MakeCode Arcade: AI Behaviors, Patrolling and Chasing enemies, Random movement of enemies
TLDRThis tutorial offers an insightful look into enhancing game characters with diverse behaviors, focusing on a random-moving ghost and bat, and a guard-like ghost that chases the player after a specific trigger point. The instructor demonstrates how to program random movement, pacing with a chase trigger, and animations that reflect direction changes. Key concepts include setting sprite velocity for random movement, utilizing conditional logic for pacing behaviors, and animating sprites based on their movement direction. By the end of the tutorial, viewers will understand how to make their game enemies more dynamic and engaging, with practical examples of implementing AI behaviors in game development.
Takeaways
- ๐ป This tutorial covers adding various behaviors to game characters such as bots and enemies.
- ๐ It includes creating a random ghost that unpredictably changes direction, enhancing the game's challenge.
- ๐ฆ There's also a random bat, which moves in unpredictable patterns, adding variety to the enemy behaviors.
- ๐ถโโ๏ธ Another behavior demonstrated is a pacing ghost, which starts chasing the player once they cross a certain point, simulating a guard's behavior.
- ๐ซ The tutorial mentions turning off collisions temporarily for demonstration purposes.
- ๐ The bat character is shown to have a flapping animation and correctly faces the direction it's moving towards.
- ๐ฎ Game logic includes using velocity and direction changes to control character movements and behaviors.
- ๐ข The tutorial explains the use of random number generators to create unpredictable movement patterns for characters.
- โ๏ธ It delves into setting up sprites and enemies in the game, emphasizing the importance of initial setup and configuration.
- ๐พ The script provides detailed steps on creating animations and setting conditions for enemy behaviors, like chasing the player or moving in set patterns.
Q & A
What are the types of enemy behaviors described in the tutorial?
-The tutorial describes behaviors for a random ghost that changes direction unpredictably, a ghost that paces back and forth but chases the player past a certain point, and a random bat that flies around in random positions.
How is the random movement of the bat achieved in the game?
-The random movement of the bat is achieved by changing the bat's velocity at regular intervals (every second) to random values within specified ranges for both the x and y directions.
What triggers the pacing ghost to start chasing the player?
-The pacing ghost starts chasing the player when the player sprite passes a certain point in the game, indicating the ghost becomes 'aggro' towards the player.
Why are negative numbers used when setting the velocity for random movement?
-Negative numbers are used to allow movement in both directions along the y-axis; negative values make the character move up, while positive values make it move down.
How is the ghost programmed to pace back and forth?
-The ghost is programmed to pace back and forth by changing its velocity when it touches walls on either side, using positive velocity to move right and negative velocity to move left.
What logic is used to make the ghost follow the player once triggered?
-The logic involves using game updates to check if the player overlaps certain locations on the map (like stepping on specific tiles), which then sets the ghost to follow the player.
How can the animation of the bat flapping its wings be controlled based on its direction?
-The animation can be controlled by checking the bat's velocity. If the velocity in a certain direction (x or y) meets specific conditions, an animation corresponding to that direction is triggered.
What purpose do negative and positive values serve in animation logic?
-In animation logic, negative and positive values indicate the direction of movement. Positive values might represent movement to the right or downward, while negative values represent movement to the left or upward, allowing for direction-specific animations.
How is the 'on game update' block used in programming enemy behaviors?
-The 'on game update' block is used to repeatedly execute code at set intervals, such as changing velocity for random movement, updating enemy animations based on direction, or triggering behaviors like chasing the player.
How are velocity changes used to simulate enemy movement and behaviors?
-Velocity changes are used to simulate enemy movement and behaviors by dynamically adjusting the speed and direction of enemies based on game logic, such as random movements, pacing back and forth, and chasing the player.
Outlines
๐ฎ Creating Dynamic AI Behaviors in Video Games
This paragraph introduces the concept of adding various behaviors to AI-controlled characters in a video game. The speaker explains how to implement unpredictable movements for a 'ghost' character, such as changing directions randomly and pacing back and forth. Additionally, a 'bat' character is described, which flies around in random positions and changes its facing direction based on its velocity. The speaker also discusses turning off collisions to demonstrate the characters' behaviors without taking damage, emphasizing the importance of setting up the game environment and character movements first before adding complex behaviors.
๐ Enhancing Enemy Movement with Game Update Logic
The second paragraph delves into the specifics of making enemies move dynamically using game update logic. The speaker provides a step-by-step guide on changing the velocity of sprites randomly every second, using both positive and negative numbers to control the direction of movement. The explanation includes setting up conditions for enemies to change velocity when they hit walls, creating a back-and-forth movement pattern. The paragraph also touches on the creation of additional sprites and the process of assigning them specific behaviors and spawn locations, further enhancing the gaming experience.
๐ป Implementing Chase and Animation Behaviors for Ghost Characters
This paragraph focuses on the implementation of chase and animation behaviors for ghost characters in the game. The speaker explains how to set up conditions that trigger the ghost to follow the player once a certain point is passed. The process involves using game update and sprite overlap logic to initiate the chase. Furthermore, the speaker discusses animating the ghosts to look in the direction of their movement, using velocity thresholds to determine the appropriate animation to play. This adds a layer of realism and immersion to the game by making the AI characters respond more naturally to the player's actions.
๐ญ Fine-Tuning AI Character Animations and Behaviors
The final paragraph discusses the fine-tuning of AI character animations and behaviors. The speaker demonstrates how to adjust the speed of chasing ghosts to make the gameplay more balanced and less frustrating for the player. The focus is on creating a more engaging experience by ensuring the AI characters' animations and movements are synchronized and responsive to the player's actions. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of testing and refining these behaviors to achieve the desired effect, ensuring that the AI characters provide a challenging yet fair experience for players.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กBehaviors
๐กSprites
๐กRandomization
๐กAnimations
๐กGame Update
๐กVelocity
๐กCollisions
๐กTriggers
๐กDirectional Movement
๐กTile Maps
๐กOverlap
Highlights
The tutorial introduces different behaviors for bots and enemies in a game.
A random ghost with unpredictable direction changes is discussed.
A bat enemy with random generator and flying behavior is presented.
The ghost paces back and forth and chases the player once a certain point is passed.
Collisions are turned off for demonstration purposes.
The bat has a random generator that causes it to fly around in random positions.
The tutorial explains how to make an enemy's position and direction change.
The ghost changes its animation based on its direction of movement.
The tutorial demonstrates setting up game logic for enemy behavior on game update.
Random numbers are used to determine the velocity and direction of enemies.
The tutorial shows how to make an enemy go back and forth and change directions upon hitting walls.
The concept of using tile maps to trigger enemy chasing behavior is introduced.
The tutorial explains how to animate ghosts to look in the direction of their movement.
Different animations are used based on the velocity and direction of the ghosts.
The tutorial provides a comprehensive guide on adding AI behaviors to game characters.