Multitiered AI

1
Multi-tiered AI

• Patrick Schmid

2
Multi-tiered AI

• We already saw a presentation about this topic
• Remember Kes presentation?
• Short recap

3
Multi-Tiered AI Framework

• The Intelligence Structure
• Strategic Intelligence (SI)
• Operational Intelligence (OI)
• Tactical Intelligence (TI)
• Individual Unit (IU)

SI makes general goals and plans
OI is concerned with implementing the general
orders from SI
TI Prepares the data for IU
4
Situational Projects

• SPs the basic messages for communications
  between different levels of AIs

OI1
5
The MTAIF Class Architecture
SI
package of functions and strategies

Unit Object
OI
TI
IU
6
(No Transcript)
7
(No Transcript)
8
US Army
9
Soldier AI

• All RTS games already have some rudimentary form
• Follow orders
• Stay alive
• Report occurrences to the squad AI (completed or
  failed orders, newly spotted enemies)
• Select and engage targets
• Path finding

10
Squad AI

• Already used in many games
• Receive orders from the platoon AI
• Translate them into soldier orders
• Distribute them to squad members
• Evaluate feedback from soldiers
• New orders to soldiers
• Pass feedback to platoon AI
• Most complex job translating orders
• Move orders need to account for relative
  positions of soldiers according to formation,
  terrain, posture
• More complicated orders are built by combining
  basic ones, e.g. Move Attack

11
Platoon AI

• Similar tasks to squad AI
• Passing orders and feedback from one level to the
  other
• Message translation is again the bulk of the
  processing
• Individual squads locations with respect to rest
  of platoon is paramount concern

12
Company AI, Brigade AI, Division AI, Army AI, etc.

• Similar to platoon AI, but dealing with bigger
  blocks of units
• Formations are less rigid, allowing for more
  involved tactics
• Highest level AI below computer player AI has
  extra duties
• Each is assigned a different portion of the world
  to operate in
• Passes upwards only important strategic
  information
• Most tactical data is analyzed and acted upon in
  this level

13
Computer Player AI (CPAI)

• Many roles in RTS games
• Civilization growth
• Construction
• Economics
• Research
• Politics
• Combat
• Analyzes the relative strengths of the friendly
  and enemy troops and their disposition
• Decide on overall strategy attack or defend
• Deploy armies
• Adjust armies as combat progresses
• Reinforce
• Augment decimated squads
• Build new armies

14
Example Platoon AI

• World War II Game
• Heavy firepower of tank
• Infantrys better detection ability
• Platoon AI decides formation (triangle)
• Infantry engages enemy
• Tank supports with heavy firepower

15
Example Brigade AI

• Medieval Game
• Goal capture fortress defended by company
  strength enemy
• Brigade AI approaches while staying out of
  engagement range
• Two infantry companies attack in front
• Cavalry goes behind fortress to cut off
  reinforcements and possibly attack from behind
• One infantry company is held in reserve

16
Maps

• Each AI needs its own map
• Why?
• Plan paths
• Identify locations
• Implement tactics
• Each AI needs different information
• Static map data, e.g. location of roads, updated
  only if a change occurs
• Dynamic map data, e.g. troop locations, updated
  once or twice a second

17
Maps (cont.)

• Element map
• Finest level of detail (1 to 3 m squares)
• Some games actual map element data
• Soldiers path is calculated on this map
• Tracks actual enemy troops
• Tile map
• Next level of detail (10 m squares)
• Squad paths are calculated
• Troop data is represented only as combined
  strengths

18
Maps (cont.)

• Mega-Tile Map
• Platoon scale (25-50 m)
• Finds paths for platoons
• Larger Scale Maps
• You get the picture...

19

• Platoon moves to defend a pass on the mega-tile
  map
• Scout squad defends pass on the tile map
• Scout soldier moves into trench on element map

20
(No Transcript)
21
Reference

• Tom Kent Multi-Tiered AI Layers and Terrain
  Analysis for RTS Games AI Game Programming
  Wisdom 2