| Let's leave the format war between Sony and | | | | their path when they sense your presence. It is |
| Microsoft and explore a gaming phenomena that | | | | noticeable especially when your Pac-Man does not |
| unquestionably improves current gaming trends -- | | | | change position at all -- the ghosts move |
| Artificial Intelligence, or AI to many. Touted to | | | | according to the path, changing directions only |
| make new breakthroughs and trends in the world | | | | when they get close to you. |
| of gaming, AI is the enabling of intricate | | | | Twenty years later since Pac-Man, family |
| decision-making capabilities in a software. Speaking | | | | computers, and many computer hardware |
| of AI, the Xbox 360 boasts of an AI-capable | | | | changes, game developers still use the same |
| system designed and developed by many brilliant | | | | simplistic AI tricks. The hardwares evolve to |
| and innovative engineers. Though the Xbox also | | | | accommodate the intensity of the modern |
| has this feature, it is more pronounced and better | | | | graphics as well as the sound system for more |
| in the new console combined with the HD DVD | | | | biting audio. However, despite these changes, AI |
| technology. | | | | programs continue to be a sort of last-minute |
| Of course, such high-quality consoles deserve | | | | addition. In fact, the programs are deemed to be |
| top-notch games and the developers stepped up | | | | unimportant in gaming. As a result, the NPCs, |
| to the challenge. Game developers for Xbox and | | | | largely remained as stupid bots who don't move |
| its new improved counterpart also added AI | | | | even if caught in a crossfire. This is what the AI |
| programs to their games, giving the in-game | | | | programs for the Xbox 360 take care of. |
| personas the ability to think like a real person. | | | | Satchell affirms that the new processing model |
| With the vast power of the new consoles, the | | | | composed of three powerful symmetric cores |
| whole universe of gaming comes alive. A | | | | more than makes up for the lack of "reality" of |
| summary of the improvements AI bring to online | | | | the old console models. He asserts that this new |
| gaming: non-player characters or NPCs act in | | | | Microsoft innovation is really a paradigmatic shift |
| realistic manner, not to mention that allies are | | | | because the standard for game consoles and |
| more helpful and enemies become more fiendish | | | | computer hardware is the use of a single core. He |
| than ever. | | | | added that this shift to a three-core system will |
| Such simplistic notions cannot fully express the | | | | add considerable burden to the lives of game |
| benefit of AI in a game sequence. The simplicity | | | | developers but add to greater delight of all Xbox |
| of the summation only contrives to hide the | | | | 360 gamers. This is because a fully AI-capable |
| complexity of the AI behind the Xbox 360. But | | | | three-core system provides greater flexibility and |
| the concept of AI is not a modern one. In fact, | | | | more cycles which make gaming more exciting |
| AI is a subject of discussion, debates, and | | | | and interesting. |
| practical simulations within the academic setting | | | | The key to achieving that is to make sure that |
| for years. Chris Satchell, Microsoft's General | | | | the AI programs of the new Xbox run smoothly |
| Manager for Game Development, attests to this | | | | on all three cores. Therefore, the developers need |
| fact. From the development of Pac-Man, game | | | | to take extensive sections from their codes and |
| designers and developers have been employing | | | | test it on all three cores. As a result of all these |
| the use of AI, even if it is just in its simplest | | | | great efforts, the CPU's main processor does not |
| state. Take Pac-Man for example, wherein the | | | | take all the burden of handling multiple tasks; |
| main objective is to eat as many golden pellets as | | | | instead, the added cores take over the job. The |
| possible without being eaten by the "ghosts." This | | | | results are more efficient gaming, sharper |
| simplicity is matched by the elementary | | | | graphics, quality audio, and thinking characters |
| pre-scripted AI patterns used. The ghosts almost | | | | which give Xbox 360 games advantage over |
| always follow a straight line but they deviate from | | | | others. |