| Let's leave the format war between Sony and | | | | path when they sense your presence. It is noticeable |
| Microsoft and explore a gaming phenomena that | | | | especially when your Pac-Man does not change |
| unquestionably improves current gaming trends -- | | | | position at all -- the ghosts move according to the path, |
| Artificial Intelligence, or AI to many. Touted to make | | | | changing directions only when they get close to |
| new breakthroughs and trends in the world of gaming, | | | | you.Twenty years later since Pac-Man, family |
| AI is the enabling of intricate decision-making | | | | computers, and many computer hardware changes, |
| capabilities in a software. Speaking of AI, the Xbox | | | | game developers still use the same simplistic AI tricks. |
| 360 boasts of an AI-capable system designed and | | | | The hardwares evolve to accommodate the intensity |
| developed by many brilliant and innovative engineers. | | | | of the modern graphics as well as the sound system |
| Though the Xbox also has this feature, it is more | | | | for more biting audio. However, despite these changes, |
| pronounced and better in the new console combined | | | | AI programs continue to be a sort of last-minute |
| with the HD DVD technology.Of course, such | | | | addition. In fact, the programs are deemed to be |
| high-quality consoles deserve top-notch games and | | | | unimportant in gaming. As a result, the NPCs, largely |
| the developers stepped up to the challenge. Game | | | | remained as stupid bots who don't move even if |
| developers for Xbox and its new improved | | | | caught in a crossfire. This is what the AI programs for |
| counterpart also added AI programs to their games, | | | | the Xbox 360 take care of.Satchell affirms that the |
| giving the in-game personas the ability to think like a | | | | new processing model composed of three powerful |
| real person. With the vast power of the new consoles, | | | | symmetric cores more than makes up for the lack of |
| the whole universe of gaming comes alive. A | | | | "reality" of the old console models. He asserts that this |
| summary of the improvements AI bring to online | | | | new Microsoft innovation is really a paradigmatic shift |
| gaming: non-player characters or NPCs act in realistic | | | | because the standard for game consoles and |
| manner, not to mention that allies are more helpful and | | | | computer hardware is the use of a single core. He |
| enemies become more fiendish than ever.Such | | | | added that this shift to a three-core system will add |
| simplistic notions cannot fully express the benefit of AI | | | | considerable burden to the lives of game developers |
| in a game sequence. The simplicity of the summation | | | | but add to greater delight of all Xbox 360 gamers. This |
| only contrives to hide the complexity of the AI behind | | | | is because a fully AI-capable three-core system |
| the Xbox 360. But the concept of AI is not a modern | | | | provides greater flexibility and more cycles which |
| one. In fact, AI is a subject of discussion, debates, and | | | | make gaming more exciting and interesting.The key to |
| practical simulations within the academic setting for | | | | achieving that is to make sure that the AI programs of |
| years. Chris Satchell, Microsoft's General Manager for | | | | the new Xbox run smoothly on all three cores. |
| Game Development, attests to this fact. From the | | | | Therefore, the developers need to take extensive |
| development of Pac-Man, game designers and | | | | sections from their codes and test it on all three cores. |
| developers have been employing the use of AI, even if | | | | As a result of all these great efforts, the CPU's main |
| it is just in its simplest state. Take Pac-Man for | | | | processor does not take all the burden of handling |
| example, wherein the main objective is to eat as many | | | | multiple tasks; instead, the added cores take over the |
| golden pellets as possible without being eaten by the | | | | job. The results are more efficient gaming, sharper |
| "ghosts." This simplicity is matched by the elementary | | | | graphics, quality audio, and thinking characters which |
| pre-scripted AI patterns used. The ghosts almost | | | | give Xbox 360 games advantage over others. |
| always follow a straight line but they deviate from their | | | | |