Game AI Foundations: Finite State Machines
If you’ve ever been spotted by a guard who shouted, chased you, then gave up and wandered back to their post, you’ve watched a finite state machine (FSM) at work. FSMs are the oldest and still one of the most widely used tools for game AI, because they map almost perfectly onto how we describe enemy behavior in plain English: “the enemy is patrolling, until it sees the player, then it chases.” ...