
representation is that relying on color alone diminishes the ability for
color-blind individuals to utilize the app. Also, the meaning behind a color
can differ greatly based upon an individual’s cultural understandings.
There
are also certain visual elements designed entirely around my current experience
with AI. Without my personal context, some things cues are likely worthless
because they have no inherent meaning. For example, when a steering behavior
agent is moving, red and blue lines are used to indicate steering and velocity
forces. Other individuals likely visualize these same values through different
means. Therefore, the current design is in the correct direction, but it lacks
the proper context and subtle qualities that make a simple design, easily
understandable.
Project Management
Adhering
to a schedule is generally a good practice, but don’t let that be confused with
clinging to a failing schedule. During the first couple months of this
project’s development, it gradually became clear that the original plan was too
ambitious. I was constantly pushing myself to the limit and yet still falling
behind with every milestone. Not only did this foster a general sense of
failure, but the hurried pace compromised the quality of any work that was
completed. Rather than deliberately writing code that was carefully considered
and verified through automated testing, I was usually developing at a furious
pace and hoping for the best.
If you
find yourself falling into the same rut despite your best efforts, I recommend
putting your pride aside and acknowledging that a change is required. In my
personal experience with the Full Sail instructors and my project advisor, they
can be very accommodating. Once you have formulated a reasonable adjustment to
your plan, you should explain the situation and present that idea to your
advisor, else you risk catastrophic failure.
Development
One way
of considering the quality of development is by the quality of the produced
code. A standard method to quickly analyze the source code of a project is by
calculating its code metrics through your IDE. After looking at the code
metrics for only a portion of this project, you can easily see numerous
problems. The two worst offenders, CustomTerrain.cs and Edge.cs, have issues
with low maintainability, high cyclomatic complexity, and unnecessarily large
line counts. The terrain and grid systems were both developed near the start of
the project, so their poor quality can be largely attributed to the frantic
pace at the start of development.
When
considering the overall state of the project’s source code, it can be described
as reasonably sustainable and scalable. However, the fact that important
underlying systems have serious problems, is concerning. The reason being,
changes to those systems would have implications to numerous other systems.
With each day that is spent ignoring such problems, the impact that would occur
from changing them increases dramatically. If delayed too long, it will become
impossible to change such nuisance systems and their problems will become
inextricably ingrained into the entire project.
Testing
When
working with complex systems that cannot be easily verified manually, it is
important to have some form of automated testing. During development, there
were a few high-profile bugs that were caused by seemingly unrelated systems,
that I had assumed were working correctly. This false confidence could have
easily been rectified and the subsequent loss of time avoided, if I had written
a few simple tests when the relevant systems were first designed.
The
most unfortunate past about this whole issue, is that I had originally planned
to regularly write unit tests. However, due to the poor initial pacing of the
project, I manage to rationalize the exclusion of such tests for the sake of
time. I certainly should have known better, but I let excitement get the best
on me.
Motivation
If I
could only impart one lesson upon a student preparing to embark on the journey
I am now completing, it would be the following: Make sure to take care of your
mental and physical well-being.
For
many years, I relentlessly charged towards my every goal with total disregard
for my health. In the Army, I stopped at nothing until I had achieved the rank
of sergeant and saved a considerable amount of money. This had meant never going
out, volunteering for extra work, and assuming a considerable amount of professional
responsibility. Once that goal was finished I set my focus on going to college.
Despite having saved over 60 vacation days, in just over 3 years in the Army, I
decided to go straight into the rigorous bachelor’s degree program for game
design at Full Sail. After completing that program with a 3.93 GPA, I began to
feel very worn out. Please note, I mention the GPA as an indicator of perfectionist
effort, rather than for bragging. Unfortunately, instead of listening to my body,
I started this master’s degree program the same day I graduated.
With
each passing month, my motivation and energy gradually declined. This situation
was exacerbated by family and financial burdens, which led to a state of total
burnout. It is quite upsetting because I was really engaged when first researching
and implementing AI concepts, but the burnout kept me from truly enjoying what
I was doing. Even as I write this post, despite being so close to graduation, I
struggle to muster the necessary motivation.
If I
had taken some time off before starting this master’s program, my situation
might have been considerably different. With improved health, my project’s
quality would have likely been much higher and I would have enjoyed my education,
rather than longed for its completion. I will admit that this issue sounds whiny and belabored, but I still hope that you will take heed.
Conclusion
While
the project may have satisfied its primary objective, it is far from complete.
There still exists deficiencies regarding source code, concept clarity, visual
design, and audio integration. As far as source code, some scripts are too
bloated, convoluted, unorganized, and/or inefficient. When it comes to concept
clarity, many user interactions require basic familiarity with the underlying
concepts being demonstrated, which limits the app’s potential audience. The
project’s visual design is satisfactory for the time being, but certainly
cannot be considered complete when comparing it against well received apps on
the Google Play store. Finally, the audio in the project is nearly
non-existent.
Going forward, this project will serve as a continual exploration into increasingly improved and nuanced AI concepts. Once it has undeniably achieved the ideal qualities of being comprehensive, interactive, and informative, the app will be removed from its beta period and officially released through Google Play. Depending on its reception, I will consider building and deploying the app for iOS and PC.
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