Programming Game AI by Example

Of course, the behavior of a game agent is usually much more complex

than a lightbulb (thank goodness!). Here are some examples of how finite

state machines have been used in games.

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The ghosts’ behavior in Pac-Man is implemented as a finite state

machine. There is one Evade state, which is the same for all ghosts,

and then each ghost has its own Chase state, the actions of which are

implemented differently for each ghost. The input of the player eat

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ing one of the power pills is the condition for the transition from

Chase to Evade. The input of a timer running down is the condition

for the transition from Evade to Chase.

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Quake-style bots are implemented ...