Authored vs. Systemic - Finding a Balance for Combat AI in Uncharted 4

Explore the development process of Uncharted 4's combat AI in this 57-minute GDC 2017 session presented by Naughty Dog's Matthew Gallant. Delve into the challenges and solutions encountered while balancing authored and systemic approaches to AI design. Learn about macro combat, new features, and AI overview, including connectivity, vantage layouts, and heat search techniques. Discover how the team drew inspiration from PacMan ghosts to create core combat roles and implement global combat parameters. Gain insights into evergreen AI techniques, their limitations, and the lessons learned about partitioning control between design and engineering. Conclude with a Q&A session to further understand the intricacies of combat AI development in AAA game production.