Best Deals This Week

• February 2020 PS Plus Games Revealed For PS4
• February 2020 Xbox Games With Gold Revealed
• PS4's Free PS Plus Games For January 2020 Announced

Steve Rabin, the editor of book Game AI Pro 3 have just released the title completely for free on their website http://www.gameaipro.com/.  Due to details with their publisher the book rights remain those of CRC Press and cannot be redistributed or hosted anywhere else.  Additionally the book is split into multiple chapters, each available as individual PDF chapters, although merging multiple PDFs is a relatively simple task if preferred.

Links to each chapter:

Section 1: General Wisdom

1. The Illusion of Intelligence, Steve Rabin
2. Creating the Past, Present, and Future with Random Walks, John Manslow demo code
3. Logging Visualization in FINAL FANTASY XV, Matthew W. Johnson, Fabien Gravot, Shintaro Minamino, Ingimar Hólm Guðmundsson, Hendrik Skubch, and Youichiro Miyake
4. What You See Is Not What You Get: Player Perception of AI Opponents, Baylor Wetzel and Kyle Anderson
5. Six Factory System Tricks for Extensibility and Library Reuse, Kevin Dill
6. Debugging AI with Instant In-Game Scrubbing, David Young
7. But, It Worked on My Machine! How to Build Robust AI for Your Game, Sergio Ocio Barriales

Section 2: Architecture

8. Modular AI, Kevin Dill and Christopher Dragert
9. Overcoming Pitfalls in Behavior Tree Design, Anthony Francis
10. From Behavior to Animation: A Reactive AI Architecture for Networked First-Person Shooter Games, Sumeet Jakatdar
11. A Character Decision-Making System for FINAL FANTASY XV by Combining Behavior Trees and State Machines, Youichiro Miyake, Youji Shirakami, Kazuya Shimokawa, Kousuke Namiki, Tomoki Komatsu, Joudan Tatsuhiro, Prasert Prasertvithyakarn, and Takanori Yokoyama
12. A Reusable, Light-Weight Finite-State Machine, David “Rez” Graham
13. Choosing Effective Utility-Based Considerations, Mike Lewis
14. Combining Scripted Behavior with Game Tree Search for Stronger, More Robust Game AI, Nicolas A. Barriga, Marius Stanescu, and Michael Buro

Section 3: Movement and Pathfinding

15. Steering against Complex Vehicles in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Eric Martel
16. Predictive Animation Control Using Simulations and Fitted Models, Ingimar Hólm Guðmundsson, Hendrik Skubch, Fabien Gravot, and Youichiro Miyake
17. Fast Cars, Big City: The AI of Driver San Francisco, Chris Jenner and Sergio Ocio Barriales
18. A Unified Theory of Locomotion, Graham Pentheny
19. RVO and ORCA: How They Really Work, Ben Sunshine-Hill
20. Optimization for Smooth Paths, Mark Langerak demo code
21. 3D Flight Navigation Using Sparse Voxel Octrees, Daniel Brewer
22. Faster A* with Goal Bounding, Steve Rabin and Nathan R. Sturtevant
23. Faster Dijkstra Search on Uniform Cost Grids, Steve Rabin and Nathan R. Sturtevant

Section 4: Tactics and Strategy

24. Being Where It Counts: Telling Paragon Bots Where to Go, Mieszko Zieliński
25. Combat Outcome Prediction for Real-Time Strategy Games, Marius Stanescu, Nicolas A. Barriga, and Michael Buro
26. Guide to Effective Auto-Generated Spatial Queries, Eric Johnson
27. The Role of Time in Spatio-Temporal Reasoning: Three Examples from Tower Defense, Baylor Wetzel and Kyle Anderson
28. Pitfalls and Solutions When Using Monte-Carlo Tree Search for Strategy and Tactical Games, Gijs-Jan Roelofs
29. Petri Nets and AI Arbitration, Sergio Ocio Barriales
30. Hierarchical Portfolio Search in Prismata, David Churchill and Michael Buro

