Half-Life AI: Finite State Machines Explained 🤖

In this episode of AI 101 I explore Finite State Machines: one of the most important AI techniques to ever be adopted in games. I explain the theory of how it works and their application in the game that defined game AI for a generation: Half-Life.

If you're interested in learning more about finite state machines here are some links to some resources you might find useful:

Finite State Machines: Theory & Implementation (Fernando Bevilacqua)
https://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/tutorials/finite-state-machines-theory-and-implementation--gamedev-11867

Common Ways to Implement Finite State Machines in Games (Alex Champandard):
http://aigamedev.com/open/article/fsm-implementation/

Plus if you want to look at the Half Life SDK and AI source code, check these links out:

The Half-Life SDK:
http://metamod.sourceforge.net/files/sdk/

The AI from Half-Life’s SDK in Retrospective (Alex Champandard):
http://aigamedev.com/open/article/halflife-sdk/

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Games in this episode (in order of appearance):

Half-Life
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Halo 2
F.E.A.R.
DOOM (2016)

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The soundtrack for this episode listed below is by TeknoAxe and used under the terms of a Creative Commons 4.0 license.

Major Malfunction
Mellow Aether
Repairing a Plasma Conduit

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#HalfLife #GameAI #DOOM