It's been a full year...
by Twisted Jenius · 09/22/2010 (4:17 pm) · 10 comments
The Universal AI Starter Kit was first released one year ago today. I'm very happy that so many of you have enjoyed working with the kit and I know that there are a number of people in the community who are currently using it to bring their gaming projects and creations to life.
This kit was the first product featured in the Torque store that was exclusively dedicated to AI. At the time of its release, good AI was something that Torque badly needed. And this was a major factor in causing me to develop the kit. This year, since the kit has been released, I have noticed a drop in questions regarding where to get quality AI by members of the community. I consider this a very positive sign and I'm happy to know that there is now a solution to this issue that had plagued Torque users for so long (a simple search will illustrate that this had been an issue for Torque users for many years).
Over the past year in which The UAISK has been helping many Torque community members to create the projects that they are so passionate about, the kit has continuously improved. I have spent so much time adding new features and delivering free updates, always with the needs of the amazing individuals who would be using the kit, held foremost in my heart.
I'd like to offer you a recap of the improvements that I have worked to deliver to users of the kit over these last wonderful 12 months.
For the first update, we worked out some of the minor bugs that had been reported after the initial release; we also received major improvements to the functionality of the editor, thus making the kit a more polished, user friendly tool for your game development.
During the second update I completely redid the navigation system of the AI. This gives us more dynamic and challenging enemies in our games. It also gives more intelligence and versatility to our game's AI and more fun and exciting battles for the games that we create. This update also added official Torque 3D support to The Universal AI Starter Kit.
The third update brought us significant improvements and new features to the weapons system. We also received a path editing feature for the kit. This allows us to easily create paths and nodes for our characters, through an in-game menu.
Update 1.4 saw some massive improvements to the kit. It received a new assisting feature that allowed bots to come to the aid of their teammates. We also got two new behaviors; pet and critter (in addition to the original 8 different behaviors). The behavior system was also reworked to make it more convenient and easy to use. The file system was also redone and made everything more modular and therefore easier to customize for your particular game's needs. This update also provided a great deal of additional documentation to assist you in starting out with using the kit. This includes two new tutorials and a "Getting Started Guide".
In update 1.5, the kit received yet another new behavior, the medic behavior. This update also included some major improvements to the editor which were done to improve workflow and ease of use and simplify the creation process.
As you can see, it has been a busy year for The UAISK. This recap featured just a few of the highlights of these updates; many more improvements were made as well. When I think about how to improve the kit, I always make sure to consider you, the people that will be using it. This not only means adding cool features that the end player will see, but also providing you with a tool that will allow you to create the kinds of games that you wish to create easily and effectively.
The kit is designed to be as user friendly and flexible as it can be so that it will allow you to use it on a variety of gaming projects. After so many updates you can be sure that it is a very complete and well polished AI product.
AI can be a challenging and intimidating thing for someone who just wants to create the game that they see in their dreams and so the whole purpose of The Universal AI Starter Kit is to enable you to achieve your goals and focus on what truly matters; making your game!
I'd like to thank the entire community for all of their help and support. Here's to an excellent first year!
This kit was the first product featured in the Torque store that was exclusively dedicated to AI. At the time of its release, good AI was something that Torque badly needed. And this was a major factor in causing me to develop the kit. This year, since the kit has been released, I have noticed a drop in questions regarding where to get quality AI by members of the community. I consider this a very positive sign and I'm happy to know that there is now a solution to this issue that had plagued Torque users for so long (a simple search will illustrate that this had been an issue for Torque users for many years).
Over the past year in which The UAISK has been helping many Torque community members to create the projects that they are so passionate about, the kit has continuously improved. I have spent so much time adding new features and delivering free updates, always with the needs of the amazing individuals who would be using the kit, held foremost in my heart.
I'd like to offer you a recap of the improvements that I have worked to deliver to users of the kit over these last wonderful 12 months.
For the first update, we worked out some of the minor bugs that had been reported after the initial release; we also received major improvements to the functionality of the editor, thus making the kit a more polished, user friendly tool for your game development.