Section 6: Character Behavior

31. Behavior Decision System: Dragon Age Inquisition’s Utility Scoring Architecture, Sebastian Hanlon and Cody Watts
32. Paragon Bots: A Bag of Tricks, Mieszko Zieliński
33. Using Your Combat AI Accuracy to Balance Difficulty, Sergio Ocio Barriales
34. 1000 NPCs at 60 FPS, Robert Zubek
35. Ambient Interactions: Improving Believability by Leveraging Rule-Based AI, Hendrik Skubch
36. Stochastic Grammars: Not Just for Words!, Mike Lewis demo code
37. Simulating Character Knowledge Phenomena in Talk of the Town, James Ryan and Michael Mateas

Section 7: Odds and Ends

38. Procedural Level and Story Generation Using Tag-Based Content Selection, Jurie Horneman
39. Recommendation Systems in Games, Ben G. Weber
40. Vintage Random Number Generators, Éric Jacopin demo code
41. Leveraging Plausibility Orderings to Achieve Extremely Efficient Data Compression, Jeff Rollason
42. Building Custom Static Checkers Using Declarative Programming, Ian Horswill, Robert Zubek, and Matthew Viglione

On the same page you can also download first and second editions of the Game AI book series.  Awesome contribution from the editor and all the various others and such a huge wealth of knowledge being shared.

GameDev News Book

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By Dick Page 30 Jan 2020

Daniel

Today we released a new preview update for Blazor WebAssembly with a bunch of great new features and improvements.

Here’s what’s new in this release:

• Version updated to 3.2
• Simplified startup
• Download size improvements
• Support for .NET SignalR client

Get started

To get started with Blazor WebAssembly 3.2.0 Preview 1 install the .NET Core 3.1 SDK and then run the following command:

dotnet new -i Microsoft.AspNetCore.Blazor.Templates::3.2.0-preview1.20073.1

That’s it! You can find additional docs and samples on https://blazor.net.

Upgrade an existing project

To upgrade an existing Blazor WebAssembly app from 3.1.0 Preview 4 to 3.2.0 Preview 1:

• Update all Microsoft.AspNetCore.Blazor.* package references to 3.2.0-preview1.20073.1.
• In Program.cs in the Blazor WebAssembly client project replace BlazorWebAssemblyHost.CreateDefaultBuilder() with WebAssemblyHostBuilder.CreateDefault().
• Move the root component registrations in the Blazor WebAssembly client project from Startup.Configure to Program.cs by calling builder.RootComponents.Add<TComponent>(string selector).
• Move the configured services in the Blazor WebAssembly client project from Startup.ConfigureServices to Program.cs by adding services to the builder.Services collection.
• Remove Startup.cs from the Blazor WebAssembly client project.
• If you’re hosting Blazor WebAssembly with ASP.NET Core, in your Server project replace the call to app.UseClientSideBlazorFiles<Client.Startup>(...) with app.UseClientSideBlazorFiles<Client.Program>(...).

Version updated to 3.2

In this release we updated the versions of the Blazor WebAssembly packages to 3.2 to distinguish them from the recent .NET Core 3.1 Long Term Support (LTS) release. There is no corresponding .NET Core 3.2 release – the new 3.2 version applies only to Blazor WebAssembly. Blazor WebAssembly is currently based on .NET Core 3.1, but it doesn’t inherit the .NET Core 3.1 LTS status. Instead, the initial release of Blazor WebAssembly scheduled for May of this year will be a Current release, which “are supported for three months after a subsequent Current or LTS release” as described in the .NET Core support policy. The next planned release for Blazor WebAssembly after the 3.2 release in May will be with .NET 5. This means that once .NET 5 ships you’ll need to update your Blazor WebAssembly apps to .NET 5 to stay in support.

Simplified startup

We’ve simplified the startup and hosting APIs for Blazor WebAssembly in this release. Originally the startup and hosting APIs for Blazor WebAssembly were designed to mirror the patterns used by ASP.NET Core, but not all of the concepts were relevant. The updated APIs also enable some new scenarios.

Here’s what the new startup code in Program.cs looks like:

public class Program

{ public static async Task Main(string[] args) { var builder = WebAssemblyHostBuilder.CreateDefault(args); builder.RootComponents.Add<App>("app"); await builder.Build().RunAsync(); }

}

Blazor WebAssembly apps now support async Main methods for the app entry point.

