Game AI Pro 2

Chapter 19

Guide to Anticipatory Collision Avoidance

Stephen J. Guy and Ioannis Karamouzas

19.1 Introduction

Anticipation is a key aspect of human motion. Unlike simple physical systems, like falling rocks or bouncing balls, moving humans interact with each other well before the moment of actual collision. This type of forethought in planning is a unique aspect to the motion of intelligent beings. While physical systems (e.g., interacting electrons or magnets) show evidence of oriented action at a distance, the intelligence humans show in their paths is a unique phenomenon in nature, and special techniques are needed to capture it well.

In games, the act of computing paths that reach a character’s current goal is typically accomplished using ...