Notes

We know from experience that AI that doesn't react to the player isn't fun
so we assumed that the more ways the AI reacts to the Player the more fun it will be

But we didn't just add efficient combat reactions
we wanted to add lifelike reactions that made the AI engaging

• We wanted AI that could be impressed

  The player wants to be important, so we create an entire universe and make him the center of it

  Part of being the center of your own universe is being the biggest bad ass in the room

  In Halo, everyone has a reaction to seeing the Player for the first time

  Grunts are surprised

  their first reaction is usually to take cover
  

  Elites get angry

  their first reaction is usually to shoot at you and make sure you can't escape

  Marines are just impressed

  They stare at you and make comments about how great you are

  "Wow, it's him."

  "I didn't think he'd be so tall"

• An enemy that can be fooled

  The player wants to be a ninja, he wants to toy with his enemies and humiliate them

  
  Psychics cannot be fooled

  but AI that uses its eyes and ears can be manipulated

  therefore its important to limit the AI's knowledge

  
  Another key ability of ninjas is to predict what their enemies will do

  We helped the Player predict what the AI would do by giving them lots of simple cause and effect reactions

  If I shoot over here, the enemy will investigate over here, so I can ambush them

  If I throw a grenade into that room, the enemy will run out of the room, so I can force them out of cover

  
  We also helped the Player predict what the AI would do by giving the AI predictable strategies

  For instance, they have a straightforward search pattern

  they move forward at a constant rate

  and they don't double-back

  allowing the Player to manipulate them

  An enemy that could be Thwarted

  The Player wants to be Arnold Schwarzenegger

  he wants to dominate his enemies

  he wants them to know he beat them

  To accomplish this we included the concept of a breaking point

  A breaking point is a distinct change in behavior that indicates the AI knows it is going to lose

  For example, when a Grunt sees enough friends die or sees an Elite killed he flees in terror

  When an Elite takes a large amount of damage he loses his temper and charges the Player

  This happens on the group level as well, when a squad takes enough casualties it will retreat

  it will try to find a defensive position

  the squad members will stay in cover longer and fight defensively

  This tells the Player that he has won