To a create a default host builder, call WebAssemblyHostBuilder.CreateDefault(). Root components and services are configured using the builder; a separate Startup class is no longer needed.

The following example adds a WeatherService so it’s available through dependency injection (DI):

public class Program

{ public static async Task Main(string[] args) { var builder = WebAssemblyHostBuilder.CreateDefault(args); builder.Services.AddSingleton<WeatherService>(); builder.RootComponents.Add<App>("app"); await builder.Build().RunAsync(); }

}

Once the host is built, you can access services from the root DI scope before any components have been rendered. This can be useful if you need to run some initialization logic before anything is rendered:

public class Program

{ public static async Task Main(string[] args) { var builder = WebAssemblyHostBuilder.CreateDefault(args); builder.Services.AddSingleton<WeatherService>(); builder.RootComponents.Add<App>("app"); var host = builder.Build(); var weatherService = host.Services.GetRequiredService<WeatherService>(); await weatherService.InitializeWeatherAsync(); await host.RunAsync(); }

}

The host also now provides a central configuration instance for the app. The configuration isn’t populated with any data by default, but you can populate it as required in your app.

public class Program

{ public static async Task Main(string[] args) { var builder = WebAssemblyHostBuilder.CreateDefault(args); builder.Services.AddSingleton<WeatherService>(); builder.RootComponents.Add<App>("app"); var host = builder.Build(); var weatherService = host.Services.GetRequiredService<WeatherService>(); await weatherService.InitializeWeatherAsync(host.Configuration["WeatherServiceUrl"]); await host.RunAsync(); }

}

Download size improvements

Blazor WebAssembly apps run the .NET IL linker on every build to trim unused code from the app. In previous releases only the core framework libraries were trimmed. Starting with this release the Blazor framework assemblies are trimmed as well resulting in a modest size reduction of about 100 KB transferred. As before, if you ever need to turn off linking, add the <BlazorLinkOnBuild>false</BlazorLinkOnBuild> property to your project file.

Support for the .NET SignalR client

You can now use SignalR from your Blazor WebAssembly apps using the .NET SignalR client.

To give SignalR a try from your Blazor WebAssembly app:

1. Create an ASP.NET Core hosted Blazor WebAssembly app.

   dotnet new blazorwasm -ho -o BlazorSignalRApp
   

2. Add the ASP.NET Core SignalR Client package to the Client project.

   cd BlazorSignalRApp
   dotnet add Client package Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Client
   

3. In the Server project, add the following Hub/ChatHub.cs class.

   using System.Threading.Tasks;
   
   using Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR; namespace BlazorSignalRApp.Server.Hubs
   
   { public class ChatHub : Hub { public async Task SendMessage(string user, string message) { await Clients.All.SendAsync("ReceiveMessage", user, message); } }
   
   }
   
   

4. In the Server project, add the SignalR services in the Startup.ConfigureServices method.

   services.AddSignalR();
   
   

5. Also add an endpoint for the ChatHub in Startup.Configure.

   .UseEndpoints(endpoints =>
   
   { endpoints.MapDefaultControllerRoute(); endpoints.MapHub<ChatHub>("/chatHub"); endpoints.MapFallbackToClientSideBlazor<Client.Program>("index.html");
   
   });
   
   

6. Update Pages/Index.razor in the Client project with the following markup.

   @using Microsoft.AspNetCore.SignalR.Client
   
   @page "/"
   
   @inject NavigationManager NavigationManager <div> <label for="userInput">User:</label> <input id="userInput" @bind="userInput" />
   
   </div>
   
   <div class="form-group"> <label for="messageInput">Message:</label> <input id="messageInput" @bind="messageInput" />
   
   </div>
   
   <button @onclick="Send" disabled="@(!IsConnected)">Send Message</button> <hr /> <ul id="messagesList"> @foreach (var message in messages) { <li>@message</li> }
   
