I suppose it interests me to some degree, though as gaming is my main hobby, it tends to focus around that. I apologize if this isnt as interesting as other applications of AI, but I may as well talk a bit about it anyway.
However, most games are notorious for having AI that's dumber than a sack of hammers. Many games that feature competitive multiplayer offer the option of playing against "bots" instead, AI opponents that are designed to fill in the spot that normally would be occupied by an actual player. Usually, they are abysmal. Zero ability to adapt, braindead "strategies", and a lack of creative... well.... anything. As a rule, AI opponents in most games are considered very easy to beat.... unless they are given the ability to cheat, which they frequently are. Even amongst professional AAA developers, AI just never manages to be any good.
There is one, and only one, exception that I'm aware of. A particular developer, who I know personally, tends to make alot of strategy games, but specializes in the creation of AI, to the point where it puts basically everyone else to shame. Their flagship game, called AI War, is an RTS (real time strategy) game that has the very rare trait of not being a multiplayer competitive game... it pits the player against an AI, never a human opponent.... for it does not need one. I dont know how they do it, but in all my years of gaming, it's the one AI that is capable of constantly being a true threat. It is creative, it adapts, it will frequently use surprising strategies. Many players like to write up tales of recent playthroughs, where the AI did unexpected and very effective stuff.... even those players that have put 1000 hours into the game still have new tales to tell. What's more, there isnt just ONE AI... there are a great many to choose from, each with it's own traits, many of which also bring some unique units to the war, increasing the complexity that they need to deal with.
But even more ridiculous, the game doesnt play like any other RTS. In an RTS, the idea is usually simple: You play on a single map, each player starts in their respective base, and the idea is to use your army to capture resources and eventually destroy the opposing base. Well, in this game.... there are 80 maps. At the same time (and the whole mess is procedurally generated). With *thousands* of units roaming them. The maps are not "paused" simply because you are not looking at them... they all run all at the same time, and units travel between them constantly (fortunately though, you can pause the game at any time to issue orders... it would be nigh-impossible otherwise). The simulation is *massive*. Going even further, the game is hideously complex... I often call it the Dwarf Fortress of RTS games. If anyone knows what Dwarf Fortress is... I doubt I need to explain further. It took me a LONG time to learn how to play AI War. I normally never, ever struggle with learning a new game. But in this case, I watched a good 30 tutorial vids to learn it. Even after learning the game and practicing, the difficulty remains very brutal. Most players will get utterly stomped many, many, MANY times before even coming close to a win. This simply doesnt happen in other games in the genre... RTS games are normally known for even-more-braindead-than-usual AI that is extremely easy to exploit and defeat, even for new players.
All of this means an AI that is utterly beyond any other game I've seen in all of my years as a gamer. The thing fascinates me to no end. It fascinates the entire fanbase, too.
Yeah, I know, many would say "bah, it's just a game", but still. I find it amazing nonetheless. As far as I'm concerned, it's one hell of an achievement... particularly considering that this is a SMALL developer. The horrid monstrosity was developed by TWO people. Not a team of hundreds.
