... I'd like to reply to some questions that some of you might already have.

Does this book take into account Blueprint or C++?

This book will explain both, so don't worry.

If you don't know C++, you can follow along with the Blueprint part of this book, and if you so wish, you can try the C++ one.

If, on the other hand, you are a programmer that prefers C++, then don't worry! This book will explain how to deal with AI in Unreal using C++.

There are so many books around about AI, why should I choose this one?

Different books explain different aspects of AI, and often they are not mutually exclusive, but rather they complement each other.

However, the major point of interest of this book is that it is a good compromise between the theory of the different AI systems that are present in Unreal and practical applications, since the whole book...

Since this book is targeted at people who are getting started with AI in game development, I will not assume any prior/background knowledge in AI. However, please take the following into account:

• Blueprint users: You should be familiar with Blueprint programming, and know how a Blueprint graph works in general.
• C++ users: You should be familiar with programming, especially with the C family languages (such as C, C#, C++, or even Java), and in particular with C++, since it's the language that Unreal Engine uses. Being familiar with the Unreal Engine C++ API is a great bonus, although not strictly required. So, even if you are not a master, don't worry—follow along and you will learn.

Also, it would be great if you had some knowledge about vector math and physical kinematic principles – at least the ones commonly used in video games. Either...

Before you continue reading, let's install the software we need. In particular, we will need Unreal Engine and Visual Studio.

Let's talk about Unreal Engine. After all, this is a book about how to develop game AI within this wonderful game engine.

Unreal Engine is a game engine that was developed by Epic Games. It was first released in 1998, and nowadays it is one of the most used (open) game engines (alongside Unity) due to its powerful features. The following screenshot shows the main interface of Unreal Engine:

We need to have the latest version of Unreal Engine installed. You can find it by visiting https:/...

Ever dreamed of becoming an AI Game Developer? Or maybe just be able to write "intelligent" programs? Then this book is for you!

However, I need to advise you that this is no easy task.

Game development and design are some of the most extensive works of art around. This is due to a large amount of expertise that is required to bring a game to life. You can get an idea of this by just looking at the final credits in a game. They are endless and contain names of people who have dedicated a lot of their time to the game in various roles. AI development is a central part of this big process, and it requires years to master it, like most things in life. As such, iteration is key, and a great place to get started in this book.

Before venturing on our journey, I believe that having a general overview of the history of AI and AI in games might be beneficial. Of course, you can skip this part if you are a more hands-on type of person who cannot wait to getting down to programming AI.

This is a very interesting question, which doesn't have a unique answer. In fact, different answers lead to different aspects of AI. Let's explore some (of many) definitions that have been given by different scholars (in chronological order).

Actually, Russell and Norvig, in their book, organized these specific definitions into four categories. Here is their schema:

It's finally time to start planning our journey, before jumping into the next chapter.

Since, for some of you, this is your first journey into AI, it's important that you have a small glossary of the technical terms that are used throughout this book (and in general, in AI). We have already encountered some of these in the past few pages:

• Agents are systems that are capable of autonomous reasoning toward solving a specific set of goals.
• Backward Chaining is the process of tracing the cause of a problem by working backwards.
• Blackboard is an architecture for exchanging data between different agents, and sometimes even within the agent itself (especially in Unreal).
• Environment...

In this chapter, we have seen how wonderful the world of AI in video games is. We explored the history behind video games, both in Academia and in the industry. We have planned our journey in this book and explained what it will look like.

Now, it is time to prepare ourselves because, starting from the next chapter, we are going to get our hands dirty and jump straight into Unreal Engine.