   </ul> @code { HubConnection hubConnection; List<string> messages = new List<string>(); string userInput; string messageInput; protected override async Task OnInitializedAsync() { hubConnection = new HubConnectionBuilder() .WithUrl(NavigationManager.ToAbsoluteUri("/chatHub")) .Build(); hubConnection.On<string, string>("ReceiveMessage", (user, message) => { var encodedMsg = user + " says " + message; messages.Add(encodedMsg); StateHasChanged(); }); await hubConnection.StartAsync(); } Task Send() => hubConnection.SendAsync("SendMessage", userInput, messageInput); public bool IsConnected => hubConnection.State == HubConnectionState.Connected;
   
   }
   
   

7. Build and run the Server project

   cd Server
   dotnet run
   

8. Open the app in two separate browser tabs to chat in real time over SignalR.

Known issues

Below is the list of known issues with this release that will get addressed in a future update.

• Running a new ASP.NET Core hosted Blazor WebAssembly app from the command-line results in the warning: CSC : warning CS8034: Unable to load Analyzer assembly C:\Users\user\.nuget\packages\microsoft.aspnetcore.components.analyzers\3.1.0\analyzers\dotnet\cs\Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.Analyzers.dll : Assembly with same name is already loaded.

  • Workaround: This warning can be ignored or suppressed using the <DisableImplicitComponentsAnalyzers>true</DisableImplicitComponentsAnalyzers> MSBuild property.

Feedback

We hope you enjoy the new features in this preview release of Blazor WebAssembly! Please let us know what you think by filing issues on GitHub.

Thanks for trying out Blazor!

Daniel Roth

Principal Program Manager, ASP.NET

Follow Daniel   

Earlier this month, we shared the news that a small selection of Oddworld games were headed to Nintendo Switch. The first of those was Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD, which launched last week, but it looks like we now know the second, too.

An ESRB rating has been spotted online for Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee HD on Nintendo Switch. This game initially launched as an Xbox exclusive, but several ports eventually found their way to release including one on Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance and a number of ‘HD’ versions. The platformer has players switching control between Abe and Munch, using their specific abilities to progress, and has received decent reviews over time.

Here’s a screenshot of the rating in question:

ESRB

Usually, ratings like this one essentially serve as a confirmation that the game is indeed on the way, but we’d still recommend waiting for an official announcement before getting too invested. Our friends over at Push Square reviewed this one on PS Vita, saying that it’s “not a bad game when taken in isolation, but it’s arguably the worst of the franchise’s four primary titles”.

Would you grab this one if it came to Switch? Tell us below.

Make no mistake, we’ve got endless love for chunky plastic cartridges and proper printed manuals (remember those?), but the convenience of digital games is hard to deny and over the last decade or so digital distribution has taken off to the point where often physical versions aren’t even an option these days. Whether we like it or not, there will come a point when physical discs and cartridges simply aren’t manufactured anymore.

We’ve still got the classics on the shelf, though. We discussed yesterday how our most treasured items often aren’t worth much, but a mint copy of Majora’s Mask is nothing compared to the truly eye-watering prices some retro games can fetch and with each passing year it’s getting harder and harder to reclaim childhood favourites at reasonable prices.

To make ourselves feel better (or should that be worse?) we’ve gathered below a dozen of the priciest games you can buy for Nintendo hardware today. The older they are, the more expensive they get (obviously), so you’ll find plenty of NES games below, but anything that originally came in a fragile cardboard box will invariably fetch more than the plastic equivalent.

To avoid a rabbit hole of test cartridges, prototypes and special carts manufactured in very limited amounts for contests and such, we’ve stuck to good old fashion full retail titles here – games you could have bought for $60 when they released originally, if you only knew. We’ve also eliminated Limited Editions and stuck to officially licensed games, so you won’t find any of the naughty adult-only titles sold in special stores or via mail order, either.

To find out the most expensive Nintendo games going Price Charting was an invaluable resource and provided nearly all the figures below, with the CIB figure coming from the last documented copy sold on eBay. These games are presented in no particular order because prices are constantly fluctuating and estimates are just that – estimates.

