Another gem from over at what is rapidly becoming our sister-site, AIGameDev.com - this is the result of a discussion that started a few weeks amongst the site regulars.

Top 5 Trends and Predictions for Game AI in 2008

Of the top 5, I'm the most excited about an increase in sandbox games and emergent behaviors. Really, I see these two as almost interlinked. Sandbox games not only allow emergent behavior to proliferate - they almost require it to do so in order to keep immersion.

Likewise, interagent cooperation was another of the top 5 on the list. Again, this is something that I see as related to emergent behavior. If you leave your cooperation loosely defined rather than pre-scripted, you will see a lot of emergent behavior as a result.

I hope to get more a feel about this very topic at the GDC roundtables and lectures next month. That is always a great way to take the pulse of the industry. Anyway, good stuff on the list.

Labels: AIGameDev, Alex Champandard, emergence, sandbox games, unit cooperation