Course Co/Pre-requisite knowledge:

• Pre-requisite: FIT2049 Games Programming using C++
  Assumed knowledge includes: (i) programming to second year Computer Science level in an object-oriented programming language such as C++ or Java (ii) programming within a UNIX environment (iii) effective use of FTP, telnet/rlogin under UNIX (iv) A knowledge of OpenGL will be helpful but is not an essential pre-requisite. Nevertheless, students will be exposed to OpenGL during the course and expected to use it in the form of the GLUT to complete their assignment work.
  
• Communication Skills: Effective written and spoken English communication skills are required. If your communication skills in English are not of a high standard, you must seek assistance from language and learning officers (access via the Monash library). Students will be assessed on their ability to write in English.
  
• Co-requisites: nil
  
• Payment of fees: All students must have paid their university fees as required. Students who have not done this on time will not be able to complete the assessment requirements and will therefore not pass the course. This is university policy.

Course materials:

URL: http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~cema/courses/FIT3094/index.html

Course overview:

This unit will introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Artificial Life (AL) techniques that can be used in games development. General capabilities of AI and AL technology, behaviours/circumstances that need to be simulated/learned/reproduced by the smart non-player characters/environments in smart games, AI and AL techniques (such as evolutionary and neural computations) used in the development of smart games will be discussed at length. This unit will build upon previous programming skills, and provide a strong grounding for further study in this area, especially related to games engine development. The unit will examine intelligent game creation using C++.

Practical assignments and excercises provide ample scope for creative expression and utilization of the theory presented in lectures. Students will be assessed on their ability to think and design innovatively, as well as on their understanding of the theoretical issues presented in lectures.

Course topics include:

A full lecture-by-lecture topic listing is available.

A note on texts:

Texts written about Computer Games and AI are in abundance. Some of them are dreadful, some are very good! A few of relevance are listed below although it is not necessary to buy any of these books to complete the course. Each lecture will have a short reading list associated with it. Where this reading is a required part of the course it will be stated so in the notes.

Reference manuals for C++ and OpenGL will be very useful for all students completing the course but they are not strictly required.

Possible reading....

Alex J. Champandard, AI Game Development: Synthetic Creatures with Learning and Reactive Behaviours, New Riders Publishing, 2004

OpenGL Architecture Review Board, Dave Shreiner, Mason Woo, Jackie Neider, Tom Davis, OpenGL(R) Programming Guide: The Official Guide to Learning OpenGL(R), Version 2.1 (6th Edition), Addison-Wesley, 2007

Bjarne Stroustrup, The C++ Programming Language, Addison-Wesley (any recent edition)

* Students should consult University materials on cheating, in particular:

1. Student Resource Guide at http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/srg/, particularly the section on cheating
2. Statute 4.1 on Discipline at http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/calendar/statutes/statutes04.html

© Copyright Alan Dorin 2011