So, let’s move over from the cheap shelving to the locked cabinet, press our collective noses to the glass and look longingly at rarities we’ll likely never get our grubby hands on…

Publisher: Bandai / Developer: Human Entertainment

Release Date: Sep 1987 (USA) / 1988 (UK/EU)

Complete-in-box (CIB): $30,100 (2017), Loose: $7630.04

Ah yes. We kick things off with an obvious one that has taken on near-mythical status. There’s always the hope that a distant relative will gift you their old NES collection and this will be nestled, pristine, in the collection. Developed to use with the Family Fun Fitness Mat (better known as the Power Pad), the game was recalled by Nintendo in the US after the company bought the mat from Bandai and rebranded both it and the game, which meant very few copies remained in the wild. The PAL version wasn’t recalled, however, and can be found – especially PAL B – comparatively cheap for under a 1000€. Bargain!

Publisher: Atlus / Developer: Atlus

Release Date: Jun 1991 (USA)

CIB: $1884.42 (2018), Loose: $203.24

Developed and published by Atlus for Game Boy in 1991, you control the titular Spud and climb a tower gaining XP and keys to move ever upwards and save a tomato Princess. It sounds like a winner, but this game’s scarcity has pushed prices right up over the years, with several examples on eBay at the moment with asking prices of well over $3000.

Publisher: Hudson / Developer: CAProduction

Release Date: Jun 1995 (USA) / Apr 1995 (UK/EU)

(CIB): $1,896.45 / C $2,500.00 (2020), Loose: $466.50

A 1994 action-platformer in the Ninja Gaiden mould, CAProductions’ Hagane: The Final Conflict offers ninja cyborg action and is something of a cult classic, not least because of the rarity of the original cart. It arrived in North America in 1995 as the Super NES was winding down, and its rudimentary graphics probably didn’t attract gamers at the time. If you did see through all those phoney next-gen polygons being thrown your way in ads, well done! You’re sitting on a small, cartridge-shaped goldmine.

Publisher: Capcom / Developer: WayForward

Release Date: 5th Jun 2002 (USA) / 18th Jul 2013 (UK/EU)

CIB: $1,700 (2019), Loose: $449.99

With an already limited production run thanks to the pricey 32MB cartridge it came on, Shantae for Game Boy Color also released after the launch of the Game Boy Advance and consequently didn’t sell as well as it could (or should) have. For some unclear reason publisher Capcom sat on the finished game for months, but fortunately WayForward would take the protagonist on to even greater heights in what became an excellent platforming series.

Publisher: Capcom / Developer: Capcom

Release Date: 1996 (USA) / 1996 (UK/EU)

(CIB): $1689.68 / 1,526€ (2020), Loose: $586.73

The PAL version of Mega Man X3 on Super NES has been sold for over $2000 in the last year, although the latest sale at the time of writing is a far more sensible $1689.68. Why not get two, eh?

With Mega Man X Legacy Collection available on Switch, you’ve got to be super dedicated to shell out for an original cart. It was released late in the console’s life cycle as Capcom was winding down its 16-bit projects, which explains its limited availability. Definitely one we wish we had snapped up at the time.

Publisher: Mc O’River / Developer: Micronics

Release Date: Nov 1994 (USA)

(CIB): $1326.00 (2018), Loose: $582.81

Complete copies of SNES shmup Aero Fighters (or Sonic Wings, if you prefer) have fluctuated over the past few years, with examples selling as ‘low’ as $400 and as high as $2700 depending on condition. It’s a reminder to collectors not to be over-eager or hung up on the limited ‘supply’ of these games. It’s important to remember that ‘demand’ isn’t necessarily high as well and bargains can be had if you’re patient.

Bargains like $415 for a worn out Aero Fighters cart, for example. Plus postage.

Publisher: Taito Corporation / Developer: Taito

Release Date: Aug 1994 (USA) / 24th Feb 1994 (UK/EU)

(CIB): $1,896.44 / C $2,499.99 (2019), Loose: $673.22

Some say this was another Blockbuster rental exclusive, others say it was a normal retail game sold like any other. Regardless, there weren’t many copies made and getting your hands on one today will likely involve selling off non-essential organs or vital parts of your vehicle. Still, Fred never needed an engine in his car, did he?

