Artificial

Sunday, February 06, 2011

The beta testing for Blackest Night Hal Jordan has been going very well. I've gotten a lot of great feedback from folks, all of which I have been working on addressing in the main code base before I can release. The biggest revelation to come out of the beta process, though, is something I should have realized long ago: making a decent AI for Hal, one that behaves appropriately in both standard Green Lantern mode and all 6 custom Corps modes, is really hard.

MUGEN AI programming is something of a dark art, all about how different triggers interact with each other under certain conditions, which ones take precedence over each other, that sort of thing. Adding in a layer of 7 different play styles (and really, the different modes are starting to feel different from each other) just ratchets up the complexity level. In the past, I've released characters without custom AI; in this case, though, I really feel like he needs something that will obey the same gameplay rules that a human has to follow (for example, Orange and Black Lantern modes can't charge their ring power up with the taunt move that the other modes can use). Without implementing those same rules for the AI, certain modes become really cheap, and it's no fun to play against a cheap opponent. (although I seem to remember seeing some pretty cool videos on YouTube of people winning against legendarily cheap characters, like Omega Tom Hanks or the April Fools Darkseid Kal-Elvis and I cooked up a few years ago. But I digress.)

So the long and the short of it is, Hal's still on the operating table, but progress is being made. As of last night, I've resolved 50 of the 65 issues raised by one or more of my beta testers. So if that's any clue as to his progress, there you go. Meanwhile, check out this shot of the second custom Yellow Lantern special, which I've finally finished:


[Yellow Lantern] Cruel Grip special

I should hopefully have more to post here really soon.

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I know of the April Fools Darkseid, but what the hell is an Omega Tom Hanks?? Nevermind, I just youtubed it, totally WTF.

Good to hear that you're in the good way.
 
Does the beta team get to test the newer version you just updated?
 
There will likely be a second beta, yeah.
 
Genial!! tengo ganas de probarlo. Una sugerencia: hay chars que tienen tres documentos con tres dificultades distintas, en vez de tres ¿podrias poner uno en AI facil y otro en AI dificil?
Eres el mejor Buyog, gracias por tu increible trabajo en MUGEN.
 
Buyog thanks for the news!!! Are u working now on your other WIPS too or only on Hal? Cant wait to test your second beta!!!
 
That Yellow Lantern Hal special looks really interesting. I'm sure when you're finished with it it's gonna rock. I'm also glad to hear that you're making lots of progress on all of your Hal versions of the blackest night. I can't wait until they're released or at least when your second beta test is out. I hope you let me test him out.
P.S. Please after your done with Hal, work on Sinestro. PLLEEAAASSSEEEEEEE... I would like to use him. Thanks again.
 
@Anon: gracias por tu comentario. Right now I plan to make just one AI, but I hope he won't be as hard (cheap) as before.

@NX-MEN: Still just Hal right now, until I get him done to my satisfaction. Then getting Parasite to 2.0. Then Sinestro. I think that's my pipeline.
 

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