RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2: A Case Study
Credits: TechHuman.com
In order to make the points made in this study more palpable, the game Red Dead Redemption 2 published in 2018 by RockStar Games will serve as an illustration, as it represents one of the most advanced and complex Artificial Intelligence in the gaming industry currently. The game was praised to heavens, receiving countless nominations and awards across gaming publications, nevermore than for its complex and lifelike virtual world set in the Old Wild West where cowboys are getting out of fashion. The goal of the developers was to push the limit of their game engine and the hardware (console) “as far as [they] could”. (McKeand, 2018) Undeniably, they succeeded.
This critically-acclaimed game features an entirely developed ecosystem with hierarchy with predators, carnivores, herbivores. Alligators will lurk underwater to attack any animals or humans that approach the water’s edge, just like in real life. Deer will react to unseen predators which make enough sound for the deer to hear, but not the player. Dears will roam in packs of their dears.
Credits: Wallpaper Abyss
The immersive world contains more than 200 different animal species ranging from possums playing dead in times of loud noises and movements and rodents scampering into tree hollows, to grizzly bears bluffing their charge when they feel threatened. The player is far from being the only factor that can trigger such behavior. In fact, other animals or NPCs can do so, as they hunt each other either for survival or for making money. There is whole economy in the game and almost every NPC can die if they are too hungry, or if it is too cold. Fascinatingly, birds can even soar on thermals (columns of rising air due to change of temperature in real life and in the game). (Urman, 2018) A dear will flee in the opposite direction of a wolf, yet the wolf will flee in the opposite direction of a grizzly bear. There is a hand-crafter ecosystem with many different variables. Different species of animals, like horse, will have slight variations in animations depending on their species. (McKeand, 2018) The programmed wildlife and ecosystem will readapt the food chain of the area if the player decides to hunt around too much, making it almost like a real breathing world. The player can get muddy, wet, or even bruised depending on the terrain on which they are adventuring. The mud will even slow down the player and impair gradually their guns. (Velardo, 2019 March 22)
If one was to follow the daily life of any Non-Playable Character, one would realize the amount of details implemented into each aspect of the game. Indeed, the game presents a complex simulation where any computer controlled being acts independently and affect one another, exactly like in the real world. Each agent in the game follow a simple in appearance, yet complex, scheme. First, the NPC assess its environment, then it considers the different possibilities which the programmers made available to them, in order to finally act upon their consideration. By repeating this cycle, the game developers were able to develop an open-world sandbox mirroring reality filled with independent and seemingly intelligent NPCs, humans or animals. The real life aspects from the game come from the fact that the AI doesn’t always make the best choices for its survival by design, making this degree of imperfection akin to the imperfection found in real-life.
To put this theory into practice some players decided to follow the life of certain NPCs for one day, just like the construction worker character Joe in the game. From his day beginning in a saloon at dawn after a drunk evening playing with drunken friends, he then drags himself to the construction field where he pretends to clean the floor. After a half hour, he takes another drink before starting to hammer nails into surfaces, as a real construction worker at that time would. The heating sun is visibly burning his back to his discomfort; so he goes back to the saloon for a few more drinks. After continuing his work, the evening approaching, he cleans up his work station before finally going back to the saloon for a night of drunkenly fun with friends. We can see that this construction worker is enamored with alcohol, finding comfort there in times of need, yet the displeasure of his work gets negated every time when he goes back to the saloon
To create such a complex and immersive world, the developers at RockStar Games employed around 1200 actors and wrote an 80-page script for each character in this world to ensure an adaptive and multidimensional experience. Each character has experienced something in the past which fuels their daily motivations, their dialogues and actions. Furthermore, each NPC responds to many different factors such as danger, temperature, close animals, the player’s smell, attire and reputation. Each of these factors will impact their response to the world around them and to the player, they can be either direct or discrete with subtle change in facial expression and posture. The player can even befriend and familiarize themselves with certain NPCs if they take the necessary time to achieve this. (Velardo, 2019 March 22)
Credits: Goodfun.com
The developers crafted the physic engine in this game, controlling the temperature, gravity, wind etc., in order to ensure that each agent in this world will respond in accordance to the changes in the world. According to the developers themselves, the humongous number of animations in the game is very important to ensure that the world feels immersive and alive. (McKeand, 2018) RockStar Games spent around 7 years of devoted development to create this game with this impressive amount of details.
It is important to note that this level of detail remain scripted. Storylines, possible actions, NPC’s routine and goals are all thought-through extensively, giving the impression of spontaneity and “life”, yet everything is carefully scripted. Nothing can happen unless it has been programmed one way or another. This puts into perspective the notion of intelligence found in the game’s algorithm as every possible decision and thought-process has been predefined by human beings. Nonetheless, Red Dead Redemption 2 is indeed a perfect example of the trend we can find in the gaming industry, the rapid development of immersive virtual worlds. (Velardo, 2019 March 22)