Publisher: Life Fitness / Developer: Radical Entertainment

Release Date: Oct 1994 (USA)

(CIB): $2683 (2014), Loose: $1348.48

Separately these games aren’t too pricey, but this combined cart is a real rarity because it was only available as a pack-in title with the Exertainment exercise bike peripheral itself. We’d be satisfied to have the two individual games and still call our SNES collection ‘complete’. We would, of course, be lying to ourselves and everyone else, though. Therefore, this is essential.

Publisher: Taito Corporation / Developer: Takeru

Release Date: Nov 1992 (USA) / 13th Mar 1993 (UK/EU)

CIB: $2,999 (2020), Loose: $1057.78

A Taito-published game for NES, Little Samson just didn’t sell very well back in 1992 despite being a rather excellent platformer from producer and writer Shinichi Yoshimoto who had previously designed Capcom classics such as Ghouls ‘n Ghosts and Strider. With the ability to switch between four playable characters at will, it’s a cracking little game and worth tracking down if you’ve got a few grand eating a hole in your pocket.

Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo

Release Date: 1st Oct 1987 (USA) / 15th Dec 1987 (UK/EU)

CIB: $1815.50 (estimate – no data), Loose: $800

Very specifically the 5-screw variant. If you’re unfamiliar with the difference between the 3-screw and 5-screw cartridges, it’s not too hard to educate oneself. The 5-screw version has two extra screws holding the front and back of the cartridge together, you see.

This may seem like a minor cosmetic difference (because it is), but the 5-screw cartridges were phased out by Nintendo in 1988 with subsequent games (and reissues) using only the 3-screw casing, so the extra secure carts are more sought after. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is already hard to come by after Nintendo replaced the titular boxer with Mr. Dream (pictured above), and the version with two extra screws is the rarest 5-screw cart there is. A loose specimen sold in November last year for a cool $800 and a CIB version hasn’t turned up in a long time.

Publisher: Interplay / Developer: Interplay

Release Date: 15th May 1998 (USA)

CIB: $2,499 (2020), Loose: $391.56

A updated version of notoriously rubbish (although not quite as rubbish as its reputation suggests) fighter Clayfighter 63 1/3, the ‘special’ Sculptor’s Cut was a Blockbuster Video exclusive available for rental only. However, once N64 titles were no longer of interest to the average kid renting a game, the stock was sold off like any other retail release.

Limited production numbers aside, the real thing that bumps this game up in price is the rarity of its box and manual. Cardboard cases wear out fast, so it’s easy to imagine these ones disintegrating rapidly as they changed hands from one punter to another. Consequently, the peripheral materials command a much higher price than the loose cartridge itself.

Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EAD

Release Date: 17th Nov 1985 (USA) / 15th May 1987 (UK/EU)

CIB: $100,150 (2019), Loose: peanuts

No, not your dog-eared copy with notes in the manual. Despite being one of the most popular games of all time, mint examples of Super Mario Bros. aren’t easy to come by and last year a pristine and certified copy sold at auction breaking the six-figure mark for the first time ever for a single video game.

It wasn’t quite a standard copy, though – it was a rare ‘sticker-sealed’ version. Apparently only two copies were sold with just stickers sealing the box (the others were wrapped in plastic) which is what pushed this one’s value into the stratosphere.

Of course, it’s entirely possible to pick up Super Mario Bros. in reasonable condition for a fraction of that price, but ‘reasonable condition’ isn’t sexy, is it? ‘Pristine’, ‘untouched’, ‘A+++’, ‘never-opened’, ‘minty-fresh’, ‘sticker-sealed’ – these are just some of the adjectives that true collectors prize, and if you’re after the other sticker-sealed copy of SMB, you’ll need very deep pockets indeed.

And there you have it – a dozen of the priciest games for Nintendo obsessives like us to throw their cash at. Just bubbling under was Virtual Bowling for Virtual Boy; hardly the most in-demand game (or console), for sure, although the Virtual Boy always had an allure for us, maybe because us Europeans never had the migraine-inducing pleasure back in the day. We liked the game in our review, although $1300 might be pushing it.

Got any of these sitting in the cupboard? Planning on picking any of them up? Let us know your most valuable games and how you got your mitts on them below.