Secchi, Marco Artificial Intelligence in Unreal Engine 5

Unleash the power of AI for next-gen game development with UE5 by using Blueprints and C++
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-83620-584-5
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 360 Seiten

Have you ever wondered how to create engaging gameplay experiences that involve formidable AI opponents, capable of challenging and pushing players to their limits? If the answer is yes, then get ready to enter the realm of AI creation with Unreal Engine 5.
Within the pages of this book, written by a brilliant author and game development expert, you'll find the secrets of Unreal Engine's cutting-edge AI framework. With this newfound knowledge, you'll be able to create immersive and dynamic gaming experiences. This step-by-step guide will teach you the art of crafting intelligent and responsive virtual opponents that challenge and engage players on a whole new level. As you follow along with practical examples, the book will guide you through the creation of fully functional AI systems. You'll be able to harness the power of behavior trees, NavMesh systems, and sensory perception models, breathing life into your virtual characters.
By the end of this book, you'll be equipped with the knowledge you need to unleash the full potential of AI in Unreal Engine. Get ready to revolutionize your gaming creations and captivate players with AI-driven wonders that push the boundaries of what's possible!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Secchi, Marco, Marco Secchi

Fachgebiete

• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Programmierung | Softwareentwicklung Software Engineering

Leseproben

Preface

Since its very beginnings, artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the landscape of game development, offering players enriched and immersive experiences that were once thought to be the realm of science fiction. Unlike other methods of game development, where scripted events dictate more rigid player interactions, AI introduces a level of unpredictability and responsiveness that brings virtual worlds to life.

In recent years, advancements in AI technology have made it more accessible and easier to implement, resulting in a surge of intelligent gameplay across various genres. This evolution has made AI a cornerstone of modern game development, with millions of players benefiting from smarter, more engaging interactions in their favorite games every day.

Unreal Engine stands out as an advanced platform for developers looking to harness the power of AI in their projects. With a robust suite of tools and features tailored specifically for AI development – such as behavior trees and the Navigation System – Unreal Engine enables creators to build sophisticated AI systems that enhance gameplay and player engagement.

If you’re ready to explore the world of AI development and its potential to improve your games, then there’s no better time to dive in!

Who this book is for

If you are a game programmer, or specifically an Unreal Engine developer, with little or no knowledge of video game AI systems, and want to delve deep into this topic, then this book is for you.

Developers who are proficient in other game engines and are interested in understanding the principles of the Unreal AI framework will also benefit from this book; however, a basic knowledge of Unreal Engine and C++ is strongly recommended.

A passion for gameplay logic will help you get the most out of this book.

What this book covers

, , gently introduces you to the realm of AI game development, starting with an understanding of the basics of AI behavior.

, , introduces you to the main AI elements included in the Unreal Engine Gameplay Framework, such as behavior trees, the Navigation System, and the Perception System.

, , introduces you to the powerful navigation capabilities within Unreal Engine, including key concepts such as navigation mesh generation and pathfinding algorithms.

, , covers essential practical techniques for implementing a navigation mesh using Unreal Engine, by starting with a concrete project.

, , introduces you to integration algorithms that will optimize the movement and interaction of AI agents within complex environments.

, , presents some strategies and techniques to maximize the performance and efficiency of the Navigation System within Unreal Engine.

, , introduces you to the powerful and versatile behavior tree system within the Unreal Engine framework.

, , guides you through the essential steps of creating and configuring a behavior tree to drive an AI agent within Unreal Engine.

, , provides an in-depth exploration of advanced techniques for extending the capabilities of behavior trees to create more sophisticated AI behaviors and interactions.

, , shows how to leverage the power of the Unreal Engine Perception System to enhance the responsiveness of AI agents within virtual environments.

, , provides a comprehensive and detailed explanation of the Environment Query System within the Unreal Engine framework.

, , introduces you to the StateTree system for implementing hierarchical state machines within Unreal Engine.

, , introduces the MassEntity framework, through which you will be able to implement efficient and scalable data-oriented calculations.

, , introduces smart objects and shows how to integrate them in an Unreal Engine environment.

, delves into the fundamental concepts and principles of using the C++ programming language within the Unreal Engine framework.

To get the most out of this book

To get the most out of this book, it is strongly recommended to have a good understanding of Unreal Engine and its main features. Some experience with C++ programming will also be an advantage. A strong passion for gaming – in particular, gameplay logic – will help you a lot in understanding the most advanced topics.

Software/hardware covered in the book

Operating system requirements

Unreal Engine 5.4

Windows, macOS, or Linux

Visual Studio 2019 or 2022 and JetBrains Rider 2023+

As this book is focused on AI programming and not on graphics, you won’t need a high-spec computer to follow all the chapters. However, to properly run Unreal Engine, a good PC with a good graphics card is highly recommended.

If you are using the digital version of this book, we advise you to type the code yourself or access the code from the book’s GitHub repository (a link is available in the next section). Doing so will help you avoid any potential errors related to the copying and pasting of code.

Download the example code files

You can download the example code files for this book from GitHub at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Artificial-Intelligence-in-Unreal-Engine-5. If there’s an update to the code, it will be updated in the GitHub repository.

We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out!

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Code in text: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: “Once the project is open, please check what’s inside the Content folder.”

A block of code is set as follows:

#pragma once UENUM(BlueprintType)enum class EBatteryStatus : uint8 {    EBS_Empty = 0 UMETA(DisplayName = "Empty"),    EBS_Low = 1 UMETA(DisplayName = "Low"),    EBS_Medium = 2 UMETA(DisplayName = "Medium"),    EBS_Full = 3 UMETA(DisplayName = "Full")};

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

$ mkdir css $ cd css

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: “ In the Details panel, look for the Tags property in the Actor | Advanced category and hit the + button to create a new tag.”

Tips or important notes

Appear like this.

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Über Autor(innen)

Secchi Marco :

Marco Secchi is a freelance game developer who graduated in computer engineering at the Polytechnic University of Milan. He is a lecturer and lead game advisor at Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (NABA) where he also mentors BA students in their final thesis projects. In his spare time, he reads a lot, plays video games (less than he would like), and tries to practice CrossFit.