During the second update I completely redid the navigation system of the AI. This gives us more dynamic and challenging enemies in our games. It also gives more intelligence and versatility to our game's AI and more fun and exciting battles for the games that we create. This update also added official Torque 3D support to The Universal AI Starter Kit.
The third update brought us significant improvements and new features to the weapons system. We also received a path editing feature for the kit. This allows us to easily create paths and nodes for our characters, through an in-game menu.
Update 1.4 saw some massive improvements to the kit. It received a new assisting feature that allowed bots to come to the aid of their teammates. We also got two new behaviors; pet and critter (in addition to the original 8 different behaviors). The behavior system was also reworked to make it more convenient and easy to use. The file system was also redone and made everything more modular and therefore easier to customize for your particular game's needs. This update also provided a great deal of additional documentation to assist you in starting out with using the kit. This includes two new tutorials and a "Getting Started Guide".
In update 1.5, the kit received yet another new behavior, the medic behavior. This update also included some major improvements to the editor which were done to improve workflow and ease of use and simplify the creation process.
As you can see, it has been a busy year for The UAISK. This recap featured just a few of the highlights of these updates; many more improvements were made as well. When I think about how to improve the kit, I always make sure to consider you, the people that will be using it. This not only means adding cool features that the end player will see, but also providing you with a tool that will allow you to create the kinds of games that you wish to create easily and effectively.
The kit is designed to be as user friendly and flexible as it can be so that it will allow you to use it on a variety of gaming projects. After so many updates you can be sure that it is a very complete and well polished AI product.
AI can be a challenging and intimidating thing for someone who just wants to create the game that they see in their dreams and so the whole purpose of The Universal AI Starter Kit is to enable you to achieve your goals and focus on what truly matters; making your game!
I'd like to thank the entire community for all of their help and support. Here's to an excellent first year!
About the author
Developer of The Universal AI Starter Kit and Twisty's Asylum Escapades.
#2
Thanks! I couldn't have done this without the continued support of community members like you.
09/22/2010 (5:28 pm)
@ ChristianThanks! I couldn't have done this without the continued support of community members like you.
#3
09/22/2010 (8:11 pm)
You did always a very good job! And ty for the support we all got from you. This kit is a "must have" :)
#4
As always, I'm honored to hear such high praise from a distinguished developer such as yourself.
09/22/2010 (8:49 pm)
@ DanielAs always, I'm honored to hear such high praise from a distinguished developer such as yourself.
#5
09/22/2010 (10:18 pm)
Ditto to all that's been said :) I enjoy being able to go from a barren level to a dungeon or a village full of NPC's and enemies within a hour. I thank you sir for a fine product. 
#6
09/22/2010 (10:24 pm)
may the updates flow and overflow with the new year for you Twisted
#7
It's great to hear that The UAISK is doing its job (enabling you to quickly and easily create a quality gameplay experience).
@ Hans
May they overflow for all of us, not just me! This is the kit’s anniversary, not mine. This is an important date for everyone in the community who’s interested in AI, and this blog is a celebration of the enrichment of the community’s collective AI abilities through the use of The Universal AI Starter Kit.
09/22/2010 (11:04 pm)
@ JohnnyIt's great to hear that The UAISK is doing its job (enabling you to quickly and easily create a quality gameplay experience).
@ Hans
May they overflow for all of us, not just me! This is the kit’s anniversary, not mine. This is an important date for everyone in the community who’s interested in AI, and this blog is a celebration of the enrichment of the community’s collective AI abilities through the use of The Universal AI Starter Kit.
#8
09/22/2010 (11:22 pm)
Great work on this kit! I'm looking forward to the day I actually have time to check my purchase out properly :)
#9
Learning to use the entirety of the kit's feature set can take a while due to the depth and volume of everything. But you can have a few bots running around a mission and shooting at you within just a few minutes. I'd highly recommend skimming over the "Getting Started Guide" and just messing around with the bots to get a feel for things.
09/22/2010 (11:34 pm)
@ RonnyLearning to use the entirety of the kit's feature set can take a while due to the depth and volume of everything. But you can have a few bots running around a mission and shooting at you within just a few minutes. I'd highly recommend skimming over the "Getting Started Guide" and just messing around with the bots to get a feel for things.
Torque Owner Christian S
Oak-Entertainment