AI Blackboard Architecture for Tactical Game AI
In the Smart Environment article, we explored how agents can avoid crowding by reserving paths. One NPC declares its intended route, and the environment marks it so others naturally pick alternate paths. This simple mechanism creates emergent flanking and tactical spread without requiring direct communication. Now let’s extend that idea further. Instead of only coordinating […]
Designing NPCs with Smart Objects and Smart Environment
One of the hardest parts of building convincing game AI is deciding how much knowledge to put inside the agent. If every NPC needs to know how to use every object, evaluate every area of the map, and constantly recalculate context, the logic becomes bloated, fragile, and expensive to run. There’s a better way. Instead […]
Smarter Game AI with Infinite Axis Utility Systems
Game AI has evolved through several design patterns: Finite State Machines (FSMs), Behavior Trees (BTs), and Planning systems. Each has strengths, but also limitations. FSMs risk lock-in if an exit condition is missed, while BTs can grow unwieldy as branches multiply. Utility Systems offer another path — one that balances flexibility, scalability, and performance. Infinite […]
Raising the Bar: UX, PO & Tech Leads in AAA Game Tools
When studios talk about building new technology, a smarter AI system, a faster rendering pipeline, or a more elegant gameplay framework, the conversation usually revolves around performance, computational speed, or technical elegance. But too often, the hidden costs are ignored. A system without tools is a system that only engineers can touch. That leaves designers […]
Automated Testing in Game Development: Speed & Stability
When most people think about game testing, they picture QA teams running through builds, finding bugs, and filing reports. But modern development pipelines can’t rely only on manual QA anymore. Automated testing has become essential to maintain speed without sacrificing stability. And yet, many studios hesitate. Automated testing feels expensive, it takes time to write, […]
Automated Builds in Game Development | Technical Production
When people think about game development, they picture flashy art, clever AI, or tight combat mechanics. What often gets overlooked is something far more basic but just as critical: automated builds. For producers and designers, automated builds are the single best way to keep feedback flowing. For programmers, they’re a shield against broken code. For […]
Pair Programming and Code Reviews: Best Practices for Collaboration
Every developer knows that game projects live and die by teamwork. You can have the sharpest coders in the world, but if they’re working in isolation, problems slip through, knowledge gets siloed, and the codebase becomes harder to maintain. That’s where pair programming and code reviews come in. These practices aren’t about slowing people down […]
Source Control in Game Development: Git, SVN & Perforce
When I started consulting a year and a half ago, I never expected one of my most common recommendations would be this simple: “Do you have working source control?” And no, your Google Drive or an external hard drive does not count as source control. It’s honestly surprising how many teams I’ve met who are […]
GOAP in Game AI: Using Utility and Planning for Smarter NPCs
After publishing my recent piece on game AI planning, I received a wave of questions about GOAP, which inspired me to write this article. To make it clear and approachable, I’ll walk through a simple paper prototype of GOAP so you can both understand the concept and even implement your own version if you’d like. […]
The Real Reason Games Ship: Leadership, Not Luck
If you read my earlier article on planning the path from prototype to production, this one builds on the same foundation, but now through the lens of what it takes to actually ship. There’s an old truth whispered in the game development community that is: “Every game that ships is a miracle.”And